{{Short description|Canadian singer, actor, broadcaster (b. 1944)}} '''France Castel''', née '''Bégin''' (born August 31, 1944 in Sherbrooke, Quebec) is a Canadian singer, actress and broadcaster.<ref>[http://ici.radio-canada.ca/premiere/emissions/les-grands-entretiens/segments/entrevue/10255/france-castel-franco-nuovo-portrait "France Castel : transparente et secrète à la fois"]. ''Les Grandes entretiens'', October 26, 2016.</ref>
==Music== Castel began in the music business by recording an album, ''Toi et moi amoureux'', as a duo with Jean Beaulne of Les Baronets. The album spawned popular Quebec hits with "Sous notre toit" and the title track. For the next number of years, Castel recorded and performed mainly songs written by Christine Charbonneau, including "Du fil des aiguilles et du coton", "Château de sable", "Sur le pont", "Je le vois dans ma soupe", "Dominique", "Au fond de nous" and "L'amitié". Later in the 1970s, she began writing her own songs, inspired by blues music.<ref>[http://exruefrontenac.com/spectacles/blues/35308-blues-spectacles-src-radio "Party de blues avec France Castel à Radio-Canada"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010233957/http://exruefrontenac.com/spectacles/blues/35308-blues-spectacles-src-radio |date=2012-10-10 }}. ''Ex Rue Frontenac'', March 24, 2011.</ref>
She recorded seven solo albums through the 1970s: ''Du fil, des aiguilles et du coton'' (1973), ''To One and All'' (1973), ''Je le vois dans ma soupe'' (1973), ''Moi j'veux pas déranger personne'' (1974), ''Quand on aime on a toujours 20 ans'' (1975), ''En corps à cœur'' (1976) and ''Noël disco'' (1977).
==Acting== In the 1970s, she began to take acting roles, starting with the television series ''Du Tac au Tac'' and ''Féminin pluriel''.<ref>[http://bilan.usherbrooke.ca/bilan/pages/evenements/2936.html "Première présentation de la série humoristique 'Féminin pluriel'"]. ''Bilan du siècle'' (Université de Sherbrooke).</ref> Her later television roles included the series ''Omertà'' and ''Sous un ciel variable''.
In musical theatre, she played the role of Stella Spotlight in a 1980 production of ''Starmania''.<ref>"Starmania back, better than ever". ''The Globe and Mail'', September 10, 1980.</ref> In 1986, she played Marlene Dietrich in a production of Normand Mongeon and Roch Harvey's ''Le Phenonène M''.<ref>"Musical play sparkles in look at 3 stars' lives". ''Ottawa Citizen'', July 9, 1986.</ref> Her subsequent musical theatre roles included Betty Bird in Michel Tremblay's ''Demain matin, Montréal m'attend,''<ref>"Demain Matin melds Quebec talent and Toronto capital". ''Montreal Gazette'', December 2, 1995.</ref> and Janine in Marc Drouin and François Dompierre's ''I''.<ref>"Musical satire aims its barbs at suburban stay-at-homes". ''Montreal Gazette'', February 12, 1998.</ref>
She appeared in films including ''An Imaginary Tale (Une histoire inventée)'',<ref>"Quebec film a winner". ''Montreal Gazette'', August 29, 1990.</ref> ''The Wind from Wyoming (Le vent du Wyoming)'',<ref>"Le Vent du Wyoming blows in with emotional-knockout power". ''Montreal Gazette'', August 28, 1994.</ref> ''Karmina'', ''The Countess of Baton Rouge (La Comtesse du Bâton Rouge)'', ''Heads or Tails (J'en suis!)'',<ref>"Caricature of gay hijinks a farcical failure". ''Ottawa Citizen'', June 27, 1997.</ref> ''Ice Cream, Chocolate and Other Consolations (Crème glacée, chocolat et autres consolations)'' and ''When I Will Be Gone (L'Âge de braise)''. At the 18th Genie Awards in 1997, she received two simultaneous nominations for Best Supporting Actress, for both ''Karmina'' and ''The Countess of Baton Rouge''.<ref>"Sweet Hereafter leads the Genie award pack". ''The Province'', November 5, 1997.</ref>
