Marcel Sabourin, OC (born March 25, 1935) is a Canadian actor and writer from

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

.Gaetan Charlebois and Anne Nothof
"Sabourin, Marcel"
''Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia'', October 20, 2015. He is most noted for his role as Abel Gagné, the central character in

Jean Pierre Lefebvre Jean Pierre Lefebvre (; born 17 August 1941) is a Canadian filmmaker. He is widely admired as "the godfather of independent Canadian cinema," particularly among young, independent filmmakers. Biography Jean Pierre Lefebvre studied literature a ...

's trilogy of '' Don't Let It Kill You (Il ne faut pas mourir pour ça)'', '' The Old Country Where Rimbaud Died (Le Vieux pays où Rimbaud est mort)'' and '' Now or Never (Aujourd'hui ou jamais)'',"Marcel Sabourin"
'' Canadian Film Encyclopedia''. and his performance as Professor Mandibule in the children's television series ''Les Croquignoles'' and ''La ribouldingue''.

Career

Sabourin launched his career in the 1950s with La Roulotte, a children's theatre troupe launched by Paul Buissonneau which performed in Montreal's public parks. He studied at

Collège Sainte-Marie de Montréal Collège Sainte-Marie () was a college in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It ceased to exist in 1969, when it was merged into UQAM (Université du Québec à Montréal). History Collège Ste-Marie was founded by Jesuits in 1848. It had an English se ...

and the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, and in Paris under

Jacques Lecoq Jacques Lecoq (15 December 1921 – 19 January 1999) was a French stage actor and acting movement coach. He was best known for his teaching methods in physical theatre, movement, and mime which he taught at the school he founded in Paris known a ...

. One of the most prolific performers in the history of the

Cinema of Quebec The history of cinema in Quebec started on June 27, 1896 when the Frenchman Louis Minier inaugurated the first movie projection in North America in a Montreal theatre room. However, it would have to wait until the 1960s before a genuine Quebe ...

, he has had film, television and stage credits since 1956. He won a

Canadian Film Award The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually, except in 1974 when a number of Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation. In the 1970s ...

for Best Actor in a Non-Feature at the

25th Canadian Film Awards The 25th Canadian Film Awards were announced on October 12, 1973, to honour achievements in Canadian film.Maria Topalovich, ''And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards''. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . pp. 111-114. Q ...

in 1973 for '' Weapons and Men (Des armes et les hommes)'',Maria Topalovich, ''And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards''.

Stoddart Publishing Stoddart Publishing was a Canadian book publisher and distributor, owned by Jack Stoddart, which ceased operations in 2002. History In 1967, General Publishing purchased the Musson imprint, based in Canada, from British publisher Hodder & Stough ...

, 2000. . pp. 111-114. and was a two-time Canadian Film Award and

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978), known as the "Etrog Awards" for sculptor ...

nominee for Best Actor, receiving nods at the

28th Canadian Film Awards The 28th Canadian Film Awards were held on November 20, 1977 to honour achievements in Canadian film."Ceremony dominated by two feature films: NFB Triumphs at Film Awards". ''The Globe and Mail'', November 21, 1977. The ceremony was hosted by acto ...

in 1977 for ''

J.A. Martin Photographer ''J.A. Martin Photographer'' (''J.A. Martin photographe'') is a 1977 drama film directed by Jean Beaudin for the National Film Board of Canada. The film was selected as the Canadian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 50th Acade ...

(J.A. Martin photographe)'' and at the 4th Genie Awards in 1983 for '' Sweet Lies and Loving Oaths (Doux aveux)''. As a screenwriter, he was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the

1st Genie Awards The 1st Genie Awards were presented on March 20, 1980, and honoured films released in 1979. Jay Scott, "Changeling wins Genie as year's best movie". ''The Globe and Mail'', March 21, 1980. Immediately after the 1978 Canadian Film Awards, which ...

in 1980, as cowriter with

Jean Beaudin Jean Beaudin (6 February 1939 – 18 May 2019) was a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He directed 20 films since 1969. His film ''J.A. Martin Photographer'', was entered into the 1977 Cannes Film Festival, where Monique Mercure won the ...

of the film '' Cordélia''. At Quebec's

Jutra Awards Jutras may have several meanings : * Claude Jutra: an award-winning French Canadian filmmaker **Jutra Award: Film awards formerly given in the Canadian province of Quebec, named after the filmmaker and now known as Prix Iris **The Claude Jutra Awa ...

, he was a two-time Best Actor nominee for ''Now or Never'' at the 1st Jutra Awards in 1999, and for ''

Another House ''Another House'' () is a Canadian drama film, directed by Mathieu Roy and released in 2013. The film stars Roy Dupuis and Émile Proulx-Cloutier as Gabriel and Éric Bernard, estranged brothers struggling to cope with their father Henri's ( Mar ...

(L'Autre maison)'' at the 16th Jutra Awards in 2014, and was the recipient of the Jutra-Hommage lifetime achievement award in 1999. As a playwright he is most noted for ''Pleurer pour rire'', which won the

Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award The Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award was a Canadian literary award given to Canadian plays produced by any professional Canadian theatre company, and having performances in the Toronto area. The prize had a monetary value of $25,000, and wa ...

in the youth theatre division in 1983, and was shortlisted for the

Governor General's Award for French-language drama This is a list of recipients of the Governor General's Award for French-language drama. The award was created in 1981 when the Governor General's Award for French language poetry or drama was divided. Because the award is presented for plays publ ...

at the 1984 Governor General's Awards. He has also taught at the National Theatre School of Canada.

Personal life

He married his wife Françoise in the 1960s.Marie-Claude Doyle
"«Je prends la vie un peu comme un enfant» - Marcel Sabourin"
''

TVA Nouvelles TVA Nouvelles is the news division of TVA, a French language television network in Canada. Programs produced by the division include nightly local and national newscasts branded as ''TVA Nouvelles'', as well as the news magazine program ''JE' ...

'', January 19, 2019. They have had four children, including actor and screenwriter Gabriel Sabourin and cinematographer Jérôme Sabourin. Jérôme was the director of ''At the End of Nothing at All (Au boute du rien pantoute)'', a documentary film about his father which premiered in 2024.Marco Fortier
"«Au boute du rien pantoute»: la douce folie de Marcel Sabourin dans toute son étrangeté"
''

Le Devoir (, ) is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and throughout Canada. It was founded by journalist and politician Henri Bourassa in 1910. is one of few independent large-circulation newspapers in Quebec ...

'', March 14, 2024.

Filmography

Television

Film

References

External links

* * Archives of Marcel Sabouri
(Fonds Marcel Sabourin, R11801)
are held at

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabourin, Marcel 1935 births Living people 20th-century Canadian male actors 20th-century Canadian screenwriters 20th-century Canadian male writers 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian screenwriters 21st-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Canadian male dramatists and playwrights Canadian male screenwriters Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male stage actors Canadian dramatists and playwrights in French Canadian screenwriters in French Canadian male songwriters Canadian acting coaches Canadian theatre directors Canadian Screen Award winning actors Male actors from Montreal Writers from Montreal Officers of the Order of Canada Screenwriters from Quebec