Advanced search
- TITLES
- NAMES
- COLLABORATIONS
Search filters
Enter full date
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
Only includes names with the selected topics
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
1-46 of 46
- Thibault de Montalembert was born on 10 February 1962 in Laval, Mayenne, France. He is an actor, known for All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), The King (2019) and The Tunnel (2013).
- Actor
- Art Department
- Writer
Michel Courtemanche was born on 11 December 1964 in Laval, Quebec, Canada. He is an actor and writer, known for The City of Lost Children (1995), Casanova (2005) and The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne (2000).- Actor
- Soundtrack
- Writer
Raphaël Roberge was born in July 26th, 1996 in Laval, Quebec. From a young age Raphaël realised He was a movie buff as well a music enthusiast. He took classes of all kind; Theater, camera acting, musical theater, Diction and Improvisation; He quickly realised that he wanted to act. In 2010, he started to take singing classes to add it to his resume... He got caught because now he has two passions, singing and acting. From that moment on he participated in tons of amateur singing contest. Several TV credits including Ni plus Ni Moi, C.A, Un Tueur si proche (in French) and even some projects in English including: This Life and Compiling as well as stage plays and musicals. In 2014, he was selected from more than 6000 candidates for a singing competition called Mix4 that was broadcasted on Vrak, a popular channel for teenagers in Quebec. It was an enriching experience that gave him the occasion to meet people with the same passion as him, industry people and to tour across the Quebec and New-Brunswick for 50 representations, including the Francofolies, a concert 15,000 persons attended. In the summer of 2015 he performed more than 15 times in solo including: St-Jean Richelieu balloon festival, le festiblues, etc.). In September 2015 he was cast in l'Aventure Magique as Peter Pan. They did more than 60 shows across the Quebec and Ontario. This show gave him the occasion to explore a more theatrical style of acting. Raphaël is really implicated socially; in 2015 he was the spokesperson in Ste-Thérèse (where he lives) for the week of intellectual disabilities. It's a cause that's really important to him because he believes everyone should be treated equally. Raphaël was a judge for singing contests as well as well as for oral presentations contests. He released his first single «Libre Comme L'air» on June 15, 2015. The single reached a peak of #4 on the iTunes French Pop chart and #60 in one the L'adisq charts. The song has 10,000 plays on Spotify and more 9000 views on YouTube. He also released a single called «Menaces Invisibles» and his first single in English «Alive». His first EP was released on December 15, 2015 and reached the top 12 on the iTunes French pop chart. He wrote or co-wrote all the songs. He launched the EP on December 14 to a sold-out crowd.- Actor
- Writer
- Stunts
François Papineau was born in 1966 in Laval, Québec, Canada. He is an actor and writer, known for Route 132 (2010), La bouteille (2000) and Unité 9 (2012). He has been married to Bénédicte Décary since 2013. They have one child. He was previously married to Sylvie Moreau.- Éléonore Loiselle was born on 27 February 2001 in Laval, Québec, Canada. She is an actress, known for Goddess of the Fireflies (2020), Désobéir: le choix de Chantale Daigle (2023) and Falcon Lake (2022).
- Actor
- Writer
- Art Director
Martin Matte was born on 14 April 1970 in Laval, Québec, Canada. He is an actor and writer, known for Les beaux malaises (2014), Les Beaux Malaises (2016) and Nitro (2007).- Camille Felton was born on 21 October 1999 in Laval, Québec, Canada. She is an actress, known for Noémie: Le secret (2009), Fires (2016) and Matthias & Maxime (2019).
