Vanier Family

| Home Page | Origin | Coat of Arms | Family Tree | Celebreties | Archives | Discussion Group | Français |


Family Celebreties


Guillaume Le Vanier

 

Madeleine Bailly

 

Emma Albani         

 

Joseph-Émile Vanier

 

Anatole Vanier

 

Guy Vanier         

 

Georges Philias Vanier

 

Pauline Vanier (born Archer)

 

Jean Vanier         


Frère Josaphat Vanier

 

Denis Vanier      

 

Paul Vanier Beaulieu

 

Pierre-Évariste Leblanc

 

Athanase David

 

Paul David      

 

Pierre David      

 

Françoise David

 

Hélène David      


Charles-Philippe David

 

Claude Legault

 

Mario Lemieux

 

Jacques Parizeau

 

Eugenie Bouchard

 

Diane Dufresne

 

Jacques Duchesneau

 

Yann Martel      

 

Max Gros-Louis


Lucien Bouchard

 

Steven Guilbeault

 

Gaétan Labrèche

 

Marc Labrèche

 

Guy Tardif      

 

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

 

David Saint-Jacques

 

Emmanuel Auger

 

Guy Lafleur      


Valérie Blais      

 

Mariloup Wolfe

 

Katherine Levac

 

Andrée Lachapelle

 

Louise Arbour

 

Claude Charron

 

Gilles Villeneuve

 

Jacques Villeneuve

 

Emmanuëlle (Filion)


GUILLAUME VANIER & MADELEINE BAILLY

Guillaume Vanier is surely one of the most popular Vanier because he is one of the first Vaniers in North America. He was born around 1645 at Ste-Catherine de Honfleur, Calvados, Normandie, France. He came to Quebec in 1668. He was a candle maker by trade and married Madeleine Bailly May 7, 1672. Madeleine Bailly is also part of Quebec history because she was one of the King's daughters; young women sent to New France (Canada) in the 17th century to marry a man and establish a family to colonize the territory. The majority were originating from the north west part of France, often orphans, raised in convents and penny less. Consult the archives section for more stories about Guillaume and Madeleine.

MARIE-LOUISE LAJEUNESSE alias EMMA ALBANI

The famous French-Canadian singer Dame Emma Albani, born Marie-Louise Lajeunesse, is a descendant of Isabelle Vanier. She was a leading soprano who becaome an international star at the end of the 19th century. To know more about this great lady, consult the biography of Emma Albani on Wikipedia.

JOSEPH-ÉMILE VANIER

Joseph-Émile Vanier born january 20, 1858 in Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne, died in Montreal on october 11, 1934, at the age of 76. Son of Émilien Vanier, a baker, and of Lucie Soucie, Émile Vanier "studied at l'École des sciences appliquées aux arts et à l'industrie in Montreal and obtained his diploma as an architect in 1877. He was member of the corporation of professional engineers of quebec, of the association of architects of the province of quebec, which he presided from 1898 to 1921, of the Engineering Institute of Canada, and the royal institute of architecture of Canada."(92)

"After working for two years as an associate engineer for the municipalities of Hochelaga (Montréal) and of Los Angeles in California, Vanier settled in Montreal in 1880 and associated himself the following year to the Resther brothers to form the architectural firm Resther, Resther and Vanier. From 1885 to 1889, he occupied the positions of chief engineeer for the Valleyfield (Salaberry-de-Valleyfield) aqueduct, for the Montreal and Western railroads, of the Côte-Saint-Louis (Blainville) municipality, of the sewers service of Saint-Henri (Montréal), and the aqueducts of Beauharnois and of Lachine (Montréal). He was also engineer for the Valleyfield Electric Light company in 1887."(92)

"In addition to his career as an engineer, Vanier realized the plans for many buildings, notably those for the Saint-Jean-Baptiste of Montreal church, built from 1898 to 1903, of the Polytechnique Montréal school in 1903, of the city hall of Saint-Louis-du-Mile End (Montreal), built from 1905 to 1908, and the old city hall of the city of Côte-Saint-Paul (Montreal), erected in 1910 and 1911. From 1880 to 1896, Vanier taught at the Polytechnique Montréal school" (92)

To know more about Joseph-Émile Vanier, consult the biography of Joseph-Émile Vanier on the site Dictionary of Canadian Biography, and his biography on the web site Biographical Dictonary of Architects in Canada. As well, consult le french biographical novel on his life Le Bâtisseur by Danielle Brault.

