Take home this Official First Day Cover honouring the life and career of francophone actress Monique Mercure.

Canada Post has honoured many Canadian actors and performers – from Hollywood legends Fay Wray, Mary Pickford and Christopher Plummer to comedic stars such Marie Dressler, Jim Carrey and Catherine O’Hara. Mercure is in good company.

This stamp features an illustrated black-and-white portrait by Oriana Fenwick that captures Mercure’s striking beauty and expressive eyes, caught in a sidelong glance. The illustration is based on a photograph of Mercure taken in 1963 by Henri Paul (Radio-Canada Archives).

This Official First Day Cover features a close-up of the stamp illustration that shows only the upper half of Mercure’s face, from her eyes to her nose.

The cancel is a line drawing of a film reel. The issue date is November 14 (Mercure’s date of birth), and the cancellation location is Montréal, Quebec (Mercure’s place of birth).

Known as Quebec’s grande dame of stage and screen, Monique Mercure (1930-2020) was one of Canada’s most admired and acclaimed francophone actresses. She was known for her fiery spirit, versatility and powerful performances.

Mercure began acting as a struggling single mother in her late 20s. Her rise to fame was meteoric, and she went on to appear in more than 100 theatrical productions in North America and Europe, as well as dozens of movies and television series.

Mercure’s most memorable films include Mon oncle Antoine (1971), J.A. Martin photographe (1977) – which earned her Canada’s first Festival de Cannes award for best actress – Naked Lunch (1991) and The Red Violin (1998). She was also a regular in the TV dramas Providence (2005-11) and Mémoires vives (2013-16).

A Companion of the Order of Canada and recipient of numerous prestigious awards and accolades over her 60-year career, Mercure also inspired a new generation of performers during her decade as director and then artistic director of the National Theatre School of Canada.

Product # 414215131

Monique Mercure: Official First Day Cover