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Marc Favreau
Marc Favreau
Marc Favreau
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Bibliothèque Marc-Favreau, 500, boulevard Rosemont, Montréal, a stone's throw from the Rosemont metro station.

Marc Favreau, OC CQ (November 9, 1929 – December 17, 2005) was a French Canadian humorist, film actor, and poet born in Montreal, Quebec. He is best known for developing and portraying the clown character Sol.

Favreau began his television career as a regular on La Boîte à surprise, a long-running children's television show on Radio-Canada. At that time, he was teamed with another clown in an act called Bim et Sol. Favreau developed Sol's monologues into an enormously popular one-man show. Favreau then teamed up with another clown for Sol et Bouton. Finally, Favreau created, with Luc Durand a popular television series called Sol et Gobelet.[1]

Later, he played numerous roles on stage and on several television series on Canadian television, such as Parlez-moi, an instructional program on the French language on TVOntario in the late 1970s. Many English Canadian children got their first exposure to Quebec French through Favreau's work. He is best remembered for the witty deconstructions of the French language which he invented for Sol.

In 1995, he was appointed Knight of the National Order of Quebec and an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2003. He was also a member of the Order of the Francophones of America, and was married to Quebec comedian-actress Micheline Gérin who died in 2007 at age 76.[2]

Favreau died of cancer at Hôpital Notre-Dame in Montreal at 76 years old.[3] A library bearing his name was built on the site of the former municipal workshops at 500 Boulevard Rosemont in Montreal in 2012.[4] A school in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce district also bears his name in homage.[5]

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Marc Favreau

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Marc Favreau was a French-Canadian actor, comedian, poet, and humorist known for creating and portraying the iconic character Sol, a tramp clown celebrated for his ingenious wordplay and profound observations hidden behind apparent naivety. Born on November 9, 1929, in Montreal, Quebec, he became one of the most beloved figures in Québécois culture through his television and stage work that captivated generations of French-speaking audiences in Canada and beyond. He died of cancer on December 17, 2005, in Montreal at the age of 76. Favreau began his career in the 1950s as a set designer for the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde before training as an actor and making his stage debut there. He created Sol in 1956 for the children's series La Boîte à surprise, with the character later starring in popular programs such as Sol et Gobelet alongside Luc Durand. His masterful manipulation of language, often described as drawing with words, turned Sol into a cultural phenomenon that extended from children's television to adult-oriented stage shows performed across francophone Europe, including at the Festival d’Avignon; he also authored several books of poetry and sketches featuring the character. Beyond Sol, Favreau appeared in numerous television series and theatrical productions, drawing inspiration from figures like Charlie Chaplin while developing his own repertoire of linguistic games in solo performances and plays. His contributions to French-language humor and culture earned him prestigious honors, including Knight of the National Order of Québec in 1995 and Officer of the Order of Canada in 2003. Described by Canada's Governor General as "the great magician of words," Favreau left a lasting legacy as a performer who used wit and poetry to address human indifference and celebrate the power of language.

Early life

Birth and family background

Marc Favreau was born on November 9, 1929, in Montréal, Quebec, Canada. He grew up in a French-Canadian family in the predominantly francophone city of Montréal. His childhood unfolded during the Great Depression—which began the year of his birth with the 1929 stock market crash—and extended through the years of World War II. Living in Montréal's francophone neighborhoods exposed him to the vibrant Quebec popular culture and the nuances of the French language that prevailed in everyday life.

Education and early influences

Marc Favreau received his secondary education at the Académie Querbes in Outremont. He later studied at Sir George Williams University (now part of Concordia University). From a young age, Favreau was perceived as a "p’tit clown" by friends and classmates, reflecting an early natural inclination toward comedic and performative expression. He initially worked in commercial drawing and created theater sets, which provided his first direct engagement with theatrical environments. In 1950, he enrolled at the École du Théâtre du Nouveau Monde to pursue formal theater training.

Career

Entry into mime and theater

Marc Favreau transitioned from a career in commercial design and theater set creation to professional acting after leaving school at the age of 17. He quickly developed a strong desire to express himself physically through movement while also playing with words, prompting him to abandon the drafting table for the stage. In 1950, he enrolled in the École du Théâtre du Nouveau Monde in Montreal, where he underwent two years of training under influential Quebec theater practitioners including Jean Gascon, Jean Dalmain, and Jean-Louis Roux. His stage debut occurred in 1954 when he portrayed Pierrot in Molière's Dom Juan at the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde. This role introduced him to Montreal's vibrant theater scene, where he collaborated with established companies and artists in classical productions during the early 1950s. To refine his craft, Favreau spent 1955 to 1957 in Paris completing his theater training under Jean Valcourt. Throughout these formative years, he cultivated an approach that emphasized physical expressiveness alongside spoken dialogue, setting the stage for his later integration of movement with Quebec vernacular speech.

Rise with the character Sol

Marc Favreau created the character Sol in 1958 for the segment Bim et Sol, which aired as part of the children's television series La Boîte à surprise on Radio-Canada. Conceived as a philosophical hobo or tramp figure, Sol combined mime with monologues that delivered social commentary through a naive yet insightful persona. This blend allowed Favreau to present sharp observations on the world hidden behind the clown's apparent simplicity. Sol's early sketches and monologues on La Boîte à surprise quickly resonated with audiences in Quebec, establishing the character's popularity in the province. Described as a brilliant manipulator of language, Sol used wicked wordplay to turn language into a tool for humor and critique. The character's appeal stemmed from this unique fusion of physical comedy and verbal virtuosity, which set him apart from traditional mime acts. Favreau gradually shifted Sol from pure mime to spoken-word poetic humor, incorporating more elaborate monologues that enhanced the social commentary. This evolution fueled Sol's rapid rise as a beloved figure in Quebec during the late 1950s and 1960s. The character's success on early television led to further development in later programs.

