Yvon Deschamps

In 1963, Yvon Deschamps founded the Théâtre de Quat’Sous with Paul Buissonneau, Claude Léveillée and Jean-Louis Millette. In the winter of 1968, together with Louise Forestier and Robert Charlebois, he produced L’Osstidcho, a musical review that would revolutionize Quebec song and that included what would become his most famous monologue, Les unions, qu’ossa donne?

Following this huge success, Yvon Deschamps’ career skyrocketed with a string of monologue shows and performances in Montréal’s most prestigious venues, including Place des Arts’ Théâtre Maisonneuve, where he staged more than 100 consecutive shows in 1969 and performed over 500 times during his career.

In 1976, he headlined the famous June 23 show on the Plains of Abraham, called 1 fois 5. The following year, his recording of that show received an award from the Académie Charles-Cros.

In 1985, he hosted Samedi de rire, a variety show still remembered by many Quebecers. Parallel to his career as a monologist, Yvon Deschamps opened three restaurants in Old Montréal: Le Fournil in 1964, Saint-Amable in 1965, and La Boîte à Clémence in 1966. In so doing, he did much to help further the development of this part of the city.

In 1996, he purchased Manoir Rouville-Campbell, opening a small nightclub there called La Boîte à Yvon in which he would perform some of his classic as well as more recent material to the 300-capacity crowd.

Over the years, he became actively involved in Le Chaînon, becoming its first spokesperson and greatly helping to raise the organization’s profile. In 2009, he also became the spokesperson of the Foundation of the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal.

In 2001, Yvon Deschamps was made a Knight of the Ordre national du Québec and, in 2005, his name was added to the Larousse French dictionary.

Yvon Deschamps was inducted into the Academy of Great Montrealers in the Cultural category in 2010 and was named a Commander of the Ordre de Montréal in 2016.