Andrée Lachapelle

Andrée Lachapelle (November 13, 1931 – November 21, 2019) was a French Canadian actress. Born in Montreal, she trained at age 14 at the Studio XV theatre school under Gerard Vleminckx, later attended teacher's college and taught elementary school for a few years. In 1952 she met actor Robert Gadouas, performed with him, and had three children before his death in 1969. She later appeared in plays by Michel Tremblay, Samuel Beckett and Tennessee Williams and in the films Rope Around the Neck (La corde au cou), YUL 871, Laura Laur, Léolo, Cap Tourmente, Route 132, The Last Escape and Don't Let the Angels Fall. In 1985, Andrée Lachapelle was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 1997, she was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec. On November 21, 2019, Lachapelle died via assisted suicide at the age of 88 following a battle with cancer. She posthumously won the Prix Iris for Best Actress at the 22nd Quebec Cinema Awards, for her final performance in the film And the Birds Rained Down (Il pleuvait des oiseaux).

Andrée Lachapelle est la fille d'Henri Lachapelle, restaurateur, et de Célina Lafond. Elle naît à Montréal, dans le quartier Mile End, qu'elle ne quitte qu'à 21 ans, pour aller étudier outre-mer. Sa mère était veuve avec cinq enfants, et en aura deux autres, dont elle, la benjamine, en secondes noces avec un cousin germain de son premier mari — les deux parents ont 45 ans en 1931. Celui-ci, le père d'Andrée Lachapelle, qui vécut 90 ans, aurait voulu faire carrière au théâtre