Yves Jacques
Biography
Yves Jacques, OC, was born on 10 May 1956 in Quebec City, Québec, Canada. He is a Canadian actor who has worked in film, television and on the stage. Jacques studied theatre at the Cégep de Saint‑Hyacinthe and began his career performing in theatrical productions in both Quebec City and Montreal. He first reached a wider television audience in 1981 as a sketch performer on Télévision de Radio‑Canada’s annual Bye Bye New Year’s Eve variety special, after which he secured numerous film and television roles. Internationally he is recognised for portraying Claude, a gay academic, in Denys Arcand’s The Decline of the American Empire and its sequel The Barbarian Invasions. On stage he originated the role of Lydie‑Anne.
Career overview
Yves Jacques, born 10 May 1956 in Quebec City, Québec, Canada, is a Canadian actor who has worked across film, television and the stage. He studied theatre at the Cégep de Saint‑Hyacinthe and began his performing career on stage in both Quebec City and Montreal. His first broad public exposure came in 1981 when he appeared as a sketch performer in Télévision de Radio‑Canada’s annual Bye Bye New Year’s Eve variety special, after which he secured a growing number of roles in film and television productions.
Jacques is internationally recognised for portraying Claude, a gay academic, in Denys Arcand’s acclaimed films The Decline of the American Empire (1986) and its sequel The Barbarian Invasions (2003). In addition to these landmark roles, he has appeared in a range of French‑language movies, including Petite vie, La, Bezva finta and Aurore, and in the television series Les fleurs oubliées (2019). On the theatrical side, he is noted for originating the role of Lydie‑Anne, a part that contributed to his reputation as a versatile stage performer.
Across more than a hundred credited appearances, Jacques has maintained a steady presence in Canadian and francophone media, balancing character work in cinema with continued involvement in television series and stage productions. His career reflects a sustained commitment to both comedic and dramatic roles, establishing him as a recognizable figure in contemporary Canadian entertainment.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
111 titles- Aurore: entre mythe et réalité (2025) as Curé Leduc (archive footage)
- Serge à Paris (2024)
- Sisters and Neighbors! (2024) as Monsieur Lebel
- Katak: The Brave Beluga (2023) as Cyrano (voice)
- The Successor (2023) as Dominique Duchesne
- Testament (2023) as Emmanuel d'Argenson
- Days of Happiness (2023) as Yves
- Paris Paris (2022) as Fabioli
- Embrasse (2022) as Yves Saint Laurent
- Imelda 7: Pipo (2022) as Vétérinaire
- The 12 Tasks of Imelda (2022) as Vétérinaire
- Ça fait la job (2021) as Self
- Aline (2021) as Second TV Presenter
- Maria (2021) as Yves Jacques
- La face cachée de la Lune (2021)
- Happily Married (2020) as Le Consigliere
- Benezra reçoit (2020) as Self
- Night Slice (2020) as Antoine
- Le chemin de Noël (2020)
- Bonsoir bonsoir! (2019) as Self
- Bonsoir bonsoir! (2019) as Soi-même
- Mythomaniac (2019) as Mr. Brunet
- L'effet Wow (2019) as Self
- Ca$h Nexu$ (2019) as Michel
- Forgotten Flowers (2019) as Marie-Victorin
- Cette année-là (2018) as Self
- En tout cas (2018)
- A Man in a Hurry (2018) as Eric
- Y'a du monde à messe (2017) as Self
- Father and Guns 2 (2017) as Bernard
- False Confessions (2017) as Dubois
- Les échangistes (2016) as Self
- Father Son Therapy (2016)
- Boundaries (2016) as Francis Perreault
- Ti-Mé Show (2015) as Self - Guest Star
- Maurice (2015) as Narrator (voice)
- Mensonges (2014) as Martin Champagne
- Grace of Monaco (2014) as M. Delavenne
- An Eye for Beauty (2014) as Pascal Montambault
- Darling Trap (2014) as Nolan Smith
- Entrée principale (2013) as Self
- Me, Myself and Mum (2013) as Le psychanalyste tuyau
- Anna et Otto (2013) as Art critic at the Montreal exhibition
- Laurence Anyways (2012) as Michel Lafortune
- Thérèse (2012) as L'avocat de Thérèse Desqueyroux
