In the not-too-distant past, there were Afro-Québec actors on the fingers of one hand. There was of course Didier Lucien, Normand Brathwaite, Frédéric Pierre, Widemir Normil. Today, young people like Zeneb Blanchet can move us in all possible registers, Fayolle Jean Jr. successfully follows the path of his patriarch, chef Oli (Olivier Lamin Louissaint) runs his own show. Thanks to Samantha Fins and Tatiana Zinga Botao, they are now part of our daily lives status And Untenable. Marie-Evelyne Lessard, Martin David Peters and Yanic Truesdale inherit major scores. Mélissa Bédard has burned herself into people’s hearts. Even Maka Kotto, who excelled in politics, is making a strong comeback. Black actors are no longer secondary. We keep them away from clichés. They are now teachers, doctors, investigators, parents. With February being Black History Month, history is now being written in color for the better, making way for talented actors.
Patrick Emmanuel Abellard
Photo agency QMI, Joêl Lemay
A graduate of Dawson College’s Theater program, Patrick Emmanuel Abellard has a successful career in both English and French. He held colossal roles in the theater. Think King Dave or Heritage. On TV, he navigates between the crazy world of Completely High School, where he is Keith O’Keefe, Allie’s downtrodden gay best friend, the shenanigans of Philippe Peck, a real estate agent in Counter-Offer, a school psychologist full of empathy in the face of a sticky situation in Chouchou , a cop in season 3 of Plan B.
- In 2023 we find him in The Candidate and IXE-13.
Myriam de Verger
Coming from the 2003 Conservatory of Dramatic Arts class, Myriam continues to evolve on stage as well as on the small screen. She did not hesitate to create her own pieces to make herself known. She is currently playing Stéphanie, Catherine’s friend, confidante and colleague in Les Moments Parfaits. A lively woman who does not hesitate to speak her mind. In Us, she is the mother of Anaïs, who she is trying to get closer to. In Les Bracelets Rouges, she is Flavie’s mother who lives with anorexia, a diagnosis that took her a long time to realise.
Earthen exantus
Photo agency QMI, Joêl Lemay
It is thanks to Philippe Falardeau that we discovered him when he was taking the memorable Sovereign Pascal de Guibord to war. Since then he graduated from the National Theater School, where he excelled. He plays a financial adviser in Les mecs, Father Edmond Oscar in L’Échappée, a wily and desperate investigator, Romain Félix, in Larry, and a grieving son who lacks inspiration and chokes on secrecy in Fragments. Role that takes him to all sorts of realms. He also hosts the series Pa t’mentir. We’ll be seeing him in the TV adaptation of High Demolition shortly.
Fabiola Nyrva Aladdin
An impressive improviser, Fabiola has many talents. In addition to acting, she sings and writes. It’s in Can you hear me? that we discovered. She was Tessa, Ada’s smart friend who she meets at a transition center. His versatility allows him to play many roles in the humorous variety show “Drôles de Véronic”. She is a social worker on the web series I would like to be erased. Then Yasmine, the virgin nurse in search of the ideal man in the walk-in clinic. In cinema, it’s difficult not to mention his performance as a pseudo-astronaut and mission leader in Stéphane Lafleur’s Viking.
- We will see them shortly in the new series Les Révoltés.
Naila Louisort
Photo Agency QMI, Dominick Gravel
Whole life she revealed to us when she played a pregnant teenager. In season 2 of The Flaw, she teamed up with Celine as an investigator. We can now say that we see it everywhere. She manipulatively manages a network that isn’t too clear in Larry, she’s an idealistic risk-taking cop in 5e rang, a journalist in Contre-offre and she’s adamant about her anorexic sister in Les Bracelets Rouges. In The Emperor, she is an aspiring Olympian who the sponsors want and ends up in the hands of a criminal. She’s also herself in Big Brother fame five days a week. To top off this beautiful year, it will be from Denys Arcand’s next film, Testament.
Anglesh Major
Photo agency QMI, Joêl Lemay
A drama school graduate of the UQAM School of Theatre, Anglesh is the famous Jean-Daniel Magloire, long discussed in District 31. He also directs projects in theater and television. We owe him the first version of a King Dave Noir. He played the tough guy in I would like to be erased, a detective in Cerebrum, then in Crime, and a gang leader in Larry. He collects projects that bring different roles to life. He came from the Google Black sketch of the last Bye Bye and will come from Louis Choquette’s next series, Les révoltés. And we find him every day in the emergency room at St Vincent’s Hospital, where he sees Dr. Marc Olivier Morin is.
Chanel Mings
Photo agency QMI, Joêl Lemay
Chanel came out of Lionel-Groulx College’s 2018 theater cohort and quickly stood out. She played Marilou Magloire in Alerte Amber, a character that also influenced Alerte. For the youngest, she is Florence from Clash and Basta from Les Petits Rois. At the bar in Before the crash she is the one who advises Marc-Antoine. She makes Simone’s heart beat faster in Cerebrum. It is currently seen in Us. She’s part of a quintet of friends, all born on the same day, juggling love, yearning, and the desire to thrive in adulthood.
Catherine Souffront
It can be said that Catherine made a drastic career change. As Crown Prosecutor, specialist in domestic violence, she officially got into the game in 2018. She sings, writes and performs in English and French. She landed the role of Mylène, the perfect mother-in-law in L’œil du cyclone, we find her in the English version of Entre deux Sheets, Pillow Talk, she is a nurse full of empathy in Les Bracelets Rouges et la Mermaid Coralie in the youth program L’ île Kilucru. And many of us saw it in the romantic comedy December 23rd.
Schelby Jean Baptiste
Photo agency QMI, Joêl Lemay
Difficult not to move in front of Trécée Coicou, the defenseless prisoner she interpreted in Unit 9. The Blue Hour, The Guilt, One Day Forever More, Schelby is in the credits of several major series. She is isolated and tortured in Trapped, plays a seductive journalist in Padre, portrays a burned-out social worker in L’Échappée, a junkie mother in a toxic relationship in I Want To Be Erased and works at a radio station in Moi non plus. We saw her in a squeaky sketch in Bye Bye. She shines in Fragments, where she lends her features to a teacher who watches over the well-being of others, especially those who are a little off the hook. She is also co-moderator of the magazine Pa t’mentir, of which she is the initiator.
Richardson Zephyr
Photo agency QMI, Toma Iczkovits
Comedian, author, host and comedian, Richardson is a master of improvisation. He developed characters, including the famous sexy cop who went around the internet. He is Major Zéphir in the comedy La Maison Bleue. He is also part of Club Soly Band where he plays many characters. It was his presence with Big Brother celebrities that made him known to the general public. Audience that also gave him the Favorites award. Last year he launched his one-man show, which he still presents across the province. Everyone can now discover his quirky humor and tongue-in-cheek side in LOL: Who Laughs the Last, powered by the Amazon Prime platform.