Quick Facts
Biography
Jacques Desrosiers (July 8, 1938 – June 11, 1996) was a Québécois Canadian singer and actor. Desrosiers was best known for playing the clown Patof in the Canadian television series Patofville. He was born in Montreal, Quebec.
Early career
Son of the comic comedian Pierre Desrosiers and brother of singers André Fontaine and Édouard Desrosiers, Jacques Desrosiers begins in 1956 as imitator and cabaret artist on CBC/Radio-Canada television. He soon presents his shows, mixing fanciful songs, parodies and imitations, in the cabarets of Quebec, particularly at the Montreal Casa Loma.
Some of his parodies, such as La Java à Lumina, Le Peddler and La Machine à laver make the hit parade. In 1963-1964 he participates in a review called Zéro de conduite with Dominique Michel, Denise Filiatrault and Donald Lautrec, then in Clémence DesRochers's musical, Le Vol rose du flamant.
Television
Between 1968 and 1973, Jacques Desrosiers hosts several TV shows on CFTM channel 10, such as Les trois cloches, Vaudeville, Café terrasse and Madame est servie.
It is through the character of the clown Patof, created in January 1972 for the TV serie Le Cirque du Capitaine (CFTM, 1970), that Desrosiers becomes famous. He beats all the records of sale with the song Patof Blou, an adaptation of Roger Whittaker's Mammy Blue, and launches a serie of records made in association with Gilbert Chénier. He founds Les Entreprises Patof company, which launch on the market many products for children using the clown image.
On CFTM channel 10, Desrosiers hosted Patofville from 1973 till 1976, Patof raconte broadcast the weekends between 1975 and 1976, and Patof voyage from 1976 till 1977.
Other accomplishments
He started playing some roles as comedian in TV series, notably in an episode of the serie L'amour avec un grand A in 1990, and in the fourth season of Scoop in 1995.
Jacques Desrosiers played in some Canadian movies such as C'est pas la faute à Jacques Cartier (1967), Après ski (1970), Le Party (1990) directed by Pierre Falardeau and La Florida (1993) directed by George Mihalka.
He also played some roles in comedy theatre pieces under the management of Gilles Latulippe.
Jacques Desrosiers died of lung and bone cancer on June 11, 1996.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Label | Qc Chart | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Et voici : Jacques Desrosiers | Fleur de lys | — | |
| 1960 | Jacques Desrosiers au « Casa Loma » | Apex | — | Live, reissued in 1966 under the name Monsieur citron (Lero) |
| 1964 | Comédie twistée | Trans-Canada | Top 50 | Reissued in 1966 (Franco-Élite) |
| 1968 | Jacques Desrosiers chante la poule | Trans-Canada | — | Reissued in 1968 under the name Sur la terrasse (Nouveau Montagnard) |
| 1968 | Jacques Desrosiers | Soleil | — | |
| 1972 | Patof en Russie | Campus | N°5 | Patof Album |
| 1972 | Patof chez les esquimaux | Campus | — | Patof Album |
| 1972 | Patof chez les coupeurs de têtes | Campus | — | Patof Album |
| 1972 | Patof dans la baleine | Campus | Top 50 | Patof Album |
| 1972 | Patof chez les petits hommes verts | Campus | Top 50 | Patof Album |
| 1972 | Patof chez les cowboys | Campus | Top 50 | Patof Album |
| 1973 | Patof chante 10 chansons pour tous les enfants du monde | Campus | Top 50 | Patof Album |
| 1973 | Patofville – Patof chante pour toi | Campus | Top 50 | Patof Album |
| 1974 | Bienvenue dans ma bottine | Campus | Top 50 | Patof Album |
| 1975 | Patof Rock | Campus | — | Patof Album |
| 1975 | Noël Noël Noël avec Patof | Campus | — | Patof Album |
| 1976 | Gare... à Patof | Campus | — | Patof Album |
| 1976 | Super Patof | Campus | — | Patof Album |
| 1977 | Eugène – Les chansons d'Eugène | T.M./P.A.X. | — | Eugène Album |
Singles
| Year | Single | Label | Qc Chart | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Dans nos campagnes – La veuve | Apex | — — | |
| 1958 | Je n'suis pas beau – Ça m'gêne | Sandryon | — — | |
| 1958 | Le peddler – La java à Lumina | Fleur de lys | — N°22 | |
| 1959 | Hortense, t'es pas sexée – Ou trop vite ou pas assez | Fleur de lys | — — | |
| 1959 | Et voici Jacques Desrosiers – Je promet | Fleur de lys | — — | |
| 1959 | Alfonso – Y paraît que | Fleur de lys | — — | |
| 1960 | La lune et les terriens – La java des mal mariés | Variétés | — — | With Les Bouts d'choux (acc. by Fernando Saint-Georges Ensemble) |
