Colleagues, I rise today with a heavy heart to pay tribute to one of Quebec’s greatest actors. Michel Côté passed away yesterday at the age of 72.

People are sometimes described as giants, and this description is especially true of Michel Côté. His career spanned nearly 50 years during which he played a variety of grandiose, touching, zany and inspiring roles.

On stage, on television and in film, this pillar of the performing arts embodied every possible version of a man from Quebec over the years, and he did so with authenticity, diligence and integrity. Michel Côté said he loved his characters as a mother loves her children. He cared for them with love and kindness, which is likely one reason why he was so adored by all Quebecers.

His impressive filmography, both in terms of volume and box‑office success, reveals the full extent of his talent. He has often been called a chameleon actor. As he did in the well-known film Cruising Bar, in which he played the four main characters, Michel Côté was easily able to take on a wide range of characters in just a moment’s time.

In the renowned play Broue, in which he portrayed five different customers of the famous Chez Willy tavern, Michel Côté changed clothes in front of more than three million Quebecers for over 38 years. He used to say, with a broad smile, that one day, while shooting the film Cruising Bar and performing Broue in the evening, he played seven different characters in one day. This anecdote perfectly illustrates why he truly was a chameleon actor.

United since the announcement of his passing, his former peers are praising his great skills as an actor, but also — and unanimously — his great skills as a human. On a sound stage, Michel Côté made sure to learn everyone’s first name, from the director to the sound mixer, the entire crew, and he tried to acknowledge each one individually every day.

Six years ago, this great Quebec artist chose to slow down a little so he could spend more time with his dear Véronique, his two sons and his grandchildren. In an unfortunate turn of events, illness was waiting for him and despite his determination and desire to fight it, Michel Côté succumbed this past Monday, May 29.

To Véronique Le Flaguais, his long-time partner, his sons Charles and Maxime, his grandchildren and extended family, including his many friends, I wish to express my compassion and offer my sincere condolences. I also wish to express my real sympathy to the many Quebecers who today are grieving a man they claimed as their own and who they cherished with tender affection.

Goodbye, Michel.