Rolland F. Bertrand was the father of American actress and producer Marcheline Bertrand. He was born on June 11, 1923, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., to George G Bertrand and Marie Louise Angeline. Rolland was 26 years old when he married Louis June Gouwens, and together, they were parents of three children, one son and two daughters, Raleigh, Debbie, and Marcheline Bertrand.
Regarding his career, Rolland F. Bertrand was a businessman, and he worked in different areas in Illinois while moving with his family. He owned a bowling business in Cook, Illinois, and used the proceeds of his business to meet his family’s needs.
Rolland’s Daughter’s Professional Career
Marcheline Bertrand started her acting career in 1971 when she portrayed Connie in an episode of the television show Ironside. She did not have a great acting career, as she featured in a few films. In 1982, she played a minor role in Lookin’ to Get Out alongside her husband, Jon Voight.
Rolland Bertrand’s daughter’s last film role came in 1983 when she appeared in the comedy The Man Who Loved Women. Marcheline stopped acting and moved to production, confounding Woods Road Productions with her partner Bill Day.
As a producer, her works include the documentary Trudell about her partner John Trudell. The documentary was selected at Tribeca and Sundance Film Festivals, winning the Special Jury Prize at the Seattle International Film Festival.
Marcheline’s Philanthropic Work
Marcheline founded the All Tribes Foundation, which was geared towards safeguarding the life and future of native communities. Together with her husband, she donated close to one million dollars to programs that intended to strengthen the cultural and economical ways of native communities.
In 2003, Bertrand’s daughter and her partner worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to help Afghan refugees. When Marcheline was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she founded Give Love Give Life; the organization was to raise awareness about ovarian and other cancers affecting women.
The Give Love Give Life organization was raising awareness through music; their first concert was held in 2004. However, the second was held in 2007, a month after Bertrand’s death. Before her death, Marcheline had also worked trying to reach national outreach on cancer through Johanna’s Law.
Given cancer had taken her mother from her and she was already diagnosed with the same condition, she was doing everything she could to create awareness.
Marcheline’s Death
Before her death, Marcheline Bertrand struggled with cancer; she would visit the health facilities for chemotherapies and was sometimes hospitalized. She had breast and ovarian cancer; she was often surrounded by her family, who supported her during her last days.
Bertrand’s daughter was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she died on January 27, 2007, aged 56. Cancer was also the cause of Rolland’s wife’s death; his daughter died from the same condition.
Death
Rolland F. Bertrand died on April 8, 1985, aged 61, in Henderson, Nevada, U.S., and was buried in Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery in Cook, Illinois. Any of his family members did not mention the cause of his death.