ANATOLE VANIER

Anatole Vanier was born on march 13, 1887 in Montréal, Québec and died on march 18, 1985. Son of Joseph Vanier & Séphora Dandurand, and first cousins with Georges Philias Vanier, he studied at Sainte-Marie college in Montréal where he obtained and arts degree around 1907. He then studied at the University of Laval in Montréal and obtained his license to practice law in 1911. He was admitted to the provincial bar of Quebec in 1911. He practiced law in Montréal. He was also a professor at the social sciences faculty at the university of Montréal from 1940 to 1951.

In parallel to his professional activities, Anatole played an active role in many catholic youth movements for social action, along with many other political, cultural and patriotic organizations. Among these, he was secretary general of the French action league, secretary of the French-Canadian action league and president of the national action league from 1941 to 1954. A fervent catholic and strong defender of french rights, he instituted the Anatole-Vanier prize (1929-1968) and the Joan of Arc medal (1931-1940), destined to reward students that particularly distinguished themselves in the study of Christian apologetics, the history of French in Canada and in the study and knowledge of the french language. Anatole had even proposed a version of the canadian flag which had been selected as one of the 15 entries considered.

To know more about his career and life, consult the biography of d'Anatole Vanier (in french) on the "Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec" website.

GUY VANIER

Guy Vanier was born on December 22, 1888 in Montreal, Quebec and died on May 10, 1988. Son of Joseph Vanier & Séphora Dandurand, brother of Anatole Vanier and first cousin of Georges Philias Vanier, he studied at Collège Sainte-Marie in Montreal and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1908. He then studied at Laval University in Montreal and obtained his law degree around 1912. He was a lawyer in Montreal for 50 years with his brother Anatole under the firm of Vanier & Vanier, and taught at the University of Montreal for 35 years. He is also Chairman of the City Savings Bank and district of Montreal for 19 years. In 1925 he was elected as the 45th president of the Saint-Jean-Baptise society of Montreal with a mandate of one year. He would return in 1929 for a second one-year term. He plays an active role in several other movements and organizations, in addition to being the author of several publications. He instituted the Guy Vanier Foundation (1932-1973).

To learn more about the man, consult the biographie de Guy Vanier (in French) on the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) website.

GEORGES PHILIAS VANIER

The most honorable Major General Georges Philias Vanier was a canadian diplomat and the nineteenth Governor General of Canada from 1959 to 1967. General Vanier also took part in the First World War and became the commanding officer of the the Royal 22e Régiment from 1926 to 1928, an infantry regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces. To know more on the man, consult the biography of Georges Philias Vanier on Wikipedia.

PAULINE VANIER (born ARCHER)

Pauline Vanier (born Archer) "is known as the wife of Governor Georges Philias Vanier and distinguished for her educational and humanitarian action. From the Second World War, she devoted herself particularly to the wounded, children, refugees, elderly people and destitute families. She created a foundation and devoted herself to charitable and humanitarian work. She was also Chancellor of the University of Ottawa"(71) To learn more about this great lady, consult the biography of Pauline Vanier on Wikipedia.

JEAN VANIER

Son of Georges Philias Vanier, Jean Vanier is a canadian personality who was a philosopher, theologian, humanist and writer. He dedicated a large portion of his life to the mentally handicapped. In that regard, he founded the l'Arche International which are homes that welcome persons who have a mental disabilities. l'Arche International is today made up of over 145 communities, present in several countries on all 5 continents. Jean Vanier is also the co-founder of the international association Faith and Light.

Jean holds a doctoral degree in philosophy from the Catholic Institute of Paris, and has written many books of catholic inspiration, with themes on anthropology, psychology and philosophy. Jean was also the recipient of many honors, such as canadian awards (ex. Order of Canada), French (commendeur de la légion d'honneur) and international (ex. Templeton prize).

To know more on the man, consult the biography of Jean Vanier on Wikipedia.

