MONTREAL, QC (CelebrityAccess) – Celebrated Quebec actor Michel Côté, known for his roles in the movies Cruising Bar and C.R.A.Z.Y., died Monday (May 29). His family announced the news of his death in a statement. The cause of death has not been revealed, but the actor retired in April 2022 due to bone marrow disease. He was 72 years old.
Côté’s movie career began in 1983 with a lead role in André Forcier’s Au clair de la lune, starring Guy L’Écuyer. He appeared in more than two dozen films and around 20 television series throughout his career. For nearly 40 years, he performed in the attendance-breaking play Broue with fellow actors Marc Messier and Marcel Gauthier.
He was last seen on screen in 2017 in De père en flic 2 – a sequel to what is considered one of the greatest successes in French-language cinema in Canada.
Côté earned a Genie Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in 1990, won a Genie Award in the same category in 2005 and a Jutra Award nod for Best Actor in 2008. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2022 with the rank of Officer.
Tributes have been posted on social media in honor of the late actor.
“He was an affectionate, brilliant, lucid, generous guy,” testified his long-time friend, actor Marc Messier. “I’m very sad today, but you have to get through this; that’s how it works; what do you want us to do about it?”
Without question, Michel Côté was one of Quebec’s most revered and talented actors. His passing is an extraordinary loss for Quebecois culture and our entire country. My condolences to his family, friends, and many fans.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 29, 2023
He is survived by his wife, Véronique Le Flaguais, son Maxime Le Flaguais and granddaughter, Françoise.
