Name
Serge Reggiani
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1922-05-02
Deathday
2004-07-22 (82 years old)
Place of Birth
Reggio Emilia, Italy
Biography
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
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As Garibaldi's troops begin the unification of Italy in the 1860s, an aristocratic Sicilia...
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During the 1960s, two American jazz musicians living in Paris meet and fall in love with t...
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In 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a rel...
6.4
This tale of intrigue finds Valentina Cortese involved in an assassination plot. She helps...
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Marie-Chantal travels by train to her cousin's place to spend a winter holiday, when a str...
6.438
In France in 1946, the difficult return to civilian life of five deportees and prisoners o...
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Two adventurers and best friends, Roland and Manu, are the victims of a practical joke tha...
- 1963 The Leopard as Ciccio Tumeo
- 1958 Les Misérables as Enjolras
- 1976 The Good and the Bad as le chef de la résistance
- 1962 Le Doulos as Maurice Faugel
- 1967 The Last Adventure as the pilot
- 1961 Paris Blues as Michel 'Gypsy' Devigne
- 2009 Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno as Marcel (archive footage)
- 1974 Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others as Paul, écrivain, journaliste
- 1946 Gates of the Night as Guy Sénéchal
- 1969 Army of Shadows as Le barbier
- 2014 Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui
- 1977 Solemn Communion as Le récitant chanteur (voice)
- 1949 Return to Life as Louis (segment "Le retour de Louis")
- 1993 De force avec d'autres as Sergio
- 1986 Mauvais Sang as Charlie
- 1960 Everybody Go Home! as Geniere Assunto Ceccarelli
- 1986 The Beekeeper as Sick Man
- 1967 The 25th Hour as Trajan Koruga
- 1949 The Lovers of Verona as Angelo (Romeo)
- 1952 Casque d'Or as Georges
- 1950 La Ronde as Franz, le soldat
- 1990 There Were Days... and Moons as Le père de Sophie
- 1974 Don't Touch the White Woman! as The Mad Indian
- 1941 Saturnin de Marseille
- 1965 The Blue Panther as Ivanov
- 1941 Night in December as (uncredited)
- 1959 Marie-Octobre as Antoine Rougier
- 1975 Cat and Mouse as Lechat
- 1947 Coïncidences as Jean Ménétrier
- 1980 The Terrace as Sergio Stifler
- 2011 Il était une fois... Vincent, François, Paul et les autres as Self (archive footage)
- 1951 Good Enough to Eat as Jean-Loup aka 'Loup'
- 1970 36, le grand tournant as Narrator (voice)
- 1952 Secret People as Louis Balan
- 1953 Storms as Sergio Parnell
- 1946 Star Without Light as Gaston Lansac
- 1949 Manon as Léon Lescaut
- 1949 The Sinners as Pierre
- 1993 Rosen-Emil as Dr. Levy
- 1990 Plein fer as Emilio
- 1953 Act of Love as Claude Lacaud
- 1949 The Mystery of the Yellow Room as Joseph Rouletabille
- 1949 The Perfume of the Lady in Black as Joseph "Rouletabille"
- 1955 The Wicked Go to Hell as Rudel
- 1980 Fantastica as Euclide Brown
- 1950 The Elders of Saint-Loup as Abbot Paul Forestier
- 1958 Not Delivered as Bastien Sassey
- 1944 Children of Chaos as Joris
- 1943 Le Voyageur de la Toussaint as Bob Éloi
- 1958 The Stowaway as Alfred Mougins
- 1953 The Curious Adventures of Mr. Wonderbird as Chimney Sweep (voice)
- 1977 Violette & Francois as M. Levene
- 1952 Red Shirts - Anita Garibaldi as Lantini
- 1997 Heroines as monsieur Montgolfier
- 1953 The World Condemns Them as André
- 1962 Warriors Five as Libero
- 1957 Élisa as Bernard Voisin
- 1977 Une fille cousue de fil blanc as Jérôme
- 1961 Pueblo en armas as Narrator (voice)
- 2022 La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président as Self (archive footage)
- 1988 L'écho as Marius
- 1957 The Seine Meets Paris as Speaker
- 1972 The Big Shots as Thia
- 1990 I Hired a Contract Killer as Vic
- 1938 Boys' School as Un élève
- 1948 Le Dessous des cartes as Manu
- 1988 Let Sleeping Cops Lie as Le Stéphanois
- 1993 Serge Reggiani - Palais des congrès as Self
- 1960 Mad Years as Récitant / Narrator (voice)
- 1957 The Doll that Took the Town as Mario Grimaldi
- 1972 3000 Million Without an Elevator as Pierrot
- 1955 Napoleon as Lucien Bonaparte
- 1998 The Pianist as Rossell mayor
- 1968 The Day of the Owl as Parrinieddu
- 1980 The Imprint of Giants as Fouldroule
- 1970 Countdown to Vengeance as François Nolan
- 1968 The Seven Cervi Brothers as Ferrari, antifascista in carcere
- 1945 François Villon as François Villon
- 1966 The Threatening Sky as Narrator
- 1995 Les Enfoirés 1995 - Les Enfoirés à l'Opéra-Comique
- 2010 They Saw Inferno as Self
- 1995 The Little Boy as Germain
- 1965 Bestiary of Love as Narrator (voice)
- 1951 On the Set of 'Casque D'Or' as Self (Archive Footage)
- 1967 La Plaie et le Couteau, Charles Baudelaire as Un récitant
- 1989 Coupe franche as Mathieu
- 1961 Cuba, a People Armed as Narrator
- 1969 France, Song as Himself
- 1985 Victoires de la musique ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1972 Le Grand Échiquier ( 7 episodes ) as Self
- 1975 Les Rendez-vous du dimanche ( 3 episodes ) as Self
- 1968 À bout portant ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1975 Numéro un ( 4 episodes ) as Self
- 1975 Numéro un ( 1 episode ) as Self - Host
- 1972 Midi trente ( 2 episodes ) as Self
- 1982 Champs-Elysées ( 2 episodes ) as Self
- 1956 Cinépanorama ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1984 La Chance aux chansons ( 12 episodes ) as Self
- 1987 Le monde est à vous ( 8 episodes ) as Self
- 1998 Vivement dimanche ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1959 Discorama ( 4 episodes ) as Self
- 1956 Une enquête du commissaire Prévôt ( 12 episodes ) as Le commissaire Prévôt
- 1976 30 millions d'amis ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1971 Samedi soir ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1987 Sacrée soirée ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1985 Cinecittà Cinecittà ( 1 episode ) as Serge Reggiani
- 1957 Overseas Press Club - Exclusive! ( 1 episode ) as Sgt. Jean Renaud
- 1978 Ciné regards ( 2 episodes ) as Self
