Serge Reggiani

Serge Reggiani

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.

Place of Birth: Not available

Birthday: May 02, 1922

Deathday: July 22, 2004

Popularity:

2.475

Known For

The Leopard
The Leopard

1963-03-27

Les Misérables
Les Misérables

1958-03-11

The Good and the Bad
The Good and the Bad

1976-01-19

Le Doulos
Le Doulos

1962-12-13

The Last Adventure
The Last Adventure

1967-04-12

Paris Blues
Paris Blues

1961-09-27

Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno
Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno

2009-10-01

Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others
Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others

1974-10-23

Gates of the Night
Gates of the Night

1946-12-03

Army of Shadows
Army of Shadows

1969-09-10

Solemn Communion
Solemn Communion

1977-04-27

Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui
Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui

2014-12-13

Return to Life
Return to Life

1949-09-14

De force avec d'autres
De force avec d'autres

1993-04-24

Mauvais Sang
Mauvais Sang

1986-11-26

Everybody Go Home!
Everybody Go Home!

1960-10-27

The Beekeeper
The Beekeeper

1986-10-23

The 25th Hour
The 25th Hour

1967-04-26

The Lovers of Verona
The Lovers of Verona

1949-03-07

Casque d'Or
Casque d'Or

1952-03-13

La Ronde
La Ronde

1950-09-27

There Were Days... and Moons
There Were Days... and Moons

1990-04-11

Don't Touch the White Woman!
Don't Touch the White Woman!

1974-01-23

Saturnin de Marseille
Saturnin de Marseille

1941-01-09

The Blue Panther
The Blue Panther

1965-08-25

Night in December
Night in December

1941-02-27

Marie-Octobre
Marie-Octobre

1959-04-24

Cat and Mouse
Cat and Mouse

1975-09-03

Coïncidences
Coïncidences

1947-10-15

The Terrace
The Terrace

1980-02-08

Il était une fois... Vincent, François, Paul et les autres
Il était une fois... Vincent, François, Paul et les autres

2011-05-13

Good Enough to Eat
Good Enough to Eat

1951-06-08

36, le grand tournant
36, le grand tournant

1970-02-11

Secret People
Secret People

1952-02-05

Storms
Storms

1953-05-29

Star Without Light
Star Without Light

1946-04-03

Manon
Manon

1949-03-09

The Sinners
The Sinners

1949-09-30

Plein fer
Plein fer

1990-09-26

Rosen-Emil
Rosen-Emil

1993-08-19

Act of Love
Act of Love

1953-12-17

The Mystery of the Yellow Room
The Mystery of the Yellow Room

1949-06-15

The Perfume of the Lady in Black
The Perfume of the Lady in Black

1949-10-05

The Wicked Go to Hell
The Wicked Go to Hell

1955-12-07

Fantastica
Fantastica

1980-05-07

The Elders of Saint-Loup
The Elders of Saint-Loup

1950-09-08

Not Delivered
Not Delivered

1958-01-15

Children of Chaos
Children of Chaos

1944-04-26

Le Voyageur de la Toussaint
Le Voyageur de la Toussaint

1943-04-08

The Stowaway
The Stowaway

1958-03-21

The Curious Adventures of Mr. Wonderbird
The Curious Adventures of Mr. Wonderbird

1953-05-29

Violette & Francois
Violette & Francois

1977-03-17

Red Shirts - Anita Garibaldi
Red Shirts - Anita Garibaldi

1952-08-15

Heroines
Heroines

1997-08-27

The World Condemns Them
The World Condemns Them

1953-03-07

Warriors Five
Warriors Five

1962-09-30

Élisa
Élisa

1957-03-08

Une fille cousue de fil blanc
Une fille cousue de fil blanc

1977-01-26

Pueblo en armas
Pueblo en armas

La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président

2022-01-07

L'écho
L'écho

1988-01-01

The Seine Meets Paris
The Seine Meets Paris

1957-11-20

The Big Shots
The Big Shots

1972-10-31

I Hired a Contract Killer
I Hired a Contract Killer

1990-10-12

Boys' School
Boys' School

1938-04-05

Le Dessous des cartes
Le Dessous des cartes

1948-09-22

Let Sleeping Cops Lie
Let Sleeping Cops Lie

1988-11-10

Serge Reggiani - Palais des congrès
Serge Reggiani - Palais des congrès

1993-11-17

Mad Years
Mad Years

1960-12-08

The Doll that Took the Town
The Doll that Took the Town

1957-02-06

3000 Million Without an Elevator
3000 Million Without an Elevator

1972-08-18

Napoleon
Napoleon

1955-03-25

The Pianist
The Pianist

1998-09-13

The Day of the Owl
The Day of the Owl

1968-02-17

The Imprint of Giants
The Imprint of Giants

1980-03-05

Countdown to Vengeance
Countdown to Vengeance

1970-01-29

The Seven Cervi Brothers
The Seven Cervi Brothers

1968-02-16

François Villon
François Villon

1945-09-02

The Threatening Sky
The Threatening Sky

1966-09-05

Les Enfoirés 1995 - Les Enfoirés à l'Opéra-Comique
Les Enfoirés 1995 - Les Enfoirés à l'Opéra-Comique

1995-03-08

They Saw Inferno
They Saw Inferno

2010-04-12

The Little Boy
The Little Boy

1995-01-11

Bestiary of Love
Bestiary of Love

1965-11-03

On the Set of 'Casque D'Or'
On the Set of 'Casque D'Or'

1951-01-01