Jean-François Mercier
Encyclopedia
Jean-François Mercier is a comedian
, screenwriter
and television host from Quebec
, Canada
.
Self-nicknamed Le Gros Cave (French
for fat dumbass) he gained recognition through TV shows appearances in The Mike Ward Show in the early 2000s, where he played a recurring character known as The Frustrated Guy. Mercier later had his own one-man show, appeared several times at Montreal
's French comedy festival Just For Laughs
and was one of the screenwriters of TV show Les Bougon
. Since 2010, he host his late-night talk show
Un gars le soir (One guy at night) at V.
In the late 1990s, he was hired as an actor
in the short-lived tabloid talk show
Black out, were he appeared as a common man
in the audience trying to spark controversy.
Throughout his comedian career, Mercier has been known for his arguably scruffy appearance and part of his act is to mix social criticism with vulgarity, curse words and expressions of anger
.
In 2011, Mercier is an independent candidate in the Canadian federal election in the riding of Chambly—Borduas
. One of his electoral promises is to add a second Mercier bridge
, since the bridge and him share the same surname
. In a 24 April 2011 Journal de Montréal poll, 15% of the voters of the Chambly-Borduas riding had the intention to vote for Mercier, which is more than the Liberal
and Conservative
candidates. The Bloc Québécois
MP
Yves Lessard
denounced Mercier's campaign as "a sad use of democracy". He finished third with 11% of the vote, more than the Liberal
and Conservative
candidates. Lessard ended up losing his seat to NDP
's Matthew Dubé.
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and television host from Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Self-nicknamed Le Gros Cave (French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
for fat dumbass) he gained recognition through TV shows appearances in The Mike Ward Show in the early 2000s, where he played a recurring character known as The Frustrated Guy. Mercier later had his own one-man show, appeared several times at Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
's French comedy festival Just For Laughs
Just for Laughs
Just for Laughs is a comedy festival held each July in Montreal, Quebec, founded in 1983. It is the largest international comedy festival in the world.- Information :...
and was one of the screenwriters of TV show Les Bougon
Les Bougon
Les Bougon - c'est aussi ça la vie! was a Quebec sitcom broadcast by Radio-Canada from 2004 to 2006, written by François Avard and Jean-François Mercier and produced by Fabienne Larouche. The show won three Gémeaux in 2004. The show's first episode aired on January 7, 2004, and the last one aired...
. Since 2010, he host his late-night talk show
Late-night talk show
In American television, the late-night talk show is a specific kind of comedy-oriented talk and variety show that airs late at night. Characteristics of the genre include topical monologues in which the host makes fun of the day's news, comedy sketches, celebrity interviews, and musical performances...
Un gars le soir (One guy at night) at V.
In the late 1990s, he was hired as an actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
in the short-lived tabloid talk show
Tabloid talk show
Tabloid talk shows are a genre of American television programming talk shows that achieved peak viewership during the late 20th century. Airing mostly during the day and distributed mostly through broadcast syndication, this genre originated with The Phil Donahue Show and was popularized by the...
Black out, were he appeared as a common man
Common man
Common man may refer to:*Common people*Champion of the Common Man*"Common Man progrum" on sport hosted by Dan Cole*The cartoon character by R K Laxman, The Common Man*The Common Man , the 1975 French film...
in the audience trying to spark controversy.
Throughout his comedian career, Mercier has been known for his arguably scruffy appearance and part of his act is to mix social criticism with vulgarity, curse words and expressions of anger
Anger
Anger is an automatic response to ill treatment. It is the way a person indicates he or she will not tolerate certain types of behaviour. It is a feedback mechanism in which an unpleasant stimulus is met with an unpleasant response....
.
In 2011, Mercier is an independent candidate in the Canadian federal election in the riding of Chambly—Borduas
Chambly—Borduas
Chambly—Borduas is a federal electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1935, and since 1968. Created by the British North America Act of 1867, its name was changed in 1893 to "Chambly—Verchères"...
. One of his electoral promises is to add a second Mercier bridge
Honoré Mercier Bridge
The Honoré Mercier Bridge in Quebec, Canada, connects the Montreal borough of LaSalle on the Island of Montreal with the Mohawk reserve of Kahnawake and the suburb of Châteauguay on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. It is the most direct southerly route from the island of Montreal toward...
, since the bridge and him share the same surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
. In a 24 April 2011 Journal de Montréal poll, 15% of the voters of the Chambly-Borduas riding had the intention to vote for Mercier, which is more than the Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
and Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
candidates. The Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Yves Lessard
Yves Lessard
Yves Lessard is a Canadian politician. From 2001 to 2004, Lessard served as a city councillor in Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Quebec. In the Canadian federal election, 2004 he was elected into the Canadian House of Commons as the Bloc Québécois candidate in Chambly—Borduas...
denounced Mercier's campaign as "a sad use of democracy". He finished third with 11% of the vote, more than the Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
and Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
candidates. Lessard ended up losing his seat to NDP
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
's Matthew Dubé.