Pierre Cossette

Pierre Cossette (born December 15, 1923 in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield , Québec , † September 11, 2009 in Montreal ), actually Pierre Maurice Joseph Cossette , was a Canadian producer of Broadway performances and television shows .

Life

Cossette was born in Canada and spent most of his childhood in Southern California . During the Second World War he served in the United States Army and was deployed in Germany . After completing his military service, he attended the University of Southern California , where he studied journalism . After graduating in 1949, he worked in Las Vegas as an artist agent and show producer. He was the personal agent of Dick Shawn and Buddy Hackett and the discoverer of Ann-Margret , among others, and produced music shows with Andy Williams and Sammy Davis, Jr.

In 1962 he produced his first Broadway play, The Egg . In the 1990s he produced four musicals , and after two nominations, he received the Tony Award in 1999 .

In the early 1970s, he acquired the television rights to the Grammy Awards, which have been awarded annually since 1959 , and produced the show for 35 years. During this time he made this one of the most popular award shows on American television. He was nominated for an Emmy for the thirtieth edition of the Grammy Awards .

Cossette died of heart failure in a Montréal hospital. He was married and had two children.

Awards

• 1988: Emmy nomination for The 30th Annual Grammy Awards
• 1991: Tony Award for The Will Rogers Follies
• 1991: Drama Desk Award for The Will Rogers Follies
• 1998: Tony Award nomination for The Scarlet Pimpernel
• 1999: Tony Award nomination for The Civil War
• 2005: Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , 6233 Hollywood Boulevard

Web links

• Pierre Cossette in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Pierre Cossette in the Internet Broadway Database (English)
• Obituary from the Los Angeles Times
• Obituary for time online