Pascale Bussières

With a string of compelling performances under her belt on both the small and big screens, Pascale Bussières was undeniably one of Canada's most talented and prolific actresses. Born on June 27, 1968 in Montréal, Québec, Canada, Bussières did not harbor any dreams of becoming an actress. Yet, at her mother's encouragement, she reluctantly auditioned and landed a featured role in the teen drama "Sonatine" (1984). Bussières went on to appear on popular Canadian shows, including "Blanche" (CBC, 1993) and "Marguerite Volant" (1996). Bussières delivered memorable performances in "When Night is Falling" (1995), as an uptight professor who is attracted to a free-spirited circus performer (Rachael Crawford), and in "Un 32 août sur terre" (1998), as a young woman who decides to have a baby after a near-fatal car crash. Bussières kept up her film projects in a variety of genres including the sci-fi thriller "Xchange" (2001), the drama "Chaos and Desire" (2002), and "Ma vie en cinemascope" (2004), a musical biography of the Québec singer Alys Robi, a role that earned Bussières a 2005 Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress. She returned to TV with appearances on the satire "Le coeur a ses raisons" (TVA, 2005-07), and the drama "Belle-Baie" (Radio-Canada, 2007), as a small-town businesswoman who mobilizes opposition to a planed toxic waste incinerator. She also starred on the series "Mirador" (Radio Canada, 2010-11), about the lives and scandals of a busy public relations agency.