Jean-Louis Roux, CC CQ (May 18, 1923 â€" November 28, 2013) was a
Canadian politician, entertainer and playwright who was briefly the
26th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec.Born in Montreal, Quebec, he
originally studied medicine at the Université de Montréal, but gave
it up to pursue acting. After travelling and performing in New York
City and Paris he returned to Montreal and helped create the Théâtre
du Nouveau Monde and became a frequent actor in and director of its
productions for the next several years. He also turned to writing and
wrote successful plays, radio dramas, and television shows.His
greatest fame comes from his role on La famille Plouffe, a very
successful Quebec situation comedy. Roux served as President of the
Canadian Conference of the Arts from 1968 through 1970. In 1994 he was
appointed to the Senate and remained there until resigning in 1996. A
fierce federalist, great controversy arose when he compared Quebec
separatists to Nazis.Upon leaving the Senate he was, at age 73, the
oldest person ever appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec on August
8, 1996. Controversy reemerged when pictures were found showing Roux
wearing a swastika on his lab coat in protest of the proposal to
invoke conscription for service in World War II, and evidence emerged
that he had participated in a 1942 protest against conscription in
which some protesters, but not Roux, smashed the windows of some
Jewish-owned businesses. Roux served (training) in the Canadian Army
from 1942 to 1946; he had no known ties to fascist or anti-Semitic
groups, and had in fact been a quite outspoken opponent of Nazism and
anti-Semitism throughout his career, sometimes even refusing to accept
roles in productions which he considered to include anti-Jewish
stereotypes.
Canadian politician, entertainer and playwright who was briefly the
26th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec.Born in Montreal, Quebec, he
originally studied medicine at the Université de Montréal, but gave
it up to pursue acting. After travelling and performing in New York
City and Paris he returned to Montreal and helped create the Théâtre
du Nouveau Monde and became a frequent actor in and director of its
productions for the next several years. He also turned to writing and
wrote successful plays, radio dramas, and television shows.His
greatest fame comes from his role on La famille Plouffe, a very
successful Quebec situation comedy. Roux served as President of the
Canadian Conference of the Arts from 1968 through 1970. In 1994 he was
appointed to the Senate and remained there until resigning in 1996. A
fierce federalist, great controversy arose when he compared Quebec
separatists to Nazis.Upon leaving the Senate he was, at age 73, the
oldest person ever appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec on August
8, 1996. Controversy reemerged when pictures were found showing Roux
wearing a swastika on his lab coat in protest of the proposal to
invoke conscription for service in World War II, and evidence emerged
that he had participated in a 1942 protest against conscription in
which some protesters, but not Roux, smashed the windows of some
Jewish-owned businesses. Roux served (training) in the Canadian Army
from 1942 to 1946; he had no known ties to fascist or anti-Semitic
groups, and had in fact been a quite outspoken opponent of Nazism and
anti-Semitism throughout his career, sometimes even refusing to accept
roles in productions which he considered to include anti-Jewish
stereotypes.
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