France Castel

Born Francine Begin in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, on August 31, 1944, France Castel first made a name for herself as a singer in the early 1970s, releasing records almost exclusively in her native Canada. After some success, with a number of songs reaching the Quebec top 40, Castel decided to test the waters of TV comedy and also began to cultivate a feature film resume. She was on the Canadian television shows "Du Tac au Tac" (Radio-Canada 1976-1982), " Sous un Ciel Variable" (Radio-Canada 1993-97) and the hugely popular crime drama "Omerta" (Radio-Canada 1996-99), before being nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Genie Awards for her performance in the film "La Comtesse de Bâton Rouge" (1997). That same year, she made a rare appearance in an English-language film released in the US with "Afterglow" (1997), directed by Alan Rudolph and starring Nick Nolte and Julie Christie. Back in French-speaking Canada, she was nominated for a Jutra award for her supporting role in the film "Crème Glacée, Chocolat et Autres Consolations" (2001). In the 2000s and '10s, Castel settled into a stable career as a character actress in indie films and television. She costarred on series including the comedy "Prozac, La Maladie du Bonheur" (TVA 2010) and the workplace drama "Les Jeunes Loups" (TVA 2014- ).