Television and broadcasting career

Marc Favreau's television career was dominated by his beloved character Sol, whom he continued to portray in dedicated series, specials, and guest appearances across Quebec broadcasting for several decades. He co-created and starred in the children's series Sol et Gobelet alongside Luc Durand, where he played the naive clown Sol in a duo known for its absurd and extravagant humor. The program aired from 1968 to 1971 and featured 36 episodes of whimsical adventures that resonated deeply with young viewers and marked a generational impact in Quebec. Favreau contributed to the writing of the series, blending his signature poetic monologues and wordplay into the sketches. Beyond Sol et Gobelet, Favreau appeared as Sol in various variety formats and end-of-year specials, including the 1975 Bye Bye revue on Radio-Canada. He also revisited the character in later programming, such as the 1984–1988 series Casse-tête. These appearances allowed Sol to remain a fixture on Quebec television even as Favreau shifted much of his creative energy toward solo stage performances in the 1970s and beyond. In addition to his work as Sol, Favreau took on diverse roles in other Quebec television productions, often in dramatic or comedic series on Radio-Canada. He portrayed Berlingot in Les Croquignoles from 1963 to 1967. Other notable credits include appearances in Cré Basile (1965), Les Forges de Saint-Maurice (1973), and guest roles such as Ti-Jean in Scoop II (1993). In 1986, he acted and wrote for J'ai pas dit mon dernier mot. His early broadcasting work extended to radio contracts with Radio-Canada in the 1950s, though television became the primary medium for his contributions.

Film roles and other media

Marc Favreau's foray into cinema was limited compared to his prolific television and stage career, consisting primarily of supporting and ensemble roles in Quebec short films. These appearances often reflected the socially conscious themes common in Quebec filmmaking during the Quiet Revolution era and beyond. He collaborated with notable directors associated with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and independent productions. One of his earliest film credits was in the NFB short "Give Me a Hand" (1965), directed by Jacques Giraldeau, a 7-minute fiction piece. He followed this with a role opposite Monique Mercure in "This Is No Time for Romance" (1966), another short directed by Fernand Dansereau that examined aspects of the female condition through various perspectives. In 1972, Favreau appeared in the NFB short fiction film "Les indrogables", directed by Jean Beaudin. The 26-minute work depicted six individuals in different settings reacting to a television program on drug use, highlighting diverse attitudes and fears surrounding the issue through their observations. Later in his career, he played Grégoire in the 2000 short film "Le chapeau ou L'histoire d'un malentendu", directed by Martin Cadotte. Outside of film, Favreau's monologues as Sol were occasionally preserved through audio recordings, though his primary non-stage media presence remained in broadcasting. No extensive radio plays or other major non-visual media projects are prominently documented in relation to his career.

The character Sol

Conception and artistic style

Marc Favreau developed the character Sol after his theatre training in Paris from 1955 to 1957. Sol became known for virtuoso wordplay and linguistic invention rather than reliance on any specific dialect. Favreau drew from Quebec's poetic traditions, infusing Sol's monologues with lyrical and philosophical depth. The signature visual style of Sol featured a classic hobo clown costume with ragged clothing, establishing the character as a sympathetic outsider figure. Favreau blended physical comedy—through gesture, exaggerated movement, and clowning—with verbose monologues that delivered social satire on topics ranging from politics to everyday life. This technique alternated between wordless physical expression and dense spoken passages packed with puns, alliterations, and layered meanings. Sol evolved over the decades while retaining core elements, with Favreau increasing the linguistic complexity and philosophical scope to address social contexts in Quebec. The blend of physical performance and verbal density allowed Sol to serve as both a comic everyman and a vehicle for cultural commentary.

Key monologues and cultural impact

Marc Favreau's character Sol became renowned for monologues that combined sharp wordplay and philosophical reflections on everyday life and society. These pieces addressed themes such as solitude, social inequalities, exclusion, aging, and environmental protection, delivered with humor, absurdity, and insight. Notable examples include "Les embarrassants abris" (on homelessness) and "Le crépuscule des vieux" (on aging and abandonment). Many of Sol's monologues and texts were compiled in published collections, including Presque tout Sol, which preserved the material and extended its reach beyond performances. These publications reinforced Sol's status as a form of popular literature rooted in Quebec's oral and creative traditions. Sol's approach to blending clowning with thoughtful monologue influenced Quebec performers through techniques of word manipulation, social satire, and accessible profundity. Sol's legacy endures in Quebec as a symbol of creative expression and popular philosophy delivered through humor.

Personal life

Family and personal beliefs

Marc Favreau married actress Micheline Gérin in 1954 at Saint-Patrice church in Magog, Quebec. The couple had two children, Marie-Claude and Patrice. Micheline Gérin (1931–2007) occasionally contributed to Favreau's work, providing the voice for the parrot character Yoyo in the television series Sol et Gobelet. Favreau's family remained private, with limited public details available about his personal life. After his death, his widow Micheline Gérin and son Patrice visited École Marc-Favreau and approved the school's naming in his honor, on the condition that it also reference his iconic character Sol, reflecting the inseparability of the artist and his creation. The inauguration ceremony was postponed out of respect following Micheline Gérin's death in May 2007. Favreau's personal beliefs were rarely discussed publicly outside his artistic output, though the humanist and socially conscious themes in Sol's monologues aligned with his own values.

Awards and honors

Death and legacy

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