Gilles Renaud

A gifted chameleon of stage and screen, Gilles Renaud was famous for bringing depth and humanity to characters that might otherwise be marginalized. Born Sept. 25, 1944 in Montréal, Québec, Canada, Gilles Renaud graduated from l'École nationale de théâtre and immersed himself in professional theater work both onstage as well as behind the scenes as a stage manager. After making his screen debut on "Le paradis terrestre" (Radio-Canada, 1968-1972), he worked steadily, most frequently cast as police officers or criminals, before achieving a major breakthrough with his Best Actor Genie-nominated turn in "Une journée en taxi" (1982). The story of a convict out on his 36-hour parole who hires a taxi driver, only to discover a shared humanity and loneliness, the film impressed critics and showed Renaud's ability to humanize any character he played. He continued to shine in unconventional roles, including a recurring turn as an extremely masculine gay handyman on "La petite vie" (Radio-Canada, 1993-98) and his Best Supporting Actor Gémeaux-winning turn as the drag queen Cherry Sundae on the sitcom "Cover Girl" (Radio-Canada, 2005). Closely associated with the work of playwright Michel Tremblay, Renaud balanced his stage work by maintaining his place as a screen mainstay, notching long-running roles on such TV staples as the sweeping family saga "Nos étés" (TVA, 2005-08), the historical murder mystery "Musée Eden" (Radio-Canada, 2010), the depression-themed dramedy "Prozac: la maladie du bonheur" (V, 2010) and the PR drama "Mirador" (Radio-Canada, 2010-11).