In 1999, she played Linda in a French-language production of ''Death of a Salesman'' at Montreal's Théâtre Jean-Duceppe.<ref>"Dumont's Loman is less of a lone man: Actor helps shape Duceppe- staged Death of a Salesman into more of a family tragedy". ''Montreal Gazette'', April 12, 1999.</ref>
==Broadcasting career== In the 2000s, she became a radio and television host, beginning as cohost with France Beaudoin of the daytime talk show ''Deux filles le matin'' for TVA.<ref>"France and France deliver". ''Montreal Gazette'', November 27, 2004.</ref> In 2005 she moved to Société Radio-Canada, the French-language arm of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, where she hosted the morning talk show ''Droit au cœur'' in 2005,<ref>"France Castel even better than Oprah". ''Montreal Gazette'', November 26, 2005.</ref> cohosted the variety series ''Pour le plaisir'' with Michel Barrette from 2007 to 2014,<ref>[http://quebec.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/11/09/pour-le-plaisir-a-radio-canada-deja-1000-bougies_n_6128450.html "«Pour le plaisir» à Radio-Canada : déjà 1000 bougies... dans l'harmonie"]. ''Huffington Post Québec'', November 9, 2014.</ref> and hosted a blues music program for Espace musique.<ref>[http://www.cyberpresse.ca/arts/television/201008/23/01-4308980-france-castel-remplace-dan-behrman-a-espace-musique.php "France Castel animatrice d'une «émission consacrée au blues» en remplacement de Dan Behrman"]. ''La Presse'', August 24, 2010.</ref>
She published an autobiography, ''Ici et maintenant'', in 2016.<ref>[http://www.lapresse.ca/la-tribune/arts/201612/22/01-5053955-france-castel-remettre-hier-a-sa-place.php "France Castel : remettre hier à sa place"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812101537/http://www.lapresse.ca/la-tribune/arts/201612/22/01-5053955-france-castel-remettre-hier-a-sa-place.php |date=2017-08-12 }}. ''La Presse'', December 22, 2016.</ref>
In 2025, she was named the recipient of the Prix Guy-Mauffette for her body of work.<ref>[https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2206713/prix-quebec-celine-galipeau-france-castel "Prix du Québec 2025 : Céline Galipeau et France Castel parmi les lauréats"]. Ici Radio-Canada, November 10, 2025.</ref>
==Discography== ===Albums=== *''Du fil, des aiguilles et du coton'' (1973) *''To One and All'' (1973) *''Je le vois dans ma soupe'' (1973) *''Moi j'veux pas déranger personne'' (1974) *''Quand on aime on a toujours 20 ans'' (1975) *''En corps à cœur'' (1976) *''Noël disco'' (1977)
==Filmography==
===Film=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" colspan="2" | Notes |- | 1988 | ''Straight for the Heart (À corps perdu)'' | Michele | |- | 1990 | ''An Imaginary Tale (Une histoire inventée)'' | Alys | |- | 1991 | ''Four Stiffs and a Trombone (L'assassin jouait du trombone)'' | Florence | |- | 1994 | ''The Wind from Wyoming (Le vent du Wyoming)'' | Lizette Mentha | |- | 1996 | ''Karmina'' | Esméralda | |- | 1996 | ''The Countess of Baton Rouge (La Comtesse du Bâton Rouge)'' | Nuna Breaux | |- | 1996 | ''Cosmos'' | Waitress | |- | 1997 | ''Heads or Tails (J'en suis!)'' | Elisabeth Ballester | |- | 1997 | ''The Revenge of the Woman in Black (La Vengeance de la femme en noir)'' | Florence | |- | 1998 | ''The Sleep Room'' | Flo Langelben | |- | 1998 | ''When I Will Be Gone (L'Âge de braise)'' | Maureen | |- | 2001 | ''Ice Cream, Chocolate and Other Consolations (Crème glacée, chocolat et autres consolations)'' | Nicole | |- | 2001 | ''Karmina 2'' | Esméralda | |- | 2004 | ''So the Moon Rises (La lune viendra d'elle-même)'' | Francine | |- | 2007 | ''My Aunt Aline (Ma tante Aline)'' | Nicole | |- | 2007 | ''The 3 L'il Pigs (Les 3 p'tits cochons)'' | Lucille | |- | 2016 | ''Kiss Me Like a Lover (Embrasse-moi comme tu m'aimes)'' | Rose Lebleu | |- | 2017 | ''Hedgehog's Home'' | Narrator (French version) | |- | 2017 | ''Manivald'' | Mother | |- | 2018 | ''When Love Digs a Hole (Quand l'amour se creuse un trou)'' | Florence | |- | 2019 | ''Forgotten Flowers (Les fleurs oubliées)'' | Bourgeoise France | |- | 2020 | ''You Will Remember Me (Tu te souviendras de moi)'' | Madeleine Beauchemin | |- | 2020 | ''The Sticky Side of Baklava (La Face cachée du baklava)'' | Sylvie | |- | 2021 | ''Livrés chez vous sans contact'' | God | |- | 2021 | ''In the Jam Jar'' | Joan | |- | 2025 | ''The Furies (Les Furies)'' | Yvette | |- | 2025 | ''Cardboard City (Ville Jacques-Carton)'' | France | |}
===Television=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title / Series ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" colspan="2" | Notes |- | 1976 | ''Du tac au tac'' | Geneviève | 4 episodes |- | 1978 | ''Dominique'' | | |- | 1978-1982 | ''Bye Bye'' | | |- | 1992 | ''Scoop'' | Louise Duguay | 13 episodes |- | 1993 | ''Scoop II'' | Louise Duguay | 13 episodes |- | 1996 | ''Omerta, la loi du silence'' | Hélène Provost | |- | 1997 | ''Omertà II - La loi du silence'' | Hélène Provost | |- | 2002 | ''Lance et compte - Nouvelle génération'' | Patricia 'Mamma' Conti | |- | 2005-2008 | ''Ramdam'' | Janine L'Espérance | 21 episodes |- | 2010 | ''Prozac, La Maladie Du Bonheur'' | Maman | 9 episodes |- | 2014-2015 | ''Les Jeunes Loups'' | Paula Champagne | 14 episodes |- | 2016 | ''Mes petits malheurs'' | Louise | |- | 2018-19 | ''L'Agent Jean: comment sauver le monde en 90 secondes'' | Martha (voice) | 30 episodes |- |2024- |En résidence | |13 episodes |}
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== *{{imdb name|id=0144583}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Castel, France}} Category:1944 births Category:20th-century Canadian actresses Category:20th-century Canadian non-fiction writers Category:21st-century Canadian actresses Category:21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers Category:Canadian women rock singers Category:Canadian women pop singers Category:Canadian blues singers Category:Canadian film actresses Category:Canadian television actresses Category:Canadian stage actresses Category:Canadian musical theatre actresses Category:Canadian male songwriters Category:Canadian autobiographers Category:Canadian women non-fiction writers Category:Musicians from Sherbrooke Category:Actresses from Quebec Category:Writers from Sherbrooke Category:Living people Category:Canadian radio hosts Category:Canadian television talk show hosts Category:Canadian television variety show hosts Category:Canadian Broadcasting Corporation people Category:French-language Canadian singers Category:French-language Canadian non-fiction writers Category:20th-century Canadian women singers Category:21st-century Canadian women singers Category:20th-century Canadian women writers Category:21st-century Canadian women writers Category:Canadian women autobiographers Category:Canadian women radio hosts