JOSEPH VANIER, ALIAS REVEREND BROTHER JOSAPHAT VANIER

Joseph Vanier, alias Reverend Brother Josaphat Vanier was born on February 9, 1902 in St-Faustin, Québec. He underwent his noviciate in 1915 with the "Frères du Sacré-Coeur", and pronounced his vow in 1918. He worked as teacher in St-Hyacinthe and in Montréal. From 1938 to 1943, he was director of "l'École Supérieure Richard" of Verdun, Québec.

He was successively Provincial Superior for his order in Québec from 1943 to 1946, then Vicar General of the "Institut Frères du Sacré-Coeur" (Rome, Italie) from 1946 to 1952. In 1952, he is elected as Superior General of the "Institut des Frères du Sacré-Coeur", a posting he will occupy from 1952 to 1964, where he is given the title Very Reverend Brother. He was the very first Canadian to be elected to this position (since then 3 other Canadians have occupied the role). In 1964, he decided to become a missonary brother in Sénégal. He then retired in Québec and died on March 10, 1982 in Granby. In his honor and memory, his religious order created a foundation in his name, "les Oeuvres Josaphat-Vanier".

DENIS VANIER

Son of Paul-Émile Vanier & Marguerite Landry, Denis Vanier was a poet, writer, journalist, scriptwriter and lyricist. He published his first book by 1965. Literary critic from 1976 to 1978 and co-director of Hobo-Québec from 1977 to 1982, he also collaborated at Parti-pris, Village Voice (New York), The Torch (Chicago), and several other organizations. Denis also managed a library lab in New York city, and was a reporter at "Attitude". Many times recipient of grants from the Cultural Affairs department in Quebec and the Arts counsel, he associated himself, as of 1963, to different cultural projects in Quebec.

Denis received many prizes, including the poetry prize "Terrasses Saint-Sulpice de la revue Estuaire" for his work "Le Fond du désir" in 1994 and the grand prize from the "Grand prix du livre de Montréal" in 2000 for his work "L'Urine des forêts". He was a member of the union of quebecois writers.

To know more on the man, consult the biography of Denis Vanier (in french) on Wikipedia.

PAUL VANIER BEAULIEU

Descendant of Augustine Vanier, Paul Vanier Beaulieu was a French Canadian artist and painter. Paul was born on March 24, 1910. His father, Joseph-Alphonse Beaulieu, was a lawyer and exposed his children to the world of art at a young age. He was an art collector and had a personal library full of art books. At around the age of 10 years old, the young Paul started to develop his passion for art through his father’s books. Paul then studied at “l’École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal”, however during his third year, he left school to open his own workshop. He also worked in a restaurant to save up the needed money to leave for France. He travelled to Paris in 1938 where he lived and painted for almost 35 years, in a workshop in the Montparnasse neighborhood.

In 1940, he was arrested and interned in a concentration camp at “Fresnes”, accompanied by his brother, where they lived for more than 4 years. In 1944, he presented his first art exposition at the “Henriette Valet” Gallery and it was a great success. He returned to the province of Québec to live there a few years, however he returned to Paris. He finally came back to Quebec in 1973 where settled in the “Laurentians”, where he lived permanently until his death 1996. The works of Paul Vanier Beaulieu can be found in many private and public collections, including the “Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal”, the Bezalel museum in Jerusalem and the Modern Art museum in Paris. In 1951, he was awarded the second prize from the Government of Québec. In 1960, he received a grand from the Canada Counsel for the arts. In 1970, we had admitted in the Royal Academy of Canada.

To know more on the man, consult the Paul Vanier Beaulieu biography.

PIERRE ÉVARISTE LEBLANC

Descendant of Anne Le Vanier, Pierre-Évariste Leblanc, born in 1853, was a Lawyer and Politician in Quebec. He was also Lieutenant Governor of Quebec from 1915 to 1918.

In Montreal, he studied at "l'Académie de Saint-Martin", at "l'École normale Jacques-Cartier", and at both University of Laval and McGill. He taught from 1872 to 1876, after which he was admitted to the Bar of the Province of Quebec in 1876 to practice his profession as a lawyer in Montreal. From 1882 until 1908 he was also a Deputy (1882-1908), Orator (1892-1897) and Leader of the Opposition (1905-1908) in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec.