- La danse de l'albatros (2012) as Jacques
- Bar ouvert (2011) as Self
- Second Chance (2011) as Maxime Dupont
- French Immersion (2011) as Pierre-Émile
- See How They Dance (2011) as George Bliss
- Les Enfants de la télé (2010) as Self
- Traceless (2010) as Maître Bardon
- Cabotins (2010) as Lady Moon
- The Last Escape (2010) as Andre
- En direct de l'univers (2009) as Self
- Les figures (2009) as Jean
- You'll Miss Me (2009) as André, le coiffeur
- 48 Hours a Day (2008) as Arnaud
- Curieux Bégin (2007) as Self
- A Secret (2007) as Le commandant Beraud
- Mafiosa (2006) as Mathieu Zamponi
- René Lévesque (2006) as Doris Lussier
- L'État de Grace (2006) as Bertrand Saint-Amor
- Twice Upon a Time (2006) as Doctor Trudeau
- Let's Be Friends (2005) as Germain
- The Girl from the Chartreuse (2005) as Baldi
- Aurore (2005) as Curé Leduc
- Tout le monde en parle (2004) as Self
- The Aviator (2004) as Waiter
- H2O (2004) as Québec Premier Marcel Coté
- Ordo (2004) as Richard Féraud
- The Barbarian Invasions (2003) as Claude
- Little Lili (2003) as Serge
- Napoleon (2002) as Lucien Bonaparte
- Viens voir les comédiens (2002) as Self
- Séraphin: Heart of Stone (2002) as Notaire Le Potiron
- The Collector (2002) as François Berger / Babette Brown
- Betty Fisher and Other Stories (2001) as René le Canadien
- Wedding Night (2001) as Bernard
- Léon Blum : Thérèse et Léon (2001) as Marcel Bouchard
- Requiem contre un plafond (2001)
- The Widow of Saint-Pierre (2000) as le contre-amiral
- Via crucis (2000)
- Life after love (2000) as Docteur Bilodeau
- Of Woman and Magic (2000) as le docteur Fish
- Memories Unlocked (1999) as Mortimer
- Changement de cap (1999) as Cariou
- Le bogue de l'an 2000 (1999) as Hubert Hyves
- Class Trip (1998) as The Visitor
- Michael Kael vs. the World News Company (1998) as Charles Robert
- Ces enfants d'ailleurs (1997) as Jerzy Pawlowski
- Belle Époque (1995) as Augustin
- Louis the 19th, King of the Airwaves (1994) as Michel Gobeil
- The Evening Traveler (1993) as Arthur
- Milena (1991) as Max Brod
- Montreal Stories (1991) as Accessoiriste studio
- Duplex (1991) as Albert
- Ding et Dong : Le film (1990) as Jigi
- Jesus of Montreal (1989) as Richard Cardinal
- Avec un grand A (1986)
- The Decline of the American Empire (1986) as Claude
- Hold-up (1985) as Un otage (400 $)
- The Crime of Ovide Plouffe (1984)
- The Crime of Ovide Plouffe (1984) as Bob
- Sonatine (1984) as The Subway Station Janitor
- Poivre et sel (1983) as Pierrot Séguin
- Red Eyes (1982)
- C'est pas le pays des merveilles (1981)
- Bye Bye (1968)
- Bye Bye (1968) as Comédien supplémentaire
- Les jumeaux as Pierrot Langlois
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Yves Jacques best known for?
Yves Jacques is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Macario (1960), Aline (2021), Happily Married (2020), Return to Two Moon Junction (1994).
When and where was Yves Jacques born?
Yves Jacques was born on May 10, 1956 in Québec City, Québec, Canada.
How many credits does Yves Jacques have?
Yves Jacques has accumulated over 111 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1968 to 2025.
What is Yves Jacques's background in cinema and television?
Yves Jacques, OC, was born on 10 May 1956 in Quebec City, Québec, Canada. He is a Canadian actor who has worked in film, television and on the stage. Jacques studied theatre at the Cégep de Saint‑Hyacinthe and began his career performing in theatrical productions in both Quebec City and Montreal. He first reached a wid...
Yves Jacques by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- Laurence Anyways (2012) as Michel Lafortune — aged about 56
- Y'a du monde à messe (2017) as Self — aged about 61
- The Aviator (2004) as Waiter — aged about 48
- The Barbarian Invasions (2003) as Claude — aged about 47
- Poivre et sel (1983) as Pierrot Séguin — aged about 27
- Napoleon (2002) as Lucien Bonaparte — aged about 46
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