- Actor
- Music Department
Gordie Brown was born on 15 June 1963 in Laval, Québec, Canada. He is an actor, known for Twice in a Lifetime (1999), Life with Louie (1994) and An Evening at the Improv (1981).- Writer
- Producer
Alexandre Daigle was born on 7 February 1975 in Laval, Québec, Canada. He is a writer and producer, known for Palm Springs Jump!, TSN Hockey (1987) and Chosen One: Alexandre Daigle (2024). He is married to Genevieve Daigle.- Jean Galland was born on 28 May 1887 in Laval, Mayenne, France. He was an actor, known for Le jugement de minuit (1933), The Adventurer of Seville (1954) and Fantômas (1932). He was married to Germaine Dermoz. He died on 18 July 1967 in Évian-les-Bains, Haute-Savoie, France.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Eric Paulhus was born on 8 January 1979 in Laval, Québec, Canada. He is an actor, known for The Barbarian Invasions (2003), Let Go (2017) and Les Argonautes (2013).- Alexandre Despatie was born on 8 June 1985 in Laval, Québec, Canada. He is an actor, known for Taking the Plunge (2007), Taking the Plunge 2 (2009) and Bye-Bye (1968).
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was born on 18 June 1989 in Laval, France.
- Cinematographer
- Additional Crew
- Special Effects
Born Thierry Christian Charles Franc in the picturesque countryside of Laval (Mayenne, Pays-de-la-Loire), France on 28 May 1940, Thierry Pathé was a Franco-American Producer, Director, Cinematographer, and Educator.
Grandson of the legendary French filmmaker, studio executive, and recording mogul Charles Morand Pathé, founder of Pathé Frères along with his brothers Émile, Théophile, and Jacques in 1896, he moved to the United States with his family at the age of 2, eventually becoming a naturalized U.S. Citizen and adopting the last name of his grandfather as an adult.
As a young man, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he was trained as a cinematographer. Like his grandfather, Thierry loved the film camera; his grandfather had, indeed, been extremely innovative with early camera technology, designing both studio and hand-held film cameras which greatly improved upon the patents which Pathé Frères had acquired from the Lumière brothers in 1902. After completing his military service, he began his civilian career as cinematographer on the set of the classic television series Batman (1966).
Pathé made his professional entrée into the world of feature filmmaking as special effects supervisor, laboratory supervisor, and technical supervisor for the Spanish film El Colleccionista de Cadaveres (Cauldron of Blood, also known in English as Blind Man's Bluff) (1970), produced by Robert D. Weinbach and Edward Mann, and written and directed by Edward Mann. The film starred the legendary Boris Karloff as the eccentric, blind sculptor Franz Badulescu, and Viveca Lindfors in the role of Tania Badulescu, the artist's psychopathic wife. It was one of the last horror films of Boris Karloff's iconic career.
Pathé later produced the American cult hicksploitation film Hooch (1977) for Edward Mann, who wrote and directed the film. Featuring Gil Gerard as shine-runnin' "Eddie Joe Rodgers" and Danny Aiello as carpetbaggin' mobster "Tony" seeking a cut of the profits, Hooch inspired the popular, and controversial, American television series Dukes of Hazzard (1979), which aired for seven seasons on CBS and served as inspiration for the coining of the pop fashion term "Daisy Dukes".
Encouraged by the cinematic tradition within his own family, as well as by Edward Mann's mastery of both the pen and the craft of film production, he wrote a number of screenplays which were sadly never produced, and produced and/or directed a number of films which were sadly never released (among them, "Toot Suite"). Thus, a significant portion of his work is not yet known to the public. Several years prior to his death, he was cinematographer for Growing Down in Brooklyn (2000), a semi-autobiographical film recounting the tragic spiral of 4 young Italian-American men from Midwood, Brooklyn, starring Anthony Caso, Amy Hargreaves, Donnie Keshawarz, Tina Louise, and Vincent Pastore.
Well-loved by generations of NYU filmmaking students, both within the School of Professional Studies and the Tisch School of the Arts, Thierry Pathé's work demonstrates a love for his native France and for culture and community across the American landscape which became his home, as well as a love for addressing the concerns of young people and young adults coming of age, all of which was simultaneously manifest in his parallel career as an Educator.
