Gisele was born Gisele Lafleche at Winnipeg, Manitoba.
She changed her name to Mackenzie in honour of our second Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie because it had a nice ring to it when Gisele was added to it.
She studied piano, violin and voice at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
She sang with various bands and was then offered not one but two shows on CBC radio.
By 1951, her success brought wide acclaim and she was offered an opportunity to replace the Andrews Sisters on the daily program Club Fifteen in Los Angeles.
Her Career began to skyrocket as top entertainers such as Perry Como, Dinah Shore, Pat Boone and Jack Benny who thought she was the greatest thing since apple pie.
Jack Benny always praised her.
In her singing career she had ten number one hits, but her strengths were in hosting television
shows as well as her own U.S. show “Gisele”. She had a sense of comedic timing which helped her with the various comedy sketches that she participated in. This made her a fan
favourite with audiences across North America.
In 1955 she became a U.S. citizen for tax purposes and she became a Spokesperson for U.S. Immigration urging non citizens to fill out their Green Cards at their local Post office each year.
Giselle paved the way for many female Canadian singers to get the respect they deserved. in the U.S.
She is quoted as saying, “My Canadian upbringing has served me well here in the U.S. as I never forget where I come from and I am still proud of being Canadian.”
Gisele passed away in 2003.
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