Mourning in the world of cinema. A great actor died!

Quebec actor Julien Poulin, best known for playing Elvis Gratton, died Saturday in hospital. He was 78 years old.

His family did not want to reveal the cause of his death. His agent Eugénie Gaillard confirmed the news to Radio-Canada on Sunday.

Mourning in the world of cinema. A great actor died! Born in Montreal in 1946, Poulin began his artistic career in theater before making his film debut in 1973 in Tu brûles… Tu brûles… by Jean-Guy Noël and Réjeanne Padovani by Denys Arcand.

He is known for his extensive filmography, including 15 février 1839, Camion and Miraculum.

His collaboration with the pre-eminent Quebec film director, Pierre Falardeau, however, changed the course of his career. In 1980, the actor co-directed the short film Speak White with Falardeau.

Mourning in the world of cinema. A great actor died! A whole country mourns him

Above all, the audience remembers Bob Gratton, a garage mechanic with the ambition to become an Elvis Presley impersonator. His alter-ego was called Elvis Gratton.

With Falardeau, the actor created a role that was featured in several cult films and a television series.

Gratton’s character is both a reflection of the ills of Quebec society and a biting critique of relations between Quebec and the rest of Canada, and indeed the rest of the world.

In 1981, the two friends released their first short film, Elvis Gratton. Two more followed: Les vacances d’Elvis Gratton (1983) and Pas encore Elvis Gratton (1985).

From these three compilations, a feature film was created that would become a classic of Quebec comedy: Elvis Gratton: le King des kings.

Audiences remember the late actor as Bob Gratton, a garage mechanic with ambitions to become an Elvis Presley impersonator. His alter-ego was called Elvis Gratton.

Some also remember Poulin for his role as goalkeeper Gaétan Langlois, also known as Vieux, in the Radio-Canada series Minuit, le soir in the late 2000s. In 2007, this performance earned him the Gémeaux Award for Most good supporting male role in a drama series.

In 2013, the Montreal native received a Jutra Award, which was not his first, for Best Actor for his leading role in Rafaël Ouellet’s Camion.

He has acted in a hundred or so films, most recently appearing in Arsenault et Fils and Paul à Québec.

“A giant of Quebec independence activism,” says the PQ leader

In a press release issued Sunday, Poulin’s agency said he “left an important mark on Quebec culture in many ways.”

Premier François Legault said in a post on X that Poulin was a “great Quebec actor”.

“I, of course, well remember his role as Elvis Gratton, but also his exceptional performance in Minuit, le soir,” wrote Legault. “My condolences to his family and loved ones.”

Parti Québécois (PQ) leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon also sent his condolences to the family of the late actor on X.

“Today, Quebec loses a giant of its culture and a giant of Quebec independence activism,” he wrote.

St-Pierre Plamondon added that Elvis Gratton’s performance made people “laugh and realize at the same time our greatest collective shortcomings”.

Ruba Ghazal, co-spokesperson for Québec Solidaire, said Elvis Gratton made her laugh when she was younger.

“Only later did I understand the charge behind this intelligent and deeply political social critique,” Ghazal wrote on X, according to CBC.