Those of us who are a little more enlightened are likely to have discovered him in La Femme Nikita. However, there is far more to Roy Dupuis than Michael, the dark and sensual Section One operative and trainer/mentor/lover of Nikita ...

Roy was born in New Liskeard, Ontario, on April 21st 1963, and from the age of 3 months was brought up in Amos in the Abitibi region of Quebec, Canada. At the age of 11 the family moved to Kapuskasing, Ontario where he first learned to speak English. His parents were divorced when he was 14, and he and his piano teacher mother Ryna, his sister Roxanne and brother Rodrick moved to Sainte-Rose in the outskirts of Montreal.

He graduated in 1986, and after a successful start in the theatre was being offered roles in films and TV within two years. Since graduating, Roy has never been out of work. Amongst his early films are such French-Canadian hits as Sortie 234 (Exit 234) and Jésus de Montréal (Jesus of Montreal), the former gaining an award at Montreal's Festival International du Nouveau Cinéma, while the latter was a Cannes Prix de Jury winner and nominated for an Oscar.

The relative anonymity he enjoyed during the early years was, however, shattered when the period TV series Les Filles de Caleb (Emilie) invaded the living rooms of 80% of the population of Quebec, turning him overnight into a celebrity and gaining him several awards for his outstanding performance as Emilie’s husband, Ovila Pronovost. This was followed by a more prosaic and contemporary role as a journalist in the TV series Scoop which ran for 4 seasons.

Meanwhile, in 1991, Roy starred as the gay hustler, Yves, in Jean Beaudin’s internationally acclaimed Being At Home With Claude, which was Canada's official selection at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. The following year he starred in Cap Tourmente as Alex O'Neil, which in 1993 earned him a Genie nomination for best actor in a leading role. Other leading parts in French followed - C’était le 12 du 12 et Chili avait les blues (Chili’s Blues), J’en Suis (Heads or Tales) - and increasingly English language roles too – Screamers (which marked his entry into mainstream US cinema), Waiting For Michelangelo and Hemoglobin/ Bleeders(US title). Roy also got the chance to show off his multilingual talents in the Venezuelan/ Canadian/ French co-production Passage des Hommes Libres (Out in the Open) in which he spoke both French and Spanish. His live theatrical appearances reduced dramatically, with only two plays in the early 90's, both under the direction of Brigitte Haentjens.

Before La Femme Nikita, he was probably best known in the English-speaking world for his portrayal of Oliva Dionne, the father of the Dionne quintuplets, in the mini-series Million Dollar Babies. Although starring in 5 seasons (1996 – 2000) of Nikita left him little time for other projects, Roy played Maurice in the 1999 Robert Guy Scully production "Maurice Richard: The Story of a Canadien", a drama documentary on the life of the celebrated hockey star. He also had a tiny non-speaking cameo in Free Money, where his character enjoyed the privilege of being killed by Roy’s long-time hero, Marlon Brando.

When the final season of La Femme Nikita finished production at the end of 2000, Roy returned to Montreal for a few months’ well-earned rest, before returning to work on more local projects. The TV mini-series Le Dernier Chapitre/The Last Chapter, about biker gang warfare, which ran for two seasons, broke new ground by shooting French and English versions simultaneously. Roy played disaffected gang leader Ross Desbiens. In complete contrast he also teamed up again with Chili’s Blues director Charles Binamé to star as love-interest Alexis Labranche in a remake of a period Quebec classic, Séraphin: Un Homme et son Péché (Seraphin, Heart of Stone), which remained the province’s biggest grossing film for several years.

He then entered the most productive period in his film career to date, combining leading roles with the occasional supporting role. First up was Denys Arcand’s Les Invasions Barbares (The Barbarian Invasions), which has enjoyed an international success similar to that of Jesus of Montreal, with Roy once again playing a very minor part as a policeman. 2004/5 saw the release of a further six films, of which Mémoires affectives brought him his first major acting awards for the big screen.  This was followed by another award-winning performance as Quebec hockey hero Maurice Richard in The Rocket, directed yet again by Charles Binamé.  The professional highlight of 2006 was a gruelling summer spent in Rwanda, playing Lt-General Roméo Dallaire in the film version of his book Shake Hands with the Devil, for which he was awarded a Jutra. Several other films are now either in post-production or about to start filming in 2008.  This period of intense activity is likely to produce some 15 feature films in the 5 year period 2004 - 2008, a punishing schedule which cannot be leaving him much time to develop the documentary he has often talked about making.

March 2008 saw Roy's first stage appearance since 1994, in a French adaptation of Sarah Kane's controversial play, Blasted (Blasté), directed by Brigitte Haentjens for her company, Sybillines, at l'Usine C. The production was a sell-out.

Roy lives in the countryside outside of Montreal with Quebec actress Céline Bonnier, his partner since 1994, when they co-starred in Million Dollar Babies. They are unmarried and have no children. In recent years they have worked together on several different projects on TV, film and stage.

He has progressed through the high-risk hobby of his youth (sky-diving) to more sedate pastimes (golf), and now devotes much of his recreational time renovating a boat and learning to sail, with a view to taking an extended sea voyage in a couple of years' time. For many years he was an active supporter of Foundation Mira (who provide guide dogs for blind children) but now concentrates his efforts on the work of the Rivers Foundation, which he co-founded, protecting the rivers of Quebec from exploitation by hydro-electric developments.

2005

Genie Best Actor (Mémoires affectives)

2005

Jutra Best Actor (Mémoires affectives)

2004

Metrostar (Nomination) Best Actor (The Last Chapter II)

2003

Metrostar Best Actor (The Last Chapter)

2003

Gémeaux (Nomination) (The Last Chapter)

2003

Genie (Nomination) Best Actor (Séraphin: Un Homme et son Péché)

2003

Jutra (Nomination) Best Actor (Séraphin: Un Homme et son Péché)

1993

Gémeaux (Nomination) (Scoop 2)

1993

Genie (Nomination) Best Actor (Cap Tourmente)

1992

Metrostar Best Actor (Les Filles de Caleb)
(also nominated in 1993, 1994 (x2), 1995, 1996, 2000 variously for Scoop, Blanche & Maurice Richard)

1991

Metrostar Best Actor (Les Filles de Caleb)

1991

Gémeaux Best Actor (Les Filles de Caleb)

1991

Rose d’Or Actor of the Year

1991

FIPA d’Or (Les Filles de Caleb) [Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels (Cannes)]