In an interview with France 3 (then FR3) while visiting Chevry-Cossigny (Seine-et-Marne, Île-de-France), France in May 1992 for an exhibition celebrating Charles Pathé's life as a film industry pioneer, Thierry admired that his grandfather "was not afraid to face a challenge, to try new things, to continue when other people stopped", qualities celebrated and embraced by filmmakers from generation to generation. On this occasion, he also visited the house where his ingenious grandfather was born - then the home of the Mayor of Chevry-Cossigny - for the very first time.
Thierry Pathé died of cancer in New York City on 6 April 2002, at the age of 61, leaving behind one son, a half-sister, and hundreds, if not thousands, of former students with whom he shared his love for the Seventh Art, a number of whom have gone on to master their craft at the highest level, including Oscar winners Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Angelina Jolie, and Joel and Ethan Coen, and Oscar nominee Susan Seidelman.
(Published 25 March 2020)- Born and raised in Laval (Montreal), Canada. It was by the early age of 10 that Carl began to realize his passion for Acting. He quickly began searching for opportunities in Montreal and searching for the right agent. All he ever spoke about in his family is acting and agents and famous actors and actresses. He then decided to join the prestigious Dynamic Theatre Factory acting school. One of the most prestigious acting schools in Montreal. He auditioned and started training at age 15. Landed his first role on "Student Seduction" and now tries to manage school, work and acting at the same time. His next goal is to conquer south of the border and pursue acting professionally in the United States.
- Olympic diver, Roseline Filion was born in Laval, Quebec, Canada. Her parents are Helene and Marc Filion. Growing up in Laval, she began competitively diving when she was 10 years old. Roseline attended the University of Montreal, earning a Bachelor of Communications degree. Joining Canada's national team in 2005, she competed in 3 Olympics (Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016) and won 2 bronze medals. After retiring from competitive diving in 2017, she resides in Montreal and is a sports columnist.
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Yves Pelletier was born on 15 January 1961 in Laval, Québec, Canada. He is an actor and writer, known for Les aimants (2004), Karmina (1996) and Face Time (2010).- Vanessa Pilon was born on 26 July 1985 in Laval, Québec, Canada. She is an actress, known for Jo for Jonathan (2010), Devil's Rose (2005) and Y2o (2013).
- Abdel-Aziz Essayed was born on 3 September 1972 in Laval, Mayenne, France. He is an actor, known for For a Fistful of Diamonds (2009), Vertiges (1997) and Casting sauvage (2013).
- José Théodore is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, Minnesota Wild and Florida Panthers.
Théodore played major junior in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he won a President's Cup as champion and competed in the Memorial Cup with the Hull Olympiques in 1995. He won both the Ford Cup as the top defensive player and Guy Lafleur Trophy as playoff MVP in 1995 and is a two-time Second Team All-Star. Drafted 44th overall by the Canadiens in 1994, Théodore played eight seasons in Montreal, where he won the Vezina and Hart trophies, both in 2002. In 2006, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche, where he played two full seasons. Théodore played two seasons for the Washington Capitals.
Internationally, Théodore won a gold medal with Canada at the 1996 World Junior Championships, where he was named the tournament's best goaltender. He also started for Canada at the 2001 World Championships and was a backup for the 2004 World Cup. - Henri Rousseau (Le Douanier) was born on May 21, 1844, in Laval, Northern France. His father was a plumber. Young Rousseau finished the Lycee in Laval and started as a lawyer's clerk. From 1863-1868 he served in the French Army. From 1869-1893 Russeau worked in a toll booth on the edge of Paris, as a municipal toll collector. For that job he was called "Le Douanier." He never really was a customs officer, but a second-class clerk; he was never promoted on his job and basically collected a fee from farmers coming to Paris markets.
