Jean-Pierre Bergeron (born 1952) is a Canadian actor and film director from Quebec."Jean-Pierre Bergeron, acteur vétéran et réalisateur de la relève". Ici Radio-Canada Première, December 2, 2024.
He is most noted for his performances in the film The Big Snake of the World (Le Grand serpent du monde), for which he received a Jutra Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 2nd Jutra Awards in 2000,"À la grandeur de la planète!". La Presse, January 27, 2000. and the television film Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story, for which he received a Gemini Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Film or Miniseries at the 20th Gemini Awards in 2005.Agnès Gaudet, "Photos souvenirs: Jean-Pierre Bergeron". Le Journal de Montréal, February 7, 2021.
Background Born in Jonquière, Quebec, he graduated from the National Theatre School of Canada in 1971.
Career He had early acting roles in the television series Rue des Pignons, Quelle famille ! and La Petite Patrie, and made his film debut with a small supporting role in Once Upon a Time in the East (Il était une fois dans l'est) in 1974.Charles-Henri Ramond, "Il était une fois dans l’est – Film de André Brassard". Films du Québec, February 28, 2009.
Throughout his career he has regularly acted in both English-language and French-language films, television series and stage plays, as well as working as a theatre director.Pat Donnelly, "Wacky comedy Nevrose just what therapist ordered". Montreal Gazette, January 19, 1988.
In 2011 he made his filmmaking debut with Alone with Mr. Carter, a short film which starred Robert Naylor as a young boy coping with an unrequited crush on the older man next door.André Duchesne, "RVCQ: le cinéma libérateur de Jean-Pierre Bergeron". La Presse, February 17, 2012. Around the same time, he came out as gay for the first time in his career, later telling the press that he had struggled to be open about his sexual orientation for many years because as an actor who had been associated principally with masculine "tough guy" roles such as police officers and criminals, he feared the possible effects on his career of coming out.François Hamel, "Jean-Pierre Bergeron explique pourquoi il a attendu d’avoir 59 ans pour sortir du placard". 7 Jours, September 6, 2024. He subsequently became more active and outspoken as an advocate for LGBTQ mental health and suicide prevention programs.Normand Boivin, "Jean-Pierre Bergeron parle de suicide et d'homophobie". Le Quotidien, February 3, 2016.
In 2023, expressing a desire to tell the often overlooked and underrepresented stories of older gay men, he began production on his first full-length feature film, Old Guys in Bed.Bruno Lapointe, "Jean-Pierre Bergeron lance une campagne de sociofinancement pour achever son premier long-métrage, «Old Guys in Bed»". Le Journal de Montréal, September 14, 2023. The film premiered at the 29th Fantasia International Film Festival in 2025.Charles-Henri Ramond, "Fantasia: Old Guys In Bed en première". Films du Québec, June 10, 2025.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1974 Once Upon a Time in the East (Il était une fois dans l'est) Cleaner 1975 Dear Theo (Cher Théo) 1975 Normande (La Tête de Normande St-Onge) 1976 A Pacemaker and a Sidecar (L'Eau chaude, l'eau frette) Julien 1977 Claude Gauvreau Lontil Deparey 1977 One Man Union man 1980 Good Riddance (Les Bons débarras) Fernand 1987 Night Zoo (Un zoo la nuit) Prison guard 1987 Brother André (Le Frère André) 1989 Cruising Bar Nosel 1989 Speed Zone French Flight Passenger 1990 Ding et Dong, le film Jerôme 1991 Four Stiffs and a Trombone (L'Assassin jouait du trombone) Claude Champignac 1993 Matusalem Officer Letendre 1997 Matusalem II (Matusalem II: le dernier des Beauchesne) Officer Letendre 1998 Winter Lily Grant 1998 Free Money Lauter 1999 The Big Snake of the World (Le Grand serpent du monde) Jean Le Maigre 2001 Druids (Vercingétorix : La Légende du druide roi) Diviciac 2003 Evil Words (Sur le seuil) Fr. Boudreault 2004 See This Movie Professor 2009 Sticky Fingers (Les doigts croches) Isidore 2010 File 13 (Filière 13) Fecteau 2011 Alone with Mr. Carter Director 2013 The Four Soldiers (Les 4 soldats) Cmdr. Lacoste 2014 1987 Premier of Quebec 2014 Henri Henri Neighbour 2016 Votez Bougon Mr. Gagnon 2021 Brain Freeze Minister of public security 2022 The Cheaters (Les Tricheurs) Snack bar employee 2023 Hurricane Boy Fuck You Tabarnak! (L'Ouragan F.Y.T.) Hot dog man 2023 Purgatory (Le Purgatoire des intimes) Bernard Landriault 2025 Old Guys in Bed Director
Television Year Title Role Notes 1966 Rue des Pignons 1972 Quelle famille ! 1974 La Petite Patrie 1974 Avec le temps Baron Dietrich 1985 L'Or du temps Bob Leclerc 1988 La Maison Deschênes 1990] Les Filles de Caleb 1990 Haute tension - Pour cent millions Lanthier 1991 Prince Lazure Vallier 1991 Lance et compte : Tous pour un Maurice Pinard 1992 Montréal P.Q. Gérard Godin 1992 Armen and Bullik Auric 1994 Les grands procès Brother Fortin 1995 Vents contraires Diego 1996 Innocence 1997 Omerta II: La loi du silence Marc-André Théoret 1999 Bonanno: A Godfather's Story 1999 Rue l'Espérance Antoine Bourbonnais 2002 The Last Chapter Philip Gabriel 2003 The Last Chapter II: The War Continues Philip Gabriel 2003 Alias Gils Nacor 2004 Just Desserts Emile Fragonard 2004 Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story Andy Hall 2004 A Boyfriend for Christmas Michael Rhodes 2011 Comment survivre aux week-ends Franco 2016 Les Pêcheurs 2016 Complexe G Alex 2017-2020 Faits divers Yvan-Gilles Savard 2020 Escouade 99 Journalist 2021 Way Over Me (Sortez-moi de moi) Shopkeeper 2024 La Dernière Communion Fr. Pierre
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