Acting
Michel Rivard
Born 1951-09-27 · Montréal, Québec, Canada
Michel Rivard (born September 27, 1951) is a singer-songwriter and musician from Quebec, born in Montreal. His father, Robert Rivard, was an actor. Michel began his career at an early age appearing in a Canadian television series (Rue des Pignons) and in TV commercials. Rivard's career as a writer and composer began in earnest when he became a member of the theatrical group Quenouille Bleue, established in 1970. Later, he became a member of Théâtre Sainfoin, when it was founded in 1973. In 1974, Rivard and other members of Théâtre Sainfoin, formed the group Beau Dommage (an old Québécois expression meaning "certainly" or "damn right"). Rivard wrote and composed for Beau Dommage. Beau Dommage became a very popular group, and as a result of his songwriting ability Rivard's popularity increased as well. Perhaps his most popular song from this era is "La complainte du phoque en Alaska". Although Beau Dommage disbanded in 1978, there were reunion concerts in 1984 and 1994, both of which Rivard participated in. Characteristic of Rivard's creative energy, he also put out his first solo album in 1977, Méfiez-vous du grand amour. In 1978, as a sign of his increased prestige, Michel opened for Maxime Le Forestier and was accompanist for Forestier at the Olympia in Paris. Although an unlikely pairing, it resulted in a continued friendship. Rivard released his second LP, De Longueuil à Berlin, in 1979; that year also marked the beginning of Rivard's appearance in a series of concerts in Paris. The following years saw Rivard involved in various collaborations, including film collaborations. These film collaborations included roles in Les Enfants de Kennedy, and Maria Chapdelaine. He also wrote scores for films, such as André Melançon's L'Espace d'un été, and Jean-Michel Ribes's Rien ne va plus. He also acted playing the lead Yves Simoneau's Pourquoi l'étrange Monsieur Zolock s'intéressait-il tant à la bande dessinée? (Why is the Strange Mr. Zolock so interested in Comic Strips?) (1982). He joined the LNI (Ligue nationale d'improvisation [National Improvisation League]) in 1980 and performed for several years. Not wanting to miss an opportunity for some political humour, Rivard was a candidate for the satirical Rhinoceros Party of Canada in 1980 when he ran against former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. He returned to music in 1983 with the release of his third LP, Sauvage. This LP included "Schefferville, le dernier train", a tune that became quite popular and which was written for the film Le Dernier glacier. (Rivard also acted in this film). Rivard made a music video of another song on Sauvage: "Rumeurs sur la ville". It was directed by Louis Saia and André Gagnon and won the Félix Video Clip of the Year for 1985 – awarded at the ADISQ (Association du disque, de l'industrie du spectacle québécois et de la vidéo) award ceremonies. During this time Rivard toured Quebec. He released a fourth LP, called Bonsoir... Mon nom est Michel Rivard et voici mon album double. This was a live recording made during his 1983 and 1984 concerts. These live show recordings display his adeptness at comic improvisation as well as his musical creativity. ... Source: Article "Michel Rivard" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Acting credits
6.4Jean-Marc is a man without qualities living in times that are out of joint. His wife and children ignore him; he's a mid-level government functionary in Montreal doing his job without care. He has an active imagination of sexual conquest, but his only real feelings come when he visits his aged mother, whose health is failing. When his wife leaves abruptly to work in Toronto, Jean-Marc sets out to reorder things with his daughters, his social life, and at work. In a world that at best is a farce, does he stand a chance?
Days of Darkness
2007
No synopsis available yet.
Deschampsons
2015
5.7Catherine, a concert pianist, is surprised one night by the arrival of her best friend from childhood, Marie-Alexandrine (Max), whom she hasn't seen for 25 years. Catherine and Max were Québec's most promising young pianists in the mid-1960's when the adventurous Max gets pregnant. She wants to keep the child, but her mother forces her to give him up for adoption; afterwards, Max leaves Québec and music. Now, years later, she returns, obsessed with finding her son. She locates the adoption records, and social services contacts her son to ask if he wants to see her. He refuses, but she keeps trying. Is a relationship with him possible? And what about her musical talent?
Mon amie Max
1994
5.1Abandoned by his wife, Bernard struggles to overcome his grief and settles in a residence for singles. Employed by "SOS Doctors", he provides night guards to occupy his insomnia. That's how he is brought one night to help a neighbor, Nadine Foulon, victim of discomfort in the elevator. It turns out that Nadine is also going through a difficult time, since her companion, Terry, a singer-guitarist, has left her. A professional photographer, she can not forget it and has since oscillated between depression and bulimia. Gathered by their pains of heart, these two beings will, with the wire of the confidences, become more intimate ...
Singles
1982
8.5An intimate look into the life and career of actor Serge Thériault, a prominent figure in Québec culture.
T'étais où Serge?
2025
6.0A docudrama on the closing of the town of Schefferville. When Raoul loses his job at the mine because the operations are ending, he's been settled there for ten years with Carmen and their son. They're now forced to leave the town, leaving behind the traces of an ephemeral prosperity.
The Last Glacier
1984
NRNo synopsis available yet.
L’origine de mes espèces, la genèse
2021
6.2A young woman, living with her parents and siblings on a remote farm in harsh, picturesque northern Québec, has three suitors: a steady and unimaginative farmer, Eutrope, the Americanized and wealthy Lorenzo, who has sought his fortune in Boston, and François Paradis, a rough and virile logger who captures her heart despite the warnings of her parents and the village priest. For a year, marked by seasonal change in an atmosphere charged with the strangeness of Indians and the demons of the woods, we see Maria at work and prayer, struggling with decisions, choosing to stay in Canada, in love with François, seeking to change his rough behaviors, and dealing with extraordinary loss.
Maria Chapdelaine
1983
8.5REDISCOVER the best moments of: Bob Binette, Jacques Chevalier Longueuil, Raymond Beaudoin, Ginet Robidoux, Dave Ash, Ludger, Corporal St-Gelais, Chose, Yasser Arafat (Québec version). LES BLEU POUDRE on Taquinons la planète was: disobedience (they got kicked in the balls), indecency (they walked around naked), recklessness (they went to chat with the Mohawks), and mischievousness (they loved new rhymes). LES BLEU POUDRE was also politically very incorrect — and damn, it felt good. ENJOY IT WHILE IT NO LONGER EXISTS.
La crème des Bleu Poudre
2005
NRNo synopsis available yet.
LNI : 40 ans d'improvisation
2017
NR"Why is the strange Mr. Zolock so interested in comics?" is a Canadian docufiction film, released in 1983. A documentary about comic books and graphic novels, the film features interviews with comics illustrators wrapped by a fictional frame story in which Monsieur Zolock (Jean-Louis Millette), an evil supervillain, hires private investigator Dieudonné (Michel Rivard) to investigate the cultural influence of comics as part of his plot to take over the world. The film won the Genie Award for Best Feature Length Documentary at the 5th Genie Awards in 1984.
Pourquoi l'étrange monsieur Zolock s'intéressait-il tant à la bande dessinée?
1983
NRNo synopsis available yet.
L'osstidquoi ? L'osstidcho!
2023
NREvery morning, Marcel confides in his tape recorder. It is from his reflections on life that this film takes us into the wake of his story.
At the End of Nothing at All
2024
No synopsis available yet.
Les Parlementeries 1996
1996
No synopsis available yet.
Ensemble pour les Fêtes avec Isabelle Boulay
2020
8.0No synopsis available yet.
Gilles Vigneault : au coeur du pays
2025