Rousseau began painting in his forties. In 1884 he obtained a permit to sketch in the national museums and spent many hours sketching classical art masterpieces in the Louvre. His job as a toll collector gave him little income, but much time to paint. He also earned some cash as a street musician. Rousseau was self-taught, although he admitted he had received some advice from established Academic artists, including that of Jean-Leon Gerome. Rousseau was inspired by the jungle, but he never was there. His sources of imagination were illustrated books and visits to the Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Paris. He also used images from a drawing book of his daughter. He could paint bananas growing upside-down and in a few paintings he grouped animals from different continents, that in reality could never have been seen together. It was the genuine feeling and high decorative quality of his paintings that brought him attention from other artists. Pablo Picasso saw a painting by Rousseau being sold on the street as a canvas to be painted over. Picasso bought Rousseau's paintings in recognition of his genius.
His child-like art was created in the Post-Impressionist period and was categorized as Naive or Primitive. From 1886 Rousseau exhibited every year at the Salon des Independants along with the works of Georges Seurat, Armand Guillaumin, Odilon Redon, Paul Signac, Paul Gauguin, and other Post-Impressionists. His greatest wish was to master an academic style, and he genuinely believed that his pictures were real and convincing. Rousseau himself was such a sincere and genuine person, that he interpreted even sarcastic remarks literally and took them as praise. His positive disposition helped him endure great poverty. His working class background was seen as his big drawback by many contemporary critics. Finally the innocence and charm of his works won him the admiration of the leading artists. In 1905 he exhibited his large jungle composition 'The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope' along with Henri Matisse at the first showing of Les Fauves (The Wild Ones).
Rousseau had an influence on such artists as Pablo Picasso, Robert Delaunay, Wassily Kandinsky, Félix Vallotton, Paul Gauguin, and many others. In 1908 Pablo Picasso bought a few works from Rousseau and gave a banquet at his studio in Rousseau's honor. At the banquet Rousseu was praised by Guillaume Apollinaire, Robert Delaunay, Max Jacob and by other artists in a manner, which was half-serious, half-burlesque. Rousseau sincerely believed in the serious half, and later told Picasso: "There are only two real artists in the world, you in "Egyptian style" and I am in "Classical." That's how different and naive was the world of Rousseau, whose genuine views impressed Pablo Picasso as much as his works. During 1909 and 1910 many of Rousseau's paintings were acquired by the dealers Ambroise Vollard and Joseph Brummer. Rousseau's paintings were shown posthumously in 1911, in a retrospective exhibition at the Salon des Independants. Rousseau's works were chosen by Wassily Kandinsky for the first exhibitions of Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) in 1911 and 1912 that toured Germany. The surrealist movement later considered Rousseau as one of their forerunners.
Henri Rousseau died on September 2, 1910, in Paris, and was laid to rest in the Cimetiere de Bagneux, in Paris, France.
Guillaume Apollinaire wrote the epitaph on Rousseau's tombstone:
We salute you Gentile Rousseau you can hear us
Delaunay his wife Monsier Queval and myself
Let our luggage pass duty free through the gates of heaven
We will bring you brushes paints and canvas
That you may spend your sacred leisure in the light of truth
Painting as you once did my portrait
Facing the stars - Actor
- Writer
Quebecois stand-up comedian and screenwriter, born in Montreal in 1968. He is the creator, writer and main character of the successful comedy series "Les Pêcheurs" (season 1 and 2) (IciRadioCanada télé 2013, 2014). His first film Starbuck, has seen two remakes, Delevery Man (Dreamworks) and Fonzy (Made in PM). He is famous for is award-winning one-man shows and for hosting comedy galas at Just for laugh's.- Djimi Traore was born on 1 March 1980 in Laval, France.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Guy Loriquet was born on 10 August 1922 in Laval, Mayenne, France. He was an actor and director, known for Sur l'Arroyo (1956), La rue chinoise (1956) and My First Love (1945). He died on 22 January 2009 in Aizenay, France.- Martin Rouette was born on 28 April 1977 in Laval, Québec, Canada. He is an actor, known for Sur les traces de la fusion: L'acte 3 (2012), Ma vie en cinémascope (2004) and What Are We Doing Here? (2014).
- Yannick Lupien competed in two consecutive Summer Olympics (2000 and 2004) where his best result was a sixth place finish with the Canadian 4 × 100 medley relay team in Sydney.