| 1961 | Tu t'laisses aller – Fais-moi hi | Apex | — — | |
| 1963 | La machine à laver – Bossa nova Madeleine | Franco | N°30 — | |
| 1965 | Je prends l'œuf – L'état du Québec | Succès du jour | — N°16 | |
| 1965 | Splish Splash – C'est toi mon cibole | Télédisc | Top 50 — | |
| 1965 | Y'a des bébittes – Je suis soldat | Télédisc | N°30 — | |
| 1966 | Un homme malade – Les cigarettes | Télédisc | — — | |
| 1966 | L'état du Québec '66 – Les élucubrations de Jacques | Télédisc | — — | |
| 1967 | Le téléfon – Message du président | Casino | N°35 — | |
| 1967 | Mao et Moa – Monsieur Z | Casino | — — | |
| 1967 | Guantanamera – L'homme mécanique | Élysée | — — | |
| 1967 | Mon cerf-volant – Instrumental | Élysée | — — | From the movie "C'est pas la faute à Jacques Cartier" |
| 1968 | Comme d'habitude – La poule | Canusa | — — | |
| 1969 | La samba de la lune – Dis que tu m'aimes | Canusa | — — | |
| 1970 | Pollution de l'air – Le beau temps | R&B | — — | |
| 1971 | Une job pour Noël – C'est pu pareil | Spectrum | — — | With Gilbert Chénier |
| 1972 | Patof Blou (children version) – Patof Blou (political version) | Campus | N°1 — | Patof Single |
| 1972 | Patof le roi des clowns – Ballade pour un clown (Dis Patof?) | Campus | N°2 — | Patof Single |
| 1973 | The King of Clowns – Dear Patof | Polydor | — — | Patof Single |
| 1973 | Oh! Les enfants – On m'applaudit | Campus | N°14 — | Patof Single |
| 1973 | Patofville – L'éléphant Tic-Tac | Campus | N°15 — | Patof Single |
| 1973 | L'éléphant Tic-Tac (mono version) – L'éléphant Tic-Tac (mono version) | Campus | — — | Patof Single, "D.J. Special" version |
| 1973 | Bonjour les enfants – La plus belle poupée du monde | Campus | N°15 — | Patof Single |
| 1974 | Bienvenue dans ma bottine – Goodbye, au revoir, dasvidanie! | Campus | N°31 — | Patof Single |
| 1975 | Gros minou – Bonjour Patof | Campus | — — | Patof Single |
| 1975 | Y'a rien là – Y'a rien là (instrumental) | Campus | — — | |
| 1976 | Patof Blou – Patofville – Bonjour Patof – Gros minou | Campus | — — — — | Patof Single, Previously released material, Promo |
| 1976 | Faut pas me chercher (Patof and Monsieur Tranquille) – Mon ami Pierrot | Jades | — — | Patof Single, with Roger Giguère |
| 1980 | T'es pas sérieux – On fait le tour de la terre | Girafe | — — | Nestor & Patof Single, with Claude Blanchard |
Compilations
| Year | Album | Label | Qc Chart | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Patof le roi des clowns | Pantin | Top 50 | Patof Album |
| 1975 | 22 grands succès de Patof | Trans-World | — | Patof Album |
Collaborations and performances as guest star
| Year | Album | Collaborator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Les trois cloches | Lucien Stéphano and P.A. Thibault | Soleil |
| 1964 | Le vol rose du Flamant | Various artists | Le vol rose du flamant (with the group) – Récitatif des arrivants (with the group) – Le gigueur de ville (with the group) – Au prix du gros – Last call (with Jean-Pierre Masson). (Others songs by various artists) (RCA Victor) |
| 1967 | Initiation au karaté | Roger Lesourd | Soleil |
| 1975 | C'est le départ/They're off! | Donald Pinard and Gilles Gendron | Horse racing game, 4 LP Box Set, special collaboration of Jacques Desrosiers (Arthur Sugarman) |
| 1976 | Patofville – Patof et ses amis | Various artists | TeeVee, Compilation |
| 1977 | 20 grands succès de Patof, Fafouin, Itof | Roger Giguère | Télé-Métropole Inc., Compilation |
| 1980 | Nestor et Patof – Pour tous | Claude Blanchard | Girafe |
| 2006 | Nestor – Les grands succès | Claude Blanchard | Featuring the B-side of the album Nestor et Patof – Pour tous (Disques Mérite, Compilation) |
Complete discography
Theatre
- 195? Altitude 3200, by Julien Luchaire.
- 1958 Les oiseaux de lune, by Marcel Aymé (Comédie Canadienne)
- 1963-1964 Zéro de conduite (musical review with Dominique Michel, Denise Filiatrault and Donald Lautrec)
- 1964 Le vol rose du Flamant, a musical by Clémence DesRochers and Pierre F. Brault
- 1989 La muselière, by Yvon Brochu (Théâtre Sainte-Adèle)
- 1995 Femme demandée (Théâtre des Variétés)
Awards and recognition
- 1972 Golden record (100,000 sales) for the single Patof Blou
- 1973 Golden record (100,000 sales) for the single Patof le roi des clowns
- 1997 A street in Quebec (Blainville) was named in his honor
