René Simard

René Claude Simard, CM, (born February 28, 1961 in Chicoutimi, Quebec) is a pop singer from Quebec, chiefly popular in the 1970s. He was discovered and managed by Guy Cloutier. His first albums were produced by René Angélil, who later managed and eventually married Céline Dion.

In 1974, René Simard was awarded the Grand Prix by Frank Sinatra at the annual Tokyo Music Festival. Afterwards, Simard had a short-lived career as a Japanese idol singer in Japan. Back to his native country, he hosted his own CBC Television series from 1977 to 1979, produced in Vancouver by Alan Thicke and featuring various international celebrity guests.

Since 2006, he hosts the reality television series L'heure de gloire on Radio-Canada.

His sister Nathalie was also managed by Cloutier. In 2004, Cloutier was convicted of sexually assaulting Nathalie when she was a child. Michel Vastel's 2005 book on the case, Briser le silence (Breaking the Silence), alleged that René co-operated with Cloutier in trying to hide the assaults. On November 18, 2005, Simard held a press conference in which he denied these charges.

Simard has been married to TV hostess Marie-Josée Taillefer since 1987.

In 2014, Simard was named a Member of the Order of Canada "[f]or his contributions to the development of Quebec culture as a performer, host and director."

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