Douglas Leopold
Encyclopedia
Douglas Leopold, nicknamed Coco, was a television and radio personality in Quebec, along with being a public relations specialist.
Douglas Leopold studied political science
and music
at McGill University
and the Sorbonne
. Upon his return to Montreal
, Leopold first worked in public relations for the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts (now the Segal Centre for Performing Arts
) and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens
.
His professional introduction to disco
came in promoting the Montreal branch of Régine (an international chain of discotheques presided over by Régine Zylberberg). This in turn led to a radio show with CKMF-FM
, an association which lasted from 1979 to 1988. He then moved to Los Angeles
to work in public relations for Universal Studios Theme Parks.
Leopold was openly gay
and earned the nickname Coco because he peppered his speech with this expression, as a form of punctuation. He made many appearances on local television, identifying and commenting on new trends in fashion and lifestyles. Leopold's key concept was the jet set
, which he did not identify simply with money or extravagance, but rather a certain conception of good taste and appropriate conduct.
Leopold was sued by Alain Montpetit
, another Montreal media personality (and like Leopold, also worked at CKMF), when he accused him on air of the murder of a model. This led to the payment of a settlement of thirty thousand dollars to Montpetit. Two decades later, the case was reopened by the New York City Police, who received statements from a number of witnesses which linked Montpetit to the murder. These included a confession, from the woman who had provided Montpetit's alibi
, that she had lied about Montpetit being with her.
Leopold did not smoke, drink or take drugs. Although a few months before his death Leopold continued to claim publicly that he was in perfect health and did not have AIDS
, he died due to this illness on 4 April 1993, at the Chris Brownlie Hospice in Los Angeles.
A fictionalised version of Leopold, played by Paul Doucet
, is one of the central characters in the 2010 Canadian film Funkytown
. Steve Galluccio
, the scriptwriter for the film, had in fact once been interviewed by Leopold to be his assistant.
Douglas Leopold studied political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
and the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
. Upon his return to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Leopold first worked in public relations for the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts (now the Segal Centre for Performing Arts
Segal Centre for Performing Arts
Segal Centre for Performing Arts is a Canadian theatre located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in the city of Montreal, Quebec. The building that houses the theatre was designed by Montreal-architect Phyllis Lambert. It is home to the Segal Theatre, the Academy of Performing...
) and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens
Les Grands Ballets Canadiens
Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal is a Canadian ballet company based in Montreal, Quebec.It was founded in 1957 by Ludmilla Chiriaeff. Conductor and composer Michel Perrault served as the organization's first music director. In 2000, Gradimir Pankov became Artistic Director...
.
His professional introduction to disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
came in promoting the Montreal branch of Régine (an international chain of discotheques presided over by Régine Zylberberg). This in turn led to a radio show with CKMF-FM
CKMF-FM
CKMF-FM is a French-language Canadian radio station located in Montreal, Quebec.Owned and operated by Astral Media, it broadcasts on 94.3 MHz with an effective radiated power of 41,400 watts using an omnidirectional antenna from the Mount Royal candelabra tower.The station has a contemporary hit...
, an association which lasted from 1979 to 1988. He then moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to work in public relations for Universal Studios Theme Parks.
Leopold was openly gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and earned the nickname Coco because he peppered his speech with this expression, as a form of punctuation. He made many appearances on local television, identifying and commenting on new trends in fashion and lifestyles. Leopold's key concept was the jet set
Jet set
"Jet set" is a journalistic term that was used to describe an international social group of wealthy people, organizing and participating all around the world in social activities that are unreachable to ordinary people...
, which he did not identify simply with money or extravagance, but rather a certain conception of good taste and appropriate conduct.
Leopold was sued by Alain Montpetit
Alain Montpetit
Alain Montpetit was a television and radio personality in Quebec, as well as an actor.Montpetit was a native of Westmount, where he was born and where he grew up. His grandfather was Édouard Montpetit, founder of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Montreal...
, another Montreal media personality (and like Leopold, also worked at CKMF), when he accused him on air of the murder of a model. This led to the payment of a settlement of thirty thousand dollars to Montpetit. Two decades later, the case was reopened by the New York City Police, who received statements from a number of witnesses which linked Montpetit to the murder. These included a confession, from the woman who had provided Montpetit's alibi
Alibi
Alibi is a 1929 American crime film directed by Roland West. The screenplay was written by West and C. Gardner Sullivan, who adapted the 1927 Broadway stage play, Nightstick, written by Elaine Sterne Carrington, J.C...
, that she had lied about Montpetit being with her.
Leopold did not smoke, drink or take drugs. Although a few months before his death Leopold continued to claim publicly that he was in perfect health and did not have AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, he died due to this illness on 4 April 1993, at the Chris Brownlie Hospice in Los Angeles.
A fictionalised version of Leopold, played by Paul Doucet
Paul Doucet
Paul Doucet is a Canadian actor. He won a Prix Gémeaux for Meilleure interprétation premier rôle masculin - série dramatique for his portrayal of Jean Duceppe in the Jean Duceppe episode 5. His most recent work includes a leading role in Les 3 P'tits Cochons...
, is one of the central characters in the 2010 Canadian film Funkytown
Funkytown (film)
Funkytown is a 2011 Canadian drama film directed by Daniel Roby and written by Steve Galluccio.Set in Montreal during the disco era, the film revolves around the Starlight, a fictionalized version of Montreal's famed Lime Light discothèque...
. Steve Galluccio
Steve Galluccio
Steve Galluccio is a Canadian screenwriter. His credits include the films Mambo Italiano , Surviving My Mother and Funkytown, and the television series Ciao Bella.Galluccio is openly gay.-External links:...
, the scriptwriter for the film, had in fact once been interviewed by Leopold to be his assistant.