Karine Vanasse

Karine Vanasse is a French-Canadian actress.

Born in Drummondville, Québec on November 24, 1983; Vanasse is the daughter of council worker Conrad Vanasse and Renée Gamache, now her manager. From as young as 9 years old, Vanasse expressed her desire to become a singer or an actress one day. That desire became an ambition when she appeared in Quebec's teen show "Club des 100 watts" after winning a "lip sync" competition. It was then, with the help of her mother and TV show host France Beaudoin, that she begun to audition and take part in TV commercials as well as playing minor and supporting roles in French-Canadian TV movies.

In 1998, Vanasse was approached by what is now known as the Motion International production company to co-host the once-popular Quebecois children's science show, "Les Petits Debrouillards" in an attempt to re-brand its "comeback" with a new, friendlier image. It was during her time on this show that she was spotted and hired by producer Lorraine Richard and director Léa Pool to play the role of Hanna in her first big break "Emporte-moi" (1999), a film telling the story of a teenager trying to find her identity in a tormented family environment. The film was presented in 40 festivals, shown across 20 countries and earned two Oscar nominations for best foreign film. Her performance was highly acclaimed both nationally and internationally and earned her the title of best actress at the Gala of Jutra, in Quebec.

Vanasse then moved on to play Zac (Benoit Langlais)'s love interest in the controversial Quebec TV series "2 frères" (1999). Her character, Lucie, became much more prominent and realistic in 2000-2001 and the debate stirred by the realistic and violent reality revealed led her to become, together with Langlais, a spokesperson for the government-funded TV program "Parler, c'est grandir", a broadcast aimed at youngsters from unstable backgrounds.

Her teen roles begun to stick and at the risk of becoming typecast she took on the main role for the feature film "Du pic au coeur" (2001), a trendy production by Céline Baril on the intricacies of today's youngsters' love lives. In the spring of 2001, Vanasse applied for the ITHAKA program and took a six-month break in Greece to devote her time to travelling and academic work.

When she came back, Karine's career took a turn for the best when she chose a very different role from the usual rebellious teenagers she was best-known for, that of the beautiful Donalda, in Charles Binamé's masterpiece, "" (2002). Vanasse's performance shines through even though the cast is composed of the biggest names in the Quebecois movie industry, including Roy Dupuis (star of the cult series “La femme Nikita”), 20 years her senior, who plays Alexis Labranche, her forbidden lover.

Vanasse's most noteworthy recent TV performance was as an FLQ terrorist in the 2006 miniseries "October 1970", on CBC's English network. Her acting career does not stop at TV and film. She has also appeared in various theatrical productions in both French and English Canada

Vanasse has secured funding for her new movie Polytechnique. Shooting is expected to begin in Winter 2008. Vanasse is producing the movie and is said to consider to play a role in this movie about the tragic events that took place on December 6, 1989 at the Polytechnique in Montreal.

Filmography

* 1999: "Le Souper"
* 1999: "Emporte-moi"
* 2001: "Du pic au cœur"
* 2002: ""
* 2004: "Nous étions libres (Head in the Clouds)"
* 2006: "Sans elle"
* 2006: "Marie-Antoinette"
* 2007: "Ma fille, mon ange (My daughter, my angel)"
* 2007: "Killer Wave"