In 2005 in Montreal, he is vice-world champion with the 4x100m freestyle relay team. During his Pan American Games and Pan Pacific Championships, he won no individual medals but one silver and four bronze medals for the 4 × 100m Freestyle, 4 × 100m Medley and 4 × 200 relay events. free swim.
Retired from the Olympic sport he is now a fireman. - Martin was born & raised in Laval, Quebec, Canada. Currently resides in South Burlington, Vermont, during the off-season. Is currently in his seventh NHL season, and his fifth as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He played four years of college hockey in the ECAC with Vermont. Played organized soccer growing up, and signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent on July 31st, 2000.
- Pascal Dupuis was born on 7 April 1979 in Laval, Québec, Canada. He is an actor, known for The Rocket (2005) and TSN Hockey (1987).
- Actor
- Director
Zilon was born on 25 July 1956 in Laval, Québec, Canada. He was an actor and director, known for Y.U.L. (1998), Testament (2023) and Seasonal Depression (2019). He died on 27 July 2023 in Montréal, Québec, Canada.- Alexandre Vialatte was born on 3 May 1901 in Magnac-Laval, Limousin, France. Alexandre was a writer, known for Battling le ténébreux (1984). Alexandre died on 13 May 1971 in Paris, France.
- Maude Gauthier was born on 1 August 1996 in Laval, Québec, Canada. She is an actress, known for Rédemption (2013) and Impasse (2009).
- Eric Perrin was born on 1 November 1975 in Laval, Québec, Canada.
- Marc-Aurèle Fortin was born on 14 March 1888 in Ste-Rose, Laval, Québec, Canada. He died on 2 March 1970 in Macamic, Abitibi, Québec, Canada.
- Melody Leprohon was born on 31 January 1980 in Laval, Québec, Canada.
- Sébastien Bolduc was born on 6 August 1993 in Laval, Québec, Canada. He is an actor, known for X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019).
- Alfred Jarry was born on 8 September 1873 in Laval, Mayenne, France. He was a writer, known for Ubu (2023), Ubu król (2003) and Král Ubu (1996). He died on 1 November 1907 in Paris, France.
- France St. Louis was born on 17 October 1958 in Laval, Quebec, Canada. She is an actress, known for Les Boys III (2001), Nagano 1998: XVIII Olympic Winter Games (1998) and Drette su'l tape (2016).
- Sound Department
Marie-Claude Gagné was born in 1963 in Laval, Québec, Canada. She is known for The Barbarian Invasions (2003), Brick Mansions (2014) and Ma vie en cinémascope (2004).- G. Bruno was born on 31 July 1833 in Laval, Mayenne, France. He was a writer, known for Le tour de France par deux enfants (1924), Le tour de France par deux enfants (1957) and France/tour/détour/deux/enfants (1980). He died on 8 July 1923 in Menton, Alpes-Maritimes, France.
- Marc Riboud was born on 24 June 1923 in Saint-Genis-Laval, Lyon, Rhône, France. He was married to Barbara Chase-Riboud and Catherine Chaine. He died on 30 August 2016 in Paris, France.
- Director
- Cinematographer
- Producer
Leo-Ernest Ouimet, the French Canadian film pioneer who built the first, first-rate movie cathedral that was the forerunner for all the huge North American movie palaces that came after it, was born in Laval, Quebec, north of Montreal, in 1877. Educated as an electrical engineer, he entered show business by chance in 1901, when Montreal's Le Theatre National contracted with the 24-year old engineer to rewire its theater. In just two days, Ouiment not only rewired the theater, but he installed a lighting system of his own devising that wowed the theater patrons and critics. Quebec City theater-owner Paul Cazeneuves hired him to do the same for his Le Cartier Theatre, and the results were even more astonishing.
