1922-05-02 ( 102 years old ) in Reggio Emilia, Italy
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.
Movies
They Saw Inferno
2010-04-12
Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno
2009-10-01
The Pianist
1998-09-13
Heroines
1997-08-27
The Little Boy
1995-01-11
Serge Reggiani - Palais des congrès
1993-11-17
Rosen-Emil
1993-08-19
De force avec d'autres
1993-04-24
I Hired a Contract Killer
1990-10-12
Plein fer
1990-09-26
There Were Days... and Moons
1990-04-11
Let Sleeping Cops Lie
1988-11-10
L'écho
1988-01-01
Mauvais Sang
1986-11-26
The Beekeeper
1986-10-23
Fantastica
1980-05-07
The Imprint of Giants
1980-03-05
The Terrace
1980-02-08
Solemn Communion
1977-04-27
Violette & Francois
1977-03-17
Une fille cousue de fil blanc
1977-01-26
The Good and the Bad
1976-01-19
Cat and Mouse
1975-09-03
Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others
1974-10-23
Don't Touch the White Woman!
1974-01-23
The Big Shots
1972-10-31
3000 Million Without an Elevator
1972-08-18
36, le grand tournant
1970-02-11
Countdown to Vengeance
1970-01-29
Army of Shadows
1969-09-10
The Day of the Owl
1968-02-17
The Seven Cervi Brothers
1968-02-16
The 25th Hour
1967-04-26
The Last Adventure
1967-04-12
The Threatening Sky
1966-09-05
Bestiary of Love
1965-11-03
The Blue Panther
1965-08-25
The Leopard
1963-03-27
Le Doulos
1962-12-13
Warriors Five
1962-09-30
Paris Blues
1961-09-27
Mad Years
1960-12-08
Everybody Go Home!
1960-10-27
Marie-Octobre
1959-04-24
The Stowaway
1958-03-21
Les Misérables
1958-03-11
Not Delivered
1958-01-15
The Seine Meets Paris
1957-11-20
Élisa
1957-03-08
The Doll that Took the Town
1957-02-06
The Wicked Go to Hell
1955-12-07
Napoleon
1955-03-25
Act of Love
1953-12-17
Storms
1953-05-29
The Curious Adventures of Mr. Wonderbird
1953-05-29
The World Condemns Them
1953-03-07
Red Shirts - Anita Garibaldi
1952-08-15
Casque d'Or
1952-03-13
Secret People
1952-02-05
Good Enough to Eat
1951-06-08
On the Set of 'Casque D'Or'
1951-01-01
La Ronde
1950-09-27
The Elders of Saint-Loup
1950-09-08
The Perfume of the Lady in Black
1949-10-05
The Sinners
1949-09-30
Return to Life
1949-09-14
The Mystery of the Yellow Room
1949-06-15
Manon
1949-03-09
The Lovers of Verona
1949-03-07
Le Dessous des cartes
1948-09-22
Coïncidences
1947-10-15
Gates of the Night
1946-12-03
Star Without Light
1946-04-03
François Villon
1945-09-02
Children of Chaos
1944-04-26
Le Voyageur de la Toussaint
1943-04-08
Night in December
1941-02-27
Saturnin de Marseille
1941-01-09
Boys' School
1938-04-05
Powered by Powerxsoft Ltd using the TMDB API