For more information about him, please consult the biography of Pierre-Évariste Leblanc on Wikipedia.

ANDRÉE LACHAPELLE

Descendant of Marie Josephte Vanier, Andrée Lachapelle, born in 1931, is a Quebecois actor. During her childhood, she participated in theatre plays of her older brothers and sisters, where they allowed her to read short poems between acts. After studying diction, and then theatre at Studio XV, she began her acting career on stage in the early 1950s. The arrival of Television in 1952 greatly influenced her career in allowing her to participate in many tele-theatres, and many year later, in tv soap operas such as La galère ou L'auberge du chien noir. Andrée Lachapelle was an actor appreciate for her beauty and elegance. She often played the distinguished bourgeois, mothers, or as a religious person in theatre plays. He most significant role was Albertine, a depressed and whining older person, in the play Albertine en cinq temps by Michel Tremblay, and the dying mother in Incendies, by Wajdi Mouawad. She received many honors for he work, and also thought at the École nationale de théâtre.

To know more about this great lady, consult the biography of Andrée Lachapelle on Wikipedia.

CLAUDE LEGAULT

Descendant of Olivine Vanier, Claude Legault is an actor and script writer in quebec. He has worked on many projects, including the series Dans une galaxie près de chez vous, the series Minuit, le soir, the series 19-2 and the the show Le Club des 100 watts. In 1982, he founded the Mouvement d'Improvisation de Montmorency (MIM), a college level improvisation team. To know more about his Filmography , consult the Claude Legault page on Wikipedia.

GUY LAFLEUR

Descendant of Marie-Thèrese Vanier, Guy Lafleur is a former professional ice hockey player, known as “The Flower” or “Le Démon Blond”. He spent 17 seasons in the National Hockey League, with 14 of those seasons with the Montreal Canadians Hockey club. He was introduced in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988. To know more about his career, consult the Guy Lafleur page on Wikipedia.

FAMILLE DAVID

Athanase David
(avocat et homme politique québécois)

 

Paul David
(Médecin cardiologue)

 

Pierre David
(producteur de cinéma)

 

Françoise David
(militante et femme politique féministe)

 

Hélène David
(universitaire, femme politique québécoise)

 

Charles-Philippe David
(universitaire, femme politique québécoise)

Descendant of Angelique Vanier, the David Family is an impressive family with many members that became well know in politics and the culural scence in québec. Including Charles-Philippe David, Hélène David, Françoise David, all children of Paul David, and grand-children of Athanase David! For more information about this illustrious family, consult the Famille David (Québec) page on Wikipedia.

MAX GROS-LOUIS

Descendant of Marie Madeleine Le Vanier, Max Gros-Louis, or Oné-Onti, was a politician and businessman, born on the Native reserve of Village-Huron Wendake, in Loretteville in the region of Quebec. "After working as a laborer for a surveyor and as a commercial traveller, he became a producer of Indian handicrafts and manager of a Huron dance troupe. Elected chief of the Hurons of Lorette in 1964, he participated in the activities of the Indians of Canada pavilion at Expo 67, in the founding of the "Association des Indiens du Québec" (of which he was secretary and spokesperson from 1966 to 1973) and the National Indian Brotherhood (representing Quebec in 1970). As a publicist, he claims to speak on behalf of the Indians of Quebec and, as a chief, he advocates individualistic approaches to economic and social problems, resulting in disputes with Indigenous and other groups over land claims and government relations non-indigenous. His autobiography, First Among the Huron, appeared in 1973."(97) (translated in english). Max Gros-Louis passed away on November 14, 2020.

To learn more about his career, please visit the Max Gros-Louis page on Wikipedia.

MARIELOUP WOLFE

Descendant of Isabelle Vanier, Marieloup Wolfe is a french Canadian actresss and film director. She has played many roles in film and on TV series. Among them, she played the character Marianne on the popular TV series Randam on Télé-Québec for 8 seasons, and the role of Agathe on the series Unité 9 on ICI Radio-Canada Télé. she has also Sirected many films and a televison series. To know more about her career, consult the Marieloup Wolfe page on Wikipedia.

