We all know the actor and the theater man, but Michel Côté developed a passion for tennis throughout his career on stage and big screen.
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Since the debut of the play Broue in March 1979, Côté had developed a routine with his partners Marc Messier and Marcel Gauthier whenever they showed up for a performance in Quebec.
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Every Friday when they were in Quebec, the three friends would come to Club Avantage for a two-hour tennis session for Côté and Messier and a gymnastics lesson for Gauthier.
“It has been a privilege to play with Michel and Marc all these years,” says Jacques Hérisset, former Club Avantage professional and director of the National Bank Cup. They had developed a routine that they followed to the letter. From 12pm to 2pm we played doubles with another club professional; We had dinner together and the boys wanted to take a nap before their show that evening.
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A passionate gamer
Hérisset remembers Côté’s passion well. The two were still a couple as Messier played alongside another club professional.
They included Jacques Bordeleau and Pierre Crépeau, as well as Marc-André Tardif, Marc’s son, who had a successful youth career and developed a good friendship with the actors.
“Michel gave 110%,” he summarizes. He wasn’t the best player and had his own style, but he really wanted to. We have laughed so much. The boys were competitive and nobody wanted to lose. You could see his characters’ facial expressions popping up from moment to moment as the game evolved. I remember his high five after a good exchange.
“Michel was all over the field, wanting to hit all the balls to go after Hérisset. We gave him a few tricks and he’s improved a lot over the years. Michel loved tennis. Since he wasn’t playing when he returned to Montreal, he always looked forward to performing in Quebec. Marc was a good player. He had a good serve, good forehand and good technique.
Members of the club quickly recognized the two actors. “The ladies who played doubles welcomed them and Michel was always so nice. The other players didn’t bother them because they knew it was their downtime.”
Signed bat
Hérisset and the actor swapped a bat. “I gave him a racket and he asked me to autograph it. I also asked him to autograph the racket he gave me. I spoke to my wife about this on Monday evening and I am saddened by her departure. When they stopped Broue in 2017 after more than 3000 performances, I wrote to Michel to let him know we would miss them. Almost a year ago I attended Marc’s show Seul…en scène and he told me that the news was not encouraging for Michel.