Most famous ever Quebecer worldwide?
- Thread starter kaydee1968
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Lily from Montreal
George St-Pierre is a huge star world wide...Especially in Asia , but yes I would say Celine a bit more...there is no way to avoid her, a bit like a plague or a virus, she is everywhere...
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Lily from Montreal
A nice mention to Cirque du Soleil owner, Guy Laliberté who become the first quebecois clown to go really in the sky...
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Ma chere Lilly, the question is who is the most famous Quebecer: I argue that William Shatner has had MORE fans internationally that have watched his shows, have bought his merchandise, have gone to his movies, have attended his convention appearances and seminars, has had more documentaries,books & articles devoted to him than any other Quebecer (and especially over Sir Patrick!) in the last 45 years!!
An icon from the past? No way, the guy can still fill up an audience... Last fall he came to Montreal for the Comiccon, and they had to refuse a lot of people at the door...Because he was the headliner, the Comiccon had a record number of attendees...
Definitely. If you take Star Trek, Boston Legal and the Priceline commercials the man is a legend for 5 decades now. That is not even to mention the most well known Twilight Zone Episode, Terror at 37,000 feet. Celine Dion is a singer who has had a small window of popularity that is like 15 minutes of fame compared to what Shatner has done over a very long career. If I am not mistaken McGill named some room or building after Shatner.
I believe rue St. Catherine should be renamed Shatner Boulevard in his honor.
Alyssa, to say that internationally Celine Dion is the most famous Quebecer is like saying that Twiggy is the most famous Britisher...well she was back in the late-sixties, wasn't she?
Same thing for Celine, she got world-famous because of the Titanic movie back in 1997, but has never even come close since then to repeating with anything resembling a pop hit. Give it another 10 years and she'll be remembered about as much as Huey lewis...
I guess my criteria for famous has more to do with durability...
Same thing for Celine, she got world-famous because of the Titanic movie back in 1997, but has never even come close since then to repeating with anything resembling a pop hit. Give it another 10 years and she'll be remembered about as much as Huey lewis...
I guess my criteria for famous has more to do with durability...
Sans compter le million de fois qu'il s'est envoyé en l'air... (it would be futile to attempt to translate this one)
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Lily from Montreal
If the criteria is durability I suggest Jesus Christ...been around forever...numerous movie about him...books...name it....
Wait you are right all those apply to Shatner...loll
Oups forgot the Quebecer criteria, ok Shatner it is loll
Wait you are right all those apply to Shatner...loll
Oups forgot the Quebecer criteria, ok Shatner it is loll
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Shatner is well known, but I would suspect only in North America.
GSP is huge, and I am a huge fan of his, but he is only known in the MMA world, which is growing all of the time.
Celine is a mega power diva, like it or not, and she is very well known worldwide. She is in the same league as the Whitney Houstons, Adeles, or Mariah Careys of the world, and there really is not much more than about a dozen female singers who fall into that category.
I am not necessarily a fan of her music, but I am proud of her, as all Quebecers really should be.
Guy Laliberte is certainly mega-wealthy, and Cirque du Soleil is known world-wide, but I don't think the majority of people would know who he is.
Should anyone be considered who is not present-day, like maybe someone like Pierre Trudeau, or someone else that I am not thinking of? Arturo Gatti or one of the Hilton fighters? Rocket Richard? Mario Lemeux? Gilles Villeneuve?
GSP is huge, and I am a huge fan of his, but he is only known in the MMA world, which is growing all of the time.
Celine is a mega power diva, like it or not, and she is very well known worldwide. She is in the same league as the Whitney Houstons, Adeles, or Mariah Careys of the world, and there really is not much more than about a dozen female singers who fall into that category.
I am not necessarily a fan of her music, but I am proud of her, as all Quebecers really should be.
Guy Laliberte is certainly mega-wealthy, and Cirque du Soleil is known world-wide, but I don't think the majority of people would know who he is.
Should anyone be considered who is not present-day, like maybe someone like Pierre Trudeau, or someone else that I am not thinking of? Arturo Gatti or one of the Hilton fighters? Rocket Richard? Mario Lemeux? Gilles Villeneuve?
