Serge Reggiani
Serge Reggiani (2 May 1922 – 23 July 2004) was an Italian-born French singer and actor. He was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy and moved to France with his parents at the age of eight. For many years, he struggled with alcoholism, caused in part by the 1980 suicide of his son Stephan. After acting school (Conservatoire des arts cinématographiques) he was discovered by Jean Cocteau and appeared in a wartime production of Les Parents terribles ("The Terrible Parents"). During World War II, he left Paris to join the French resistance. His first feature film came in 1946 with his role in Les portes de la nuit ("The Doors of the Night"). He later went on to perform in 80 films including Casque d'or, Les Misérables (1958),Tutti a casa, Le Doulos, Il Gattopardo, La terrazza, The Pianist (1998). In spite of never quite reaching the peak with his acting career, he did triumph in the theatre in 1959 with his performance in Jean-Paul Sartre’s play Les Séquestrés d'Altona. In the meantime, though, in 1965 he began a second career, that of a singer (at the age of 43), with the help of Simone Signoret and her husband Yves Montand and later with great assistance of the French diva Barbara. Reggiani became one of the most acclaimed performers of French "Chanson" ("song") and although he was in his 40s, his bad-boy rugged image made him popular with both young and older listeners. His best known songs include Les loups sont entrés dans Paris ("The Wolves Have Entered Paris") and Sarah (La femme qui est dans mon lit) ("The Woman Who Is In My Bed"), the latter written by Georges Moustaki. However, one of his regular songwriters throughout his career was Boris Vian (Le Déserteur, Arthur où t'as mis le corps, La Java des bombes atomiques). His new young fans identified with his left-wing ideals and antimilitarism, most notably during the 1968 student revolts in France. With age he became more and more acclaimed as one of the best interpreters of the French chanson also bringing the poetry of Rimbaud, Apollinaire and Prévert closer to his audience. In 1995, he made a comeback to the singing stage, giving a few concerts despite his deteriorated health and personal distress, the last one being held as late as in the year of his death, in spring of 2004. In later life he became a painter and gave a number of exhibitions of his artwork. Serge Reggiani died in Paris of a heart attack at the age of 82, one day after the death of another well known French singer Sacha Distel. He is interred in Montparnasse Cemetery.
Known For
Credits
- 2022 · La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président as Self (archive footage)
- 2014 · Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui as
- 2011 · Il était une fois... Vincent, François, Paul et les autres as
- 2010 · They Saw Inferno as Self
- 2009 · Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno as Marcel (archive footage)
- 1998 · Vivement dimanche as Self
- 1998 · The Pianist as Rossell mayor
- 1997 · Heroines as monsieur Montgolfier
- 1995 · Les Enfoirés 1995 - Les Enfoirés à l'Opéra-Comique as
- 1995 · The Little Boy as Germain
- 1993 · Serge Reggiani - Palais des congrès as
- 1993 · Rosen-Emil as Dr. Levy
- 1993 · De force avec d'autres as Sergio
- 1990 · I Hired a Contract Killer as Vic
- 1990 · Plein fer as Emilio
- 1990 · There Were Days... and Moons as le père de Sophie
- 1988 · Let Sleeping Cops Lie as Le Stéphanois
- 1988 · L'écho as
- 1987 · Le monde est à vous as Self
- 1986 · Mauvais Sang as Charlie
- 1986 · The Beekeeper as Sick Man
- 1985 · Victoires de la musique as Self
- 1984 · La Chance aux chansons as Self
- 1982 · Champs-Elysées as Self
- 1980 · Fantastica as Euclide Brown
- 1980 · The Imprint of Giants as Fouldroule
- 1980 · The Terrace as Sergio
- 1977 · Solemn Communion as Le récitant chanteur (voice)
- 1977 · Violette & Francois as Père de François
- 1977 · Une fille cousue de fil blanc as Jérôme
- 1976 · The Good and the Bad as le chef de la résistance
- 1976 · 30 millions d'amis as Self
- 1975 · Cat and Mouse as Lechat
- 1975 · Numéro un as Self
- 1975 · Numéro un as Self - Host
- 1975 · Les Rendez-vous du dimanche as Self
- 1974 · Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others as Paul, écrivain, journaliste
- 1974 · Don't Touch the White Woman! as The Mad Indian
- 1972 · The Big Shots as Thia
- 1972 · 3000 Million Without an Elevator as Pierrot
- 1972 · Midi trente as Self
- 1972 · Le Grand Échiquier as Self
- 1971 · Samedi soir as Self
- 1970 · 36, le grand tournant as
- 1970 · Countdown to Vengeance as François Nolan
- 1969 · Army of Shadows as Hairdresser
- 1968 · À bout portant as Self
- 1968 · The Day of the Owl as Parrinieddu
- 1968 · The Seven Cervi Brothers as Ferrari, antifascista in carcere
- 1967 · The 25th Hour as Trajan Koruga
- 1967 · The Last Adventure as the pilot
- 1966 · The Threatening Sky as Narrator
- 1965 · Bestiary of Love as
- 1965 · The Blue Panther as Ivanov
- 1963 · The Leopard as Don Francisco Ciccio Tumeo
- 1962 · Le Doulos as Maurice Faugel
- 1962 · Warriors Five as Libero
- 1961 · Paris Blues as Michel 'Gypsy' Devigne
- 1960 · Mad Years as Récitant / Narrator (voice)
- 1960 · Everybody Go Home! as Geniere Assunto Ceccarelli
- 1959 · Marie-Octobre as Antoine Rougier
- 1959 · Discorama as Self
- 1958 · The Stowaway as Alfred Mougins
- 1958 · Les Misérables as Enjolras
- 1958 · Not Delivered as Bastien Sassey
- 1957 · The Seine Meets Paris as Speaker
- 1957 · Élisa as Bernard Voisin
- 1957 · The Doll that Took the Town as Mario Grimaldi
- 1956 · Une enquête du commissaire Prévôt as Le commissaire Prévôt
- 1956 · Cinépanorama as Self
- 1955 · The Wicked Go to Hell as Rudel
- 1955 · Napoleon as Lucien Bonaparte
- 1953 · Act of Love as Claude Lacaud
- 1953 · The Curious Adventures of Mr. Wonderbird as Chimney Sweep (voice)
- 1953 · Storms as Sergio Parnell
- 1953 · The World Condemns Them as André
- 1952 · Red Shirts - Anita Garibaldi as Lantini
- 1952 · Casque d'Or as Georges
- 1952 · Secret People as Louis Balan
- 1951 · Good Enough to Eat as Jean-Loup aka 'Loup'
- 1950 · La Ronde as Franz, le soldat
- 1950 · The Elders of Saint-Loup as abbé Paul Forestier
- 1949 · The Perfume of the Lady in Black as Joseph "Rouletabille"
- 1949 · The Sinners as Pierre
- 1949 · Return to Life as Louis (segment "Le retour de Louis")
- 1949 · The Mystery of the Yellow Room as Joseph Rouletabille
- 1949 · Manon as Léon Lescaut
- 1949 · The Lovers of Verona as Angelo (Romeo)
- 1948 · Le Dessous des cartes as Manu
- 1947 · Coïncidences as
- 1946 · Gates of the Night as Guy Sénéchal
- 1946 · Star Without Light as Gaston Lansac
- 1945 · François Villon as François Villon
- 1944 · Children of Chaos as Joris
- 1943 · Le Voyageur de la Toussaint as Bob Éloi
- Future · Pueblo en armas as
- 1941 · Night in December as (uncredited)
- 1941 · Saturnin de Marseille as
- 1938 · Boys' School as Un élève