Paul Hébert (1924-2017)

1995 Lifetime Artistic Achievement (Stages (formerly Theatre))

Actor and director Paul Hébert has been a man of the theatre all his life. Influenced by his early training at London's Old Vic, he returned to Canada determined to present the world's great plays to Quebec audiences. He co-founded the Théâtre Anjou in Montreal in 1954 and Quebec's first summer theatre in Sainte-Adèle in 1956, and went on to found Le Théâtre du Trident in Quebec City in the seventies.

Renowned for his direction of Charbonneau et le Chef and other Canadian plays, he also presented the best of the international repertoire. Mr. Hébert was always deeply conscious of his audience, the mythical "Mme Tremblay," whom he aimed to engage and please. His faith in the public was confirmed when attendance at Le Trident increased tenfold during his tenure. As an actor he has played roles from comedy to tragedy, and has appeared in films in both French and English, most recently in Robert Lepage's Le Confessionnal.

Director of the Conservatories of Dramatic Art in both Montreal and Quebec, he has also been a trustee and Vice-Chairman of the National Arts Centre, and is an Officer of the Order of Canada.