Fabienne Larouche | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Fabienne Larouche

Fabienne Larouche, (born Saint-André-du Lac-Saint-Jean, QC, 26 Oct 1958- ) A native of Lac-Saint-Jean, Fabienne Larouche grew up in Sainte-Thérèse on the outskirts of Montréal. She quickly discovered that her chosen career of teaching (like her mother and maternal grandmother) did not suit her.

Fabienne Larouche

Fabienne Larouche, (born Saint-André-du Lac-Saint-Jean, QC, 26 Oct 1958- ) A native of Lac-Saint-Jean, Fabienne Larouche grew up in Sainte-Thérèse on the outskirts of Montréal. She quickly discovered that her chosen career of teaching (like her mother and maternal grandmother) did not suit her. She left the profession, and during International Youth Year (1984), she found a work placement at the newspaper La Presse.

There she wrote editorials and met Réjean Tremblay with whom she would later collaborate on the screenplays for several popular television series, including Scoop, which ran for four seasons; Urgence (two series), Miséricorde, L'Innocence, Paparazzi and Le Masque.

In 1987, Larouche became the literary director at Communications Claude Héroux, and began to write the first scenarios for the television serial Lance et Compte.

In 1996 she decided to pursue a solo career, and started to write Virginie, a new television serial about a teacher and her various problems with troubled students. It aired for 14 years, and set a record for the number of episodes produced (1740), as it was broadcast 30 minutes a day four days a week. Through the years, audiences were faithful to this committed teacher who fascinated thousands.

Fabienne Larouche has remained a very prolific writer. Besides maintaining the pace of Virginie, she has written screenplays for Fortier (2000), Music-Hall (2002-2003), Un homme mort (2006), and Trauma (2010). The show 30 vies that took over from Virginie in 2011, also four days a week, once again takes place in an educational environment.

In addition to her ability to write screenplays, Fabienne Larouche, in defiance to producers who accused her of wasting public funds, decided to form her own production house in 1999, which she named Aetios.

Larouche and her company produced a number of highly popular television series. In addition to Virginie, they included Les Bougon: c'est aussi ça la vie written by François Avard and Jean-François Mercier (50 23-minute episodes broadcast from 7 Jan 2004 to 1 May 2006 and adapted by GMT Productions and CALT Distributions in France). Other series were, Fortier (2000-2004), Trauma (2010) and Trente vies (2010). Larouche has not limited herself to television serials. She has written documentaries: Lucien Rivard (2008), Corno, corps et âme (2012), and with the movie Le piège américain in 2008 (which appeared in English as The American Trap) she became a film producer.

The charismatic Fabienne Larouche, author, screenwriter and producer who dared to highlight life's real problems, has made a mark on the world of Québec television.

In 2004, she received the Grand prize from the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. She distinguished herself again that year when the TV series Les Bougon: c'est aussi ça la vie won three statuettes at the Gémeaux Awards.

She was made a Chevalier (Knight) in the Ordre national du Québec in 2011.