EMMANUEL AUGER

Descendant of Roma Vanier, Emmanuel Auger is a québécois actor. He has played roles in the popular television series ""Omerta", "la loi du silence" and "Virginie". He has also played roles in many films. To know more about his career, consult the Emmanuel Auger on Canal vie.

VALÉRIE BLAIS

Descendant of Geneviève-Amable Vanier, Valérie Blais is a french Canadian actresss. She has played many roles in film and on TV series. To know more about her career, consult the Valérie Blais page on the french version of Wikipedia.

MARIO LEMIEUX

Descendent of Marie Madeleine Vanier, Mario Lemieux is a former professional ice hockey player, known as “The Magnificent”. He spent over 20 seasons in the National Hockey League playing for the Pittsburg Penguins. He won many individual prizes as a player and as well with his team. He is considered as one of the greatest players in the hisory of hockey. He was introduced in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997. He is now the president and co-owner of the Pittsburg Penguins. To know more about his career, consult the page on Wikipedia.

JACQUES PARIZEAU

Descendent of Isabelle Vanier, Jacques Parizeau was an economist, high government official, professor and québécois politician. He was minister of finances of the province of Québec from 1976 to 1984, and then became prime minister of Québec from 1994 to 1996 était est un économiste, haut fonctionnaire, professeur et homme politique québécois. Il a été ministre des Finances du Québec de 1976 à 1984, puis devient le 26e premier ministre du Québec, de 1994 jusqu'en 1996. To know more about his career, consult the page on Wikipedia.

EUGENIE BOUCHARD

Descendent of Anne-Louise Vanier, Eugenie Bouchard is a Canadian tennis player born in Montréal, a professional since 2011. She is the first Canadian women to make it to the final round of a Grand Slam tournament and the first to reach the 5th place of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings. To know more about her career, consult the Eugenie Bouchard page on Wikipedia.

DIANE DUFRESNE

Descendant of Anne-Louise Vanier, Diane Dufresne is a singer, actor and quebecois painter. She is considered as one of the great voices of the quebec music scene. In her twenties, she first studied how to sing and theatre arts in Paris, France. She then returned to Quebec, where she had many successes, including the hit song J’ai rencontré l’homme de ma vie, and with her role as Stella Spotlight in the popular rock opera Starmania from Luc Plamondon. Later in her career, she began to write, all along giving many concerts during events and festivals. She is also known for her eccentric costumes, especially the ones she would wear during her concerts. To know more about the women, consult the Diane Dufresne page on Wikipedia.

JACQUES DUCHESNEAU

Descendant of Marie Madeleine Vanier , Jacques Duchesneau is a public personality in Quebec. He was police chief of Montreal and made a career in business, municipal and provincial politics. To know more about the man, consult the Jacques Duchesneau page on Wikipedia.

YANN MARTEL

Descendant of Marie Madeleine Vanier, Yann Martel is a world renowned writer. He was born in 1963 in Salamanque, Spain. Son of diplomats, he grew up is many places around the world. He went to University in Ontario, studying in philosophy and anthropology. After many small jobs, he decided to become a writer. Following a short story which won and award in Finland, the writer published his first novel in 1995, Self. During a pack packing trip in Asia, the idea of the Life of Pi emerges. Winner of the prestigious Man Booker Prize, the book becomes a best seller with more than 7 million copies sold! His book, translated in over 40 languages, was brought to the big screen by the film maker Ang Lee. For more about the man, consult the biography of Yann Martel on Wikipedia.

CLAUDE CHARRON

Descendant of Marie-Charlotte Vanier, Claude Charron is a former politician, author, reporter and radio and television host. He is a founding member of the Movement for Sovereignty-Association in Québéc in 1967 and one of the first elected member of the Parti québécois at the l'National Assembly of Quebec. During his political career, he occupied a number of ministerial positions in the cabinets of René Lévesque governments. To know more on the man, consult the biography of Claude Charron on Wikipedia.

