Several personalities in mourning by Michel Côté

The death of Michel Côté sparked several reactions Monday morning on social networks. Several personalities have underlined the important legacy of the actor who has distinguished himself on television, cinema and theater.

Louis-Jose Houde

Comedian Louis-José Houde worked closely with Michel Côté in the films From father to cop 1 and 2 as well as The sense of humor. “It may seem overused as an expression, but Michel was really a bon vivant. He was a great living man who was happy to be alive and happy to make films. He had his artistic insecurities, but he remained a great optimist, someone very calm, very down to earth. It was a great encounter in my life. He was always on my mind, not just since I learned of his illness. He was a role model who influenced the way I behave and do things. I esteemed him greatly. »

“In a workplace, he was the opposite of a toxic person. When we shot From father to cop, I was coming from the stage. It was my first big role. He greeted me with deep respect, as he did with everyone on set. He wouldn’t tell me what to do without my asking him. »

“Due to the success of brew, I think that everyone does not measure the extent of their register. There is a big gap between Jean-Lou from The little life and Pierre Gauthier in omerta. You have to be extremely gifted to play in such contrasting registers. His work will stay with us forever. It’s a big chance. »

Luc Picard

“It is a monument that we have just lost, believes Luc Picard. Michel was one of the greatest composition actors in Quebec. He could totally blend into a character. He had veracity in his acting, and an amazing sense of the camera. »

Luc Picard knew Michel Côté in the series omertawith whom he co-starred for two seasons in the mid-1990s. omerta, but we kept a good bond all this time. Michel was a super generous guy on a film set. He always sends the puck to his playing partner’s paddle.”

Luc Picard also notes that Michel Côté really loved his job and the public. “He knew his world and knew who he plays for. I guess being part of the play brew for so long [38 ans] made him take the pulse of the Quebec public. »

Francine Ruel

“Charming, elegant, sensitive and intelligent”, Francine Ruel multiplies the epithets to talk about the actor she knew 44 years ago. According to her, Côté had a unique way of performing on stage and on screen. “He was not playing, he was present. He did almost nothing, moved a finger, changed a detail, and it worked. »

Francien Ruel remembers the phone call from Michel Côté, in the winter of 1979. The actor wanted her to join the team of authors of brew. For the opening of the small Théâtre des Voyagements, boulevard, Saint-Laurent, in March 1979. “He told me that he wanted to have the vision of a woman in the play, even if it takes place in a tavern. »

“He had enormous talent,” she continues. He is a great actor who was unanimous around him. There are few in the world. My great regret today is that we won’t be able to see Michel perform all these roles that he could have done as he got older. »

Guylaine Tremblay

“I have a lot of pain,” said Guylaine Tremblay. The actress who played with him in The little life and in the movie, life after love still talking about it in the present. “He is an actor of immense talent, coupled with a formidable human being. A leader, a unifier. Michel is an enveloping, reassuring, family guy. He is someone who always lifted us up. »

“For me, Michel represented the image of strength and health. I thought he was going to get over his illness. But life decided otherwise. We should all collectively wish our condolences. »

Emile Gaudreault

Director Émile Gaudreault directed Michel Côté in three feature films, including From father to cop, in 2008. “I had this idea of ​​a father and a son going to therapy and immediately the names of Michel Côté and Louis-José Houde came to mind. For me, they were the two funniest actors of their generation. »

In his eyes, the actor was “gifted, with genius”, capable of playing both comic and dramatic registers. “But he is also someone who doubted a lot, it allows work and to go further. He was not in his ideas, on the contrary he wanted to go further, both around the table and on the sets. He was a virtuoso and at the same time someone very vulnerable. It allowed me to explore with him. »

The director of Sense of humor also said that the actor had a great team spirit. “Michel knew the first name of all the technicians on a set. At the end of a day of filming, he thanked everyone by naming them. For these people who are in the shadows, it was very important. It gave a great atmosphere on a set. »

“I was ready to work with him anytime. He had a crazy charisma, it’s precious for a director. The camera loves it. Everything showed in his eyes. »

Pierre-Luc Brilliant

Pierre Luc Brillant shared the big screen three times with Michel Côté, in the films life after love, my daughter my angel and especially, CRAZY

“Michel was an important encounter in my life as a young actor. He pushed me to continue in the profession. Everyone loved working with him. He was a unifier. He did everything with a touch of humour, even two minutes before shooting a very dramatic scene. When hearing the news of his death, one of the first memories that came to mind was the crazy laughter we had just before shooting the wedding scene in CRAZY, the one where I had to fight with my uncle! We had a hard time continuing! »

Pierre-Luc Brillant has met him a few times recently “He came to pick up his grandchildren at the same daycare center where I pick up my daughter. Each time, it was as if we had had a beer together the night before. »

“Michel will be remembered a lot as a great comic actor. Even in the most humorous scenes, he had this ability to get the truth out of his characters. You could see their distress and the depth of sadness in their eyes, as in Cruising Bar. It’s a great quality for an actor to be able to do that. »

Remi-Pierre Paquin

Rémi-Pierre Paquin and Michel Côté played together during the two seasons of the show The knockout theory, where the first played the son of the second. “What I remember most from Michel is his authenticity. He was an incredible artist, but he didn’t take himself seriously. He touched me a lot, because he had this regional guy side, this well-placed pride of the guy from Lac-Saint-Jean! On the promotional tour, he spoke to everyone! He was close to people. As an actor, he could play in dramas, comedies, in more niche films. He didn’t denigrate any style. He was a model for me, both as a human and as an actor. »

Political reactions

Michel Côté was to be decorated with the National Order of Quebec in June, revealed Prime Minister François Legault. “One of our great comedians passed away today. I still laugh out loud brewof Cruising Barof The little life, but I also remember his touching role in CRAZY My thoughts are with his Véronique, his 2 sons whom he adored and all his loved ones, ”he added on social networks.

The testimonies of the political class are also numerous. “We have just lost a great actor, a great Quebecer. Michel Côté was loved and respected. Through his many roles, he will have marked generations of Quebecers. We have all just lost a little bit of ourselves, ”said the interim leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec, Marc Tanguay.

The leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, also testified to his “sadness”. “One of the most significant and appreciated actors in the history of Quebec. He will forever be etched in our collective memory. Also a man of simplicity and great kindness. Michel left much too quickly. »

With Tommy Chouinard and Mario Girard, The Press