| Karine Vanasse | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 November 1983 Drummondville, Québec, Canada |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1999 – present |
Karine Vanasse (born 24 November 1983) is a French Canadian actress. She currently appears in the role of Colette in the ABC TV series Pan Am. Vanasse is the daughter of council worker Conrad Vanasse and Renée Gamache, who was her manager at the beginning of her career.
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Vanasse was born in Drummondville, Québec. From as young as 9 years old, Vanasse expressed her desire to become a singer or an actress one day. That desire became an ambition when she appeared in Québec's teen show Club des 100 watts after winning a "lip sync" competition. It was then, with the help of her mother, that she began to audition and take part in TV commercials as well as playing minor and supporting roles in French Canadian TV movies.
In 1998, Vanasse was approached by what is now known as the Motion International production company to co-host the once-popular Québec-based children's science show, Les Débrouillards, in an attempt to re-brand its "comeback" with a new, friendlier image. It was during her time on this show that she was spotted and hired by producer Lorraine Richard and director Léa Pool to play the role of Hanna in her first big break Emporte-moi (1999), a film telling the story of a teenager trying to find her identity in a tormented family environment. The film was presented in 40 festivals, shown across 20 countries. Her performance was highly acclaimed both nationally and internationally and earned her the title of best actress at the Jutra Award Gala, in Québec.
Vanasse then moved on to play Lucie (Zac's (Benoit Langlais) love interest) in the controversial Québec TV series 2 frères (1999). Her character, Lucie, became much more prominent and realistic in 2000–2001 and the debate stirred by the realistic and violent reality revealed led her to become, together with Langlais, a spokesperson for the government-funded TV program Parler, c'est grandir, a broadcast aimed at youngsters from unstable backgrounds.
Her teen roles began to stick and at the risk of becoming typecast she took on the main role for the feature film Du pic au coeur (2001), a trendy production by Céline Baril on the intricacies of today's youngsters' love lives. In the spring of 2001, Vanasse applied for the ITHAKA program and took a six-month break in Greece to devote her time to travelling and academic work.
After this break, she broke from the rebellious teenager typecasting by playing Donalda in Charles Binamé's film, Séraphin: un homme et son péché (2002), with actor Roy Dupuis. She was cast as an FLQ terrorist in the 2006 miniseries October 1970 on CBC's English network. Vanasse has also appeared in various Canadian theatrical productions in both French and English.
Vanasse was a producer and cast member of the 2009 film Polytechnique which portrays the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre in Montréal.[1][2] She won the Genie Award for Best Actress for her performance.[3]
She provides the voice of Wendy in the Québec dubbed version of South Park which is scheduled for broadcast on V from September 2009.[4]
Vanasse is a cast member of the American-produced television series Pan Am, playing the character Collette Valois.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Le souper | Short film | |
| 1999 | 2 frères | Lucie Chaput |
|
| 1999 | Set Me Free | Hanna |
|
| 2001 | Mon meilleur ennemi | Franny Anderson (Jeune) | TV series |
| 2002 | Games of the Heart | Alice | |
| 2002 | Séraphin: un homme et son péché | Donalda Laloge |
|
| 2004 | Head in the Clouds | Lisette | |
| 2006 | Un homme mort | Kim Blanchard | TV series |
| 2006 | Without Her | Camille | |
| 2006 | October 1970 | Christine |
|
| 2006 | Marie-Antoinette | Marie-Antoinette | tv movie of Francis Leclerc and Yves Simoneau |
| 2007 | Killer Wave | Sophie Marleau | Episode: "1.1" Episode: "1.2" |
| 2007 | My Daughter, My Angel | Nathalie Dagenais | Nominated – Jutra Award for Best Actress |
| 2009 | Polytechnique | Valérie |
|
| 2009 | Emma Fire | Young Woman | Short film |
| 2010 | Rhonda's Party | Amy | Short film |
| 2010 | The Child Prodigy | Camillette Mathieu | |
| 2011 | Trauma | Fannie Comtois | Episode: "Plaisir et douleur" |
| 2011 | Angle mort | Stéphanie | |
| 2011 | Midnight in Paris | Belle Époque Couple | |
| 2011 | French Immersion | Julie Tremblay | |
| 2011 | Switch | Sophie Malaterre | |
| 2011 | I'm Yours | Daphne | Post-production |
| 2011 | Pan Am | Colette | TV series, lead role |
| 2012 | Laurence Anyways | TBA | Post-production |