LUCIEN BOUCHARD

Descendant of Anne Vanier, the Honorable Lucien Bouchard is a lawyer and ex-politician. He was minister of the Environment within the progressive-conservative government of Brian Mulroney, et then one of the founders and first leader of the Bloc québécois party. He wasleader of the official opposition from 1993 à 1996 in the canadian house of commons, and then premier of the province of Québec from 1996 to 2001. To know more on the man, consult the biography of Lucien Bouchard on Wikipedia.

STEVEN GUILBAULT

Descendant of Marie-Charlotte Vanier, Steven Guilbeault, was born in 1970 in La Tuque, Québec. He is an environmentalist, writer, and now a Canadian politician in the current Trudeau Government: named to the position of Minister of Canadian Heritage in the cabinet of Justin Trudeau.. Co-founder of the environmental organization out of Quebec called Équiterre. He was the executive director and spokesperson for that organization from 2008 to 2018. He has also worked for 10 years at Greenpeace Canada as a director and responsible for the campaign in Quebec. In June 2019, he announced that he would be a Liberal candidate for the 2019 Canadian federal election in the riding of Montreal, Laurier-Sainte-Marie.

To know more about Steven, consult the biography of Steven Guilbault on Wikipedia.

GAÉTAN LABRÈCHE

Descendant of Marie-Françoise Vanier, Gaétan Labrèche is a québécois actor. He played in many films and television series, from the 1950s up to 1990. To know more on the man, consult the Gaétan Labrèche page on the french version of Wikipedia.

MARC LABRÈCHE

Descendant of Marie-Françoise Vanier, and son of Gaétan Labrèche, Marc Labrèche is a québécois actor, comedien and host. Despite the fact that he’s not (yet) very publicly recognized in the U.S. or other parts of the world, he is quite well-known in French-Canadian circles. To know more on the man, consult the biography of Marc Labrèche on Wikipedia.

GUY TARDIF

Descendant of Marie Madeleine Le Vanier, Guy Tardif was a Quebec politician. Born in Montreal on May 30, 1935 and died in St-Hyacinthe on May 24, 2005 at the age of 69, he was the PQ member for Crémazie in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1976 to 1985. He was the grandfather of Quebec football player Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.

To know more on the man, consult the biographie de Guy Tardif (in French) on the on the site of the National Assembly of Quebec.

LAURENT DUVERNAY-TARDIF

Descendant of Marie Madeleine Le Vanier, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is a Canadian American football player. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is the grandson of Guy Tardif, former minister of the government of Quebec. He began his college studies at "Collège André-Grasset" and graduated in 2010. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif notably studied medicine at McGill University. He lined up for the McGill Redmen of the Quebec University Football League from 2010 to 2013 and won the title of best Canadian university football offensive line player in 2013 .

Duvernay-Tardif was selected in the 2014 National Football League (NFL) draft in the sixth round (200th overall pick) and played with the Kansas City Chiefs until late in 2021, when was traded to the New York Jets on November 2, 2021.

To know more on the man, consult the Biography of Laurent Duvernay-Tardif on Wikipedia.

DAVID ST-JACQUES

Descendant of Anne Le Vanier, David Saint-Jacques is an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency. He was born in 1970 in Quebec and grew up in Montreal, with two brothers and intellectual parents. Her father was a physics teacher and her mother taught history and literature. He began his studies as an engineer, like his father and his grandfather, and he worked as an engineer for a few years. Afterwards, he did a doctorate in astrophysics and worked for a long time as an astronomer. He then continued his studies and became a family doctor and practiced in the Canadian arctic in Nunavik. In 2009, he was chosen by the Canadian Space Agency for one of two astronaut positions. To date, he has been part of three missions to the International Space Station.

To know more on the man, consult the la Biography of David Saint-Jacques on Wikipedia.

LOUISE ARBOUR

Descendant of Anne Le Vanier, Louise Arbour is "a Canadian jurist and international civil servant. A lawyer by training, she was chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, then became a judge at the Supreme Court of Canada. Between 2004 and 2008, she was the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Since 2017, she has been the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Migration"(71). To learn more about her career, see the Louise Arbour page on Wikipedia.

KATHERINE LEVAC

Descendant of Isabelle Vanier, Katherine Levac is a Franco-Ontarian comedian and actress, graduated from the National School of Humor in 2013. She has performed in television shows and has already appeared on stage several times. She is a young mother of two children and presents a solo show on Viméo. To learn more about her career, see the Katherine Levac page (in french) on Wikipedia.

