Juliette Béliveau (1889-1975)

An Actress Is Born
When she was ten years old, Juliette Béliveau acted in a play at the Monument National. At the age of 12 she set out on a career that came to an end only with her death. Her natural talent, which she perfected through hard work, led her to excel in tragedy, comedy and burlesque. Her short stature—approximately one metre, twenty centimetres, or a little less than four feet—let her play the part of children for many years, to comic effect.

A Tragedian with a Comic Touch
Gratien Gélinas hired her for several of his “Fridolinades” and again for the title role in his first film, the parody La dame aux camélias, la vraie, in 1942. When he wrote the play Tit-Coq, he had her in mind for the dramatic character Aunt Mina, an unhappy spinster. Béliveau acted this part more than 500 times and reprised it with flair in the 1953 film of the same title.

Between these two films she had major roles in Le gros Bill, Un homme et son péché and Le rossignol et les cloches, in which she was used for humorous effect in particular. She later starred in numerous stage and television shows.

To learn more

• The Virtual Gramophone