There seems to be prejudice against Shatner because he is an Anglophone and Jewish. You ask some French people in Quebec if they know who he is and you may get a "huh?" What does that prove? But ask anyone in the USA or the rest of the world and they will know who Shatner is. Shatner is single handledly responsible for the ascension of Priceline from a small company nobody heard of to an international behemoth of travel websites. What has Celine done to grow any company? Nothing. Zero. People know her in Montreal and Vegas. Elsewhere she is a nonentity.
The truth is Shatner can buy Celine out of everything she owns if he wanted to, and have plenty of change leftover to buy up half of Montreal. He owns 15% of the stock of Priceline and that is on top of all his earnings as actor and pitchman for over 50 years now. Celine is small-time compared to Captain Kirk.
The truth is Shatner can buy Celine out of everything she owns if he wanted to, and have plenty of change leftover to buy up half of Montreal. He owns 15% of the stock of Priceline and that is on top of all his earnings as actor and pitchman for over 50 years now. Celine is small-time compared to Captain Kirk.
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Helas je dirais Celine Dion... Lune des plus insupportables et consensuelles chanteuses de la planete qui comble de la vulgarite a ete vendue a Vegas par son pimp pedophile de mari qui profite delle depuis ses 14ans youhou 
...
Le Quebec meriterait mieux...
... Le Quebec meriterait mieux...
OMG!
You seriously have to get this burr of people being against anyone Jewish out of your saddle. No one mentioned it and probably no one cares. Why keep bringing this up, especially when no one else does? I knew of the connection from an old friend of the same persuasion, but I had forgotten until now. His ethnicity or faith is irrelevant. To me he's just a fun guy.
I like Shatner and I enjoyed reruns of the original Star Trek when young. I'm a big fan of nearly everything "Trek". However, Shatner is more of a character than a talent. The campy Priceline commercials are fun, but Honey Boo Boo is popular so clearly popularity has little to do with talent in many cases. Celine is still remembered and rediscovered by young people because of real talent.
Here the question was "Famous", and of course being famous could be Jack the Ripper. So I guess name recognition is what matters regardless of talent and maybe Shatner is it. But suggesting race or ethnicity is guiding choices here...puuuleeeeeze.
Merlot
I have just now found out through your post that Shatner is Jewish. I have always known he is Canadian, but it was not until recently that I found out he is from Quebec.
Shatner did nothing related to his profession in Quebec: his first acting performances were at the Startford Festival, in Ontario.
I am not at all disputing the fact he is a famous Quebecer. But I do not believe prejudice is involved at all regarding people naming others.
Céline Dion had a long singing career in Québec before making the US jump. Guy Laliberté's Cirque du Soleil started in Montréal before going international and is still based here.
These two people made a name for themselves here before exporting themselves. It doesn't take anything away from William Shatner, but it's normal others will stick more in people's memory.
Sorry, Beav, this is horseshit of the first order. Priceline was huge before Shatner ever came on board.
I really don't know exactly how popular Celine Dion is, but I do know that Leonard Cohen has filled huge halls around the globe.
Shatner is in fact Jewish and he was educated at McGill. They have a room named after him there and from what I have heard he has donated money to that very fine school.
The fact that he did not act as Captain Kirk in Montreal is silly. He is a Montreal native and there are very few people who have not seen the Star Trek series which is an international phenomenon. Between that legacy and Priceline which continues to use his likeness in its worldwide advertising and to employ him as pitchman, there is no doubt that he is the most famous Montreal native in THE WORLD.
Does Celine win the most famous contest among FRENCH CANADIANS? Probably. But it is not French Canadians who decide this issue. It's the world. Planet Earth. And Shatner wins that vote more easily than Obama won the USA election.
The fact that he did not act as Captain Kirk in Montreal is silly. He is a Montreal native and there are very few people who have not seen the Star Trek series which is an international phenomenon. Between that legacy and Priceline which continues to use his likeness in its worldwide advertising and to employ him as pitchman, there is no doubt that he is the most famous Montreal native in THE WORLD.
Does Celine win the most famous contest among FRENCH CANADIANS? Probably. But it is not French Canadians who decide this issue. It's the world. Planet Earth. And Shatner wins that vote more easily than Obama won the USA election.
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