The next step in Ouimet's metamorphosis into a movie pioneer was his engagement by Le Theatre National as a lighting designer. His acquaintance with the movies was about to begin, as Quebec law forbade Le Theatre National from operating on Sundays in any closed venue. To get around the provincial blue laws, Le Theatre performed in Montreal's Sohmers Park on Sundays. The park, which featured a 5,000-seat, open-air pavilion, began showing animated movies between intermissions in 1902. The park projectionist, an American yclept Ben Fenton, taught Ouimet about the projector, an Edison Co. kinetoscope. Intrigued, Ouiment soon bought one himself.
Ouiment became a representative for Edison for Eastern Canada, and subsequently, he opened up his own Ouimet Film Exchange to distribute films. His fascination with film encouraged him to make his own films, mostly short subjects, and by 1904, he had become an innovator in the world of cinema. During the Canadian general election in November 1904, he used his kinetoscope to project election returns onto a white sheet tacked to the front wall of the Montreal newspaper Le Patrie. He took the opportunity afforded by this all-day exhibition to recalibrate and fine-tune the kinetoscope to produce a better image.
He began traveling with his improved kinetoscope to give exhibitions of films, drawing large crowds, primarily from the working class, who could not afford the luxury of the legitimate theater or vaudeville. In 1906, Ouimet converted an abandoned cabaret on Ste.-Catherine St. into a 500-seat nickelodeon.
As movie theater impresario Marcus Loew had said, "We sell tickets to theaters, not movies." His Loew's Inc. own and ran Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a subsidiary from its New York headquarters. Hundreds of movie theaters eventually were constructed in Canada in the period of 1910 through 1930, mostly in Ontario and Quebec.
Filmmaking was literally the tail that wound up wagging the dog, as in the early days of the cinema, most filmmakers got into the barely acknowledged "Seventh Art" as a means of ensuring product for their theaters. Due to the dominance of the Edison Patent Trust over cameras, projection equipment (the kinetoscope), and film stock, many a would-be movie entrepreneur had to resort to "inventing" their own equipment from extant models, and importing their film stock from overseas
Like the later innovation Technicolor, which tightly controlled the use of its product, mandating Technicolor consultants on films using its cameras and color stock ensure that the aesthetic results fell within the accepted corporate parameters, Edison too controlled the aesthetic use of his product. No film could be more than one reel, and the facility for projection equipment to throw a large picture was restricted, in order to keep the venues small.
Quebec native Ouimet was no different than the entrepreneurs outside the Edison Trust who made a go of it south of the border. He modified the kinetoscope that he had bought from Edison to improve its luminosity, and he improved the claw-mechanism for advancing film before the shutter to reduce its habit of damaging the negative. He also added a second shutter to reduce the optical glitch that gave rise to the early movies being called "flickers" by the anglophones. He so modified his original projector, he dubbed his "new" creation the Ouimetoscope, which he used to project film images on a larger screen than was possible before his transformation of Edison's contraption.
Many other pioneers in North America were doing the same, modifying Edison's kinetoscope or other projectors illegally imported from Europe, then making films and showing them with their bespoke equipment to crowds starved for entertainment. Where Ouimet bested the entrepreneurs in the lower 48 was in his ability to project a larger image while not sacrificing quality. This enabled him to build what was at the time the largest movie theater in the world.
Tearing down his old theater, Ouimet constructed a 1,200-seat cathedral of cinema he called, after his projector, the Ouimetoscope. He brought to Montreal the first movie theater constructed as lavishly as any first-rate, legitimate house. His mission was "to provide the best moving pictures and illustrated song exhibition that can be provided." The theater not only was huge, but it was air-conditioned, a first for a movie palace. The Ouimetoscope was opened on August 31, 1907.
According to Toronto film historian Hye Bossin in the 1950s, the Ouimet was the first movie showcase to challenge the legitimate theater by offering movie patrons first-class comfort and appointments at a reasonable price that the average citizen could afford. Bossin said that the Ouimetoscope theater was unique, as it was a testament to Ouimet's belief that the movies, as an art and as an industry, were not a fad, but were here to stay. Many entrepreneurs, like Loew, bought up old vaudeville houses in order to present their pictures, but they hedged their bets by continuing to offer live entertainment between shows. In fact, the process of offering live entertainment at the Loew's Inc. chain of 400 theaters lasted until Marcus Loew's death in 1927. Loew was never a gambler, and was unsure whether the movie boom would go bust, even after twenty years in the industry.
