Andre-Phillippe learned at a young age the joy of imitating celebrities and making people laugh. His first impression was when he was five years old, making his family and friends laugh. He learned that he had a natural talent early in life, and his friends enjoyed listening to his impersonations. His repertoire has grown since then considerably to over 400 impersonations.
He was born in Quebec City Canada, played sports like all the other kids, especially hockey and baseball. He also loved music and telling jokes. When he was not playing sports, he was impersonating celebrities.
Andre-Philippe Gagnon’s Career
It was in 1985 when Andre acquired an international reputation. He performed at Montreal’s prestigious “Just For Laughs Festival.” He impersonated accurately all of the artists that performed the song, “We are the World.” It was first recorded by USA Africa and written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie.
His performance attracted so much attention that Johnny Carson asked him to perform his adaptation of “We are the World”, on The Tonight Show, viewed by over 1.5 million viewers.
After this performance, international opportunities came forward with invitations to perform at:
- The Victoires de la Musique in Paris and
- The Cinema Chante in Gstaad, Switzerland.
where he met Frank Sinatra, who is one of the artists he best imitates.
In 2004-2005, with over 400 impersonations, he went on tour with his International Show covering:
- The United States,
- Canada,
- the Caribbean and
- Europe.
Gagnon began work on his triumphant return to his home province, Quebec, preparing a new show – “Andre-Philippe Gagnon… de retour”. On his tour in Quebec and French Canada from 2006 to the end of 2008, Andre returned to his first audience and lined up the best segments of his international show while preparing many new imitations.
He performed more than 175 times for more than 200,000 fans, Andre-Philippe Gagnon… de retour was extraordinarily well-received by his fans. In 2007, he received the OLIVIER trophy for the best selling comedy show of the year! The show was captured live on the outdoor stage of Square Youville in Quebec City on July 24th, 2009, Andre-Philippe Gagnon de retour was re-broadcasted on SUPER ECRAN on December 2009.
In 2009, Andre decided to focus on developing a brand new show focused on the English market to be debuted in January 2010. Some of the most successful comedy writers in Canadian teamed up with Andre :
- Gord Holtam and Rick Olsen (Royal Canadian Air Farce) and
- George Reinblatt (Rick Mercer’s Monday Report, Just for Laughs)
- and Staphane Laporte.
In addition, MOMENT FACTORY, the multimedia firm who helped with the last Nine Inch Nails tour and also portions of the Le Cirque du Soleil creation came on board to assist Gagnon to create his most personal show ever, combining creativity and technology!
Andre-Philippe Gagnon’s Comedic Style
An impressionist with a world view, Andre-Philippe Gagnon can slide from Joe Cocker’s husky croon to Dionne Warwick faster than many performers can respond to a curtain call! Whether it is
- Mick Jagger
- Vanessa Paradis,
- Louis Armstrong,
- Jean Chretien, or Fred Flintstone.
His impressions of celebrities and personalities are rapid-fire and magical. He adds an incredible mix of music and comedy to his show, adding humor and enticing detail. But it is his incredible voice that delivers the character of many of the world’s most successful artists along with jokes that keep you laughing throughout the show.
Why should you hire the impressionist, Andre-Philippe Gagnon?
His career is well established in English and French. He is recognized as a star in Canada and across the world. He was recently named “Entertainer of the year” at the 15th Star Awards gala in Toronto!
Andre delivers brilliant impersonations coupled with overflowing charisma to make him the ideal international performer. He spreads his time between tours, private functions organizations, and multinational companies across the globe.
Andre-Philippe Gagnon is a definite must-see regardless of the venue! He has appeared at the:
- St-Denis Theater in Montreal
- The Venetian in Las Vegas,
- The Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto or
- The Casino de Paris in Paris, France
His fans leave the show overwhelmingly amazed.
Andre works well in many Types of Events:
- Celebrity Appearances,
- Private Events,
- Casinos,
- Trade Shows,
- Corporate Events,
- Speaking Engagements,
- Conventions,
- Charity Events, and
- Comedy Clubs and Festivals.
How can you book Andre-Philippe Gagnon?
You can request information on our entertainment options through our on-line request form. Or, you can call us Toll Free at 1.800.693.6665
