Few personalities have stayed as visible in Quebec households for as long as Marie-Josée Taillefer. From a beloved child in 1970s television commercials to a respected host and advocate, her career spans more than five decades in the province’s media landscape. This article covers everything worth knowing about her, including her age, her rise through Quebec television, her marriage to René Simard, and the causes she’s championed for over 30 years.
If you’ve searched for Marie-Josée Taillefer’s movies and TV shows, or simply wondered how old she is today, you’ll find clear, well-sourced answers below.
Who Is Marie-Josée Taillefer?
Marie-Josée Taillefer is a Québécoise television host and actress born on July 22, 1963, in Longueuil, Quebec. She’s the second of three children and began appearing on camera at an unusually young age, becoming a familiar face to Quebec audiences well before most people finish elementary school. Her career has combined broadcasting, cooking television, and public advocacy in a way that few Quebec personalities have matched.
She’s perhaps equally well known for her marriage to singer René Simard, and for the advocacy work the couple has done around deaf awareness since the late 1980s.
Marie-Josée Taillefer’s Age and Early Life
As of 2026, Marie-Josée Taillefer is 62 years old, having been born in the summer of 1963. She grew up in Longueuil, on Montreal’s south shore, and showed an early talent for performing that her family and local advertisers quickly noticed.
By age three, she was already appearing in television commercials, including well-known campaigns for Galeries d’Anjou and the Caisses Populaires Desjardins. One particular 1970 Desjardins ad became a genuine piece of Quebec pop culture. In it, a young Marie-Josée recited the mnemonic slogan “Pop-Sac-A-Vie-Sau-Sec-Fi-Co-Pin,” representing the network’s eight member institutions. That single commercial, produced by agency BCP, won first prize at the Canadian Television Advertising Festival and made her an instantly recognizable child star across the province.
A Childhood Built on Television
Before she turned ten, Marie-Josée had already appeared in more than 30 commercials, an impressive résumé for a child performer in any era. She also had a competitive side outside the studio, winning a provincial synchronized swimming title in 1971. That combination of camera-readiness and discipline seems to have shaped the career path she followed into adulthood.
In her early twenties, she moved into hosting work, taking the reins of Samedi Magazine on TVA. This marked her transition from child performer to a legitimate presence in Quebec broadcasting, setting the stage for the cooking show that would define much of her career.
Marie-Josée Taillefer’s Movies and TV Shows
Marie-Josée Taillefer’s career covers a genuinely wide range of formats, from children’s advertising to prime-time cooking programming to acting roles in film and television. Here’s a breakdown of her most notable credits.
Bon Appétit and Taillefer et Fille
In 1989, TVA paired Marie-Josée with her mother, Claudette Taillefer, to co-host a cooking show called Bon Appétit. The show became an instant hit and ran with unprecedented commercial success for the network, breaking sales records for its companion recipe cards. The mother-daughter format proved so popular that the pair continued working together for roughly a decade under a related banner, Taillefer et Fille, cementing Marie-Josée as one of Quebec’s most recognizable cooking-show hosts.
L’Épicerie
From 2002 to 2007, Marie-Josée appeared on Radio-Canada as part of L’Épicerie, a consumer affairs and food program she co-hosted alongside Denis Gagné. The show became one of the network’s long-running successes, and her contribution helped extend her reach beyond the cooking-show format into broader consumer journalism.
Acting Credits
Beyond hosting, Marie-Josée has taken on acting roles as well. Her film and television credits include:
- Ghost Town Anthology (2019)
- Bye Bye (the long-running Quebec year-end satirical special)
- Un gars, une fille (1997)
These roles show a performer who’s comfortable moving between structured hosting formats and scripted acting work, something not every television personality manages successfully.
Quick Reference: Career Timeline
| Years | Role | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 1966–1973 | Child performer | Various commercials (Desjardins, Galeries d’Anjou) |
| 1971 | Competitive swimmer | Provincial synchronized swimming title |
| Early 1980s | Host | Samedi Magazine (TVA) |
| 1989–1999 | Co-host | Bon Appétit / Taillefer et Fille |
| 1997 | Actress | Un gars, une fille |
| 2002–2007 | Co-host | L’Épicerie (Radio-Canada) |
| 2019 | Actress | Ghost Town Anthology |
Marie-Josée Taillefer and René Simard: Marriage and Family
Marie-Josée met singer René Simard while filming a commercial for Galeries d’Anjou when she was still a teenager. The two married on August 8, 1987, at the church of Saint-Sauveur, and have remained together ever since, marking well over three decades of marriage.
The couple has two children, Olivier and Rosalie, both of whom were born profoundly deaf. Rather than keeping that experience private, Marie-Josée and René have used their platform to raise awareness around hearing loss and deaf inclusion for more than 35 years.
Advocacy Work for Hearing Health
Since 1989, Marie-Josée Taillefer has worked in various capacities to promote awareness of auditory health, including serving as an ambassador for cochlear implant awareness. Since January 2018, she has also served as an ambassador for Lobe clinics, a Quebec-based hearing health network. Her daughter Rosalie, who completed a degree in visual and media arts at UQAM, has continued the family’s advocacy work as well, serving as a spokesperson for Quebec’s Disability Awareness Week since 2021.
The mother-daughter duo has taken this advocacy beyond media appearances, delivering conference talks together under the title “Taillefer et Fille, relever un défi” (Taillefer and Daughter, rising to a challenge), extending the brand recognition of their earlier television partnership into public speaking.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Marie-Josée Taillefer? She was born on July 22, 1963, making her 62 years old as of 2026.
Is Marie-Josée Taillefer still married to René Simard? Yes. The couple married in 1987 and remains together, having spent close to four decades as husband and wife.
What is Marie-Josée Taillefer best known for? She’s best known for co-hosting Bon Appétit with her mother in the late 1980s and 1990s, and later for co-hosting L’Épicerie on Radio-Canada from 2002 to 2007.
Does Marie-Josée Taillefer have children? Yes, she has two children with René Simard, Olivier and Rosalie, both of whom were born profoundly deaf.
Has Marie-Josée Taillefer acted in films? Yes. Her acting credits include Ghost Town Anthology (2019) and Un gars, une fille (1997), among other television and film appearances.
What cause is Marie-Josée Taillefer known for supporting? She has been a long-time advocate for hearing health awareness, including work as a cochlear implant ambassador and, since 2018, as an ambassador for Lobe hearing clinics.
Final Thoughts
Marie-Josée Taillefer’s career reflects a rare kind of staying power in Quebec media, built on genuine range rather than a single defining role. From a child star reciting jingles in the 1970s to a respected cooking show host, consumer journalist, actress, and disability advocate, she’s adapted her public presence again and again without losing the audience connection that started decades ago. Her marriage to René Simard and their shared advocacy work have added another layer to her public story, one rooted in family rather than fame alone.
Want to keep exploring the personalities shaping Quebec’s entertainment history? Check out our other profiles on the province’s most enduring television and music figures.
