Gilles Pelletier

Gilles Pelletier, OC (March 22, 1925 – September 6, 2018) was a Canadian actor born in Quebec and based in Montreal. His career spanned more than six decades, encompassing stage, film, and television work across Canada and beyond.

Pelletier accumulated credits in over 50 film and television productions between 1951 and 2016. His screen work included Alfred Hitchcock's I Confess (1953), Dust from Underground (1968), and two films by director Denys Arcand: Jesus of Montreal (1989) and The Barbarian Invasions (2003). On television, he became widely recognized for his role as Corporal Jacques Gagnier in the police drama R.C.M.P. His Broadway career brought him to New York in 1964, where he appeared in I Love You.

That same year, Pelletier founded the Nouvelle Compagnie théâtrale, a live theatre organization dedicated to young audiences in Quebec, and served as its director for fifteen years. In 1998, he received the Prix Denise-Pelletier for lifetime achievement in theatre, an award named for his sister, stage actress Denise Pelletier. The prize itself honors the contributions of French Canadians to the performing arts.

On July 11, 1988, Pelletier was awarded the Order of Canada, with his investiture taking place on December 31, 2024. He was married to Françoise Graton until her death in 2014. Pelletier died in Montreal, Quebec on September 6, 2018.