The death of Michel Côté sparked several reactions Monday morning on social networks. Several personalities have highlighted the important legacy of the actor who has distinguished himself on television, cinema and theater.
Comedian Louis-José Houde worked closely with Michel Côté in the films De père en flic 1 and 2 as well as Le sens de l’humour. “It may seem like an overused 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 became aware of his illness. He was a role model who influenced the way I behave and do things. I respected him greatly. »
“In a workplace, he was the opposite of a toxic person. When we shot From father to cop, I came 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. »
“Because of the success of Broue, I think not everyone realizes the extent of his register. There is a big gap between Jean-Lou from La petite vie 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 is a great chance. »
“It’s a monument that we have just lost,” said 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 Omerta, with whom he co-starred for two seasons in the mid-1990s. Michel was a super generous guy on a film set. He always hits the puck on 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 imagine that having been part of the play Broue for so long [38 years] made him take the pulse of the Quebec public. »
“Charming, elegant, sensitive and intelligent”, Francine Ruel multiplies the epithets to speak of the actor she knew 44 years ago. According to her, Côté had a unique way of performing on stage and on screen. “He wasn’t 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 Broue. 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 tremendous 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 will not be able to see Michel interpret all these roles that he could have done as he got older. »
“I have a lot of pain,” said Guylaine Tremblay. The actress who played with him in La petite vie and in the film, La vie après l’amour still talks about it in the present. “He is an immensely talented actor, coupled with a wonderful human being. A leader, a unifier. Michel is an enveloping, reassuring, family guy. He was 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. »
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 who go 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”, able to play on 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 a very vulnerable person. It allowed me to explore with him. »
The director of Sense of humor also says that the actor had a good team spirit. “Michel knew the first names 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, that’s precious for a director. The camera loves it. Everything showed in his eyes. »
Pierre Luc Brillant has shared the big screen three times with Michel Côté, in the films Life After Love, My Daughter My Angel and above all, C. R. A. Z. Y.
“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 humor, even two minutes before shooting a very dramatic scene. When I heard the news of his death, one of the first memories that came to my mind was the crazy laughter we had just before shooting the wedding scene in C. R. A. Z. Y, the one where I had to fight with my uncle ! We had a hard time continuing! »
Pierre-Luc Brillant has seen him a few times lately “He was picking 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 day before. »
“Michel will be remembered very much as a great comic actor. Even in the most humorous scenes, he had this ability to get the truth out of his characters. We saw their distress and the depth of sadness in their eyes, like in Cruising Bar. It’s a great quality for an actor to be able to do that. »
Rémi-Pierre Paquin and Michel Côté played together during the two seasons of the show Theory of K. O., 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 local guy side, this well-placed pride of the guy from Lac-Saint-Jean! On the promotional tour, he was talking 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. »
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 at Broue, Cruising Bar, La petite vie, but I also remember his touching role in C. R. A. Z. Y. My thoughts are with his Véronique, his 2 sons whom he adored and all his loved ones, “a- 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’ve all just lost a little bit of ourselves,” said Quebec Liberal Party interim leader Marc Tanguay.
Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon also expressed 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. »