Ouimet was committed to a quality experience for his patrons, hiring the best musicians to accompany the silent films. He booked only the best movies, and carefully planned each showcase. Ouiment even published a program for his audience, akin to the show bills distributed at legitimate theaters. A Quebecker, Ouimet also was committed to the francophone cinema, bringing in pictures from France for his Montreal audience, and translating the inter-titles of English-language films into French. He was truly the father of Quebec cinema, an idealist as well as a business-cum-showman.
Increasingly, just like Canadian cinema today, Ouimet faced fierce competition from the studios in the U.S., who flooded the province with product. In addition, Ouimet had to face the economic backlash caused by a conservative Catholic clergy, who inveigled against movie-going on Sundays, and successfully lobbied the provincial government to ban Sunday-showings of films. It was an ordinance that lasted until the 1960s, when, after a social revolution that saw the dawn of French Canadian nationalism, as noted in Denis Arcand's Oscar-wining "The Barbarian Invasions" (2002), the good people of la belle province split with the church and its patrimony.
Worn out from the battles with New York- and Hollywood-based movie-makers, fed up with the interference from the church, Ouimet sold his theater, which was renamed Le Canadien after his departure. Quebec's movie pioneer said "au revoir" to the province and decamped for Hollywood in 1922, where he formed a production company, Laval Photoplays, that made "Why Get Married?" The film was not as big a success as Ouimet anticipated, and he abandoned commercial movie-making.
Returning to Montreal, he leased a movie theater on Bleury Street, but he was financially ruined in 1935 after two people were killed in a fire at his movie house, and he was successfully sued by their survivors. Ouimet retired from the industry he loved forever, though he continued to experiment with movie technology. He took a job as a store manager for the Quebec Liquor Commission.
Leo-Ernest Ouimet died on March 2nd, 1972, at the age of 94. He did not die unhonored, as Le Canadien was renamed Ouimetoscope in 1966. The federal government at this time was undertaking the biggest building boom of cinemas since the initial 20-year boom was crushed by the Great Depression, erecting cultural centers with cinemas to commemorate the 1967 Centennial of the Confederation in 1967. A year after the centennial celebrations, which put Montreal on the international map with Expo '67, the last great World's Fair, Cinematheque canadienne put a plaque on the Ouimetoscope building to commemorate the 60th anniversary of its opening.
Thus, in his old age, during a revival of French Canadian identify that would revolutionize Quebec's relations with the rest of the Confederation, the province remembered Ouimet. It remembered the old gentilhomme not just for bringing bonhomie to his `patrie,' but for his technical innovations and for his faith in the future of cinema. It hailed him for opening up the province of Quebec to the world, and for making the world cognizant of Quebec, all through the magic lantern that was the Ouimetoscope.- Composer
- Music Department
Michel Smith was born in 1958 in Laval, Québec, Canada. Michel is a composer, known for Katryn's Place (2002), Cosmos (1996) and Mort subite d'un homme-théâtre (2012).- Tina Garabedian was born on 13 June 1997 in Laval, Quebec, Canada. She has been married to Ari Mirzayan since 13 November 2021.
- Camera and Electrical Department
Guillaume Debroise was born on 13 January 1967 in Laval, Mayenne, France. He is known for Mohamed Bertrand-Duval (1991).- Marie-Jade Lauriault was born on 10 November 1996 in Laval, Quebec, Canada. She has been married to Romain Le Gac since December 2015.
- Art Department
- Production Designer
Hélène Bourgy was born on 17 December 1959 in Laval, Mayenne, France. She is a production designer, known for French Kiss (1995) and Olivier, Olivier (1992).