GILLES VILLENEUVE

Descendant of Marie Anne Le Vanier, Gilles Villeneuve was a Formula 1 driver. During his brief career, Gilles Villeneuve was the best Canadian race care driver. At the age of eight, his family moved to Berthierville to be closer to the paternal branch. Very early on, Gilles Villeneuve developed a passion for cars and showed natural courage. He first showed his penchant for speed by driving snowmobiles at high speed, thus winning the North American championship in 1971, the Quebec championship in 1972 and the Canadian championship in 1973. Thanks to the money that these victories brought him, he launched into car racing (Formula Ford), to become Quebec champion in 1973. He goes on to the Atlantic Formula (FA) in 1974, but he broke his leg on his debut on the Mosport circuit (Ontario). Unstopple, he returned to competition in 1975, won a victory and finished 5th overall. 1976, he dominated the Canadian and American Formula Atlantic competitions by winning 9 races out of 10. He won the Canadian championship again in 1977, with his debut in the Can-Am category. These successes earned him an offer from the Ferrari team in Formula 1. He won his first Grand Prix in Montreal, followed in 1979 by victories at Kyalami, Long Beach (California) and Watkins Glen (New York). The same year he finished 2nd at the Grand Prix of Canada, ahead of Jody Scheckter, his teammate, in the final classification of Formula 1 drivers. He won 6 of the 67 races in which he took part under the Ferrari banner, in Formula 1. Gilles Villeneuve died during a qualifying session at the Belgian Grand Prix, after colliding with another car at 250 km/h. Since then, the circuit used for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal bears his name.

To learn more about his career, consult the Gilles Villeneuve page on Wikipedia.

JACQUES VILLENEUVE

Descendante of Marie Anne Le Vanier, and son of Gilles Villeneuve, Jacques Villeneuve was born in 1971 in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. It was in the 90s that he was introduced to motor racing by participating for two seasons in the Italian Formula 3 championship, one of the antechambers of the prestigious F1. He then went into exile in various countries to perfect his driving, and caused a sensation during the North American Formula Atlantic championship.Third place in the championship and his title of Rookie of the Year rewarding the best rookie of the season earned him participation in his first CART season in 1994- 1995. He joined Formula 1 in 1996 and became world champion in 1997.

To learn more about his career, consult the Jacques Villeneuve page on Wikipedia.

GINETTE-EMMANUELLE FILION

Descendante of Marie Anne Le Vanier, Ginette-Emmanuëlle Filion, known as Emmanuëlle, she was born Ginette Filion October 18, 1942 in Montréal, Québec. She died on March 3, 2024.

Emmanuëlle, a Quebec singer, began her career as a classical singer before meeting Luc Plamondon in 1972, which pushed her to explore popular song. She achieved several successes with songs such as "Le Gout de Vivre" and "La Chanson de mon pays", representing Canada in various international festivals. In collaboration with Stéphane Venne, she enjoyed dazzling success with the album "Le monde à l'envers" in 1973, thus propelling her career to the rank of major Quebec stars.

Throughout the 1970s, Emmanuëlle continued to produce successful albums such as "Chanter pour vivre" in 1974 and "Ma chanson" in 1975. Despite a slowdown in her career in the 1980s, she made a notable comeback with new compositions in the 1990s. His song "Et c'est pas fini" became the theme of the first Star Académie du Québec in 2003, rekindling public interest in his work. Emmanuëlle continues to mark the history of Quebec music, consolidating her fame with autobiographical publications and compilations of her works.

To learn more about his career, consult the Emmanuëlle page on Wikipedia.

OTHER CELEBRETIES

You can find the biographies of other well known persons of the world more with the family name Vanier on the French Wikipedia web site, although the relation with the Vaniers in North Ameria has not yet been determined.

9. Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec
71. Wikipedia
80. Généalogie des Vanier d'Amérique du Nord
92. Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec
97. L'encyclopédie Canadienne


Last updated 2024-03-24.
Jean-Yves Vanier

Creative Commons Licence
This web page and its content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.