One of Canada's leading actors, Lothaire Bluteau has repeatedly been hailed for his ability to capture the emotional pain of the characters he plays. The Quebec-born Bluteau began appearing in Canadian films in the early 1980s, and since then, his career has included a roster of diverse projects for international cinema, television, and stage. In 1989, the actor first came to the attention of an international audience with his performance in Denys Arcand's Jesus of Montreal. His turn as an actor who may or may not be Jesus won him a Genie, Canada's equivalent of the Oscar. After gaining additional acclaim two years later for his performance in Bruce Beresford's Black Robe, Bluteau worked on a diverse series of films. He appeared in supporting roles in Orlando (1992), I Shot Andy Warhol (1996), and The English Patient (1996) and in leads in a number of other films. While these films allowed him to demonstrate his talent, it was his work in Le Confessionnal (1994) and Bent (1997) that gave audiences the best grasp of the actor's gifts. Playing a photographer trying to come to grips with his family in the former and a gay concentration camp inmate in the latter, Bluteau communicated both pain and beauty with uncanny grace.