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.
Photos
Movies (88)
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
2022 · Self (archive footage)
Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui
2014
Il était une fois... Vincent, François, Paul et les autres
2011 · Self (archive footage)
They Saw Inferno
2010 · Self
Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno
2009 · Marcel (archive footage)
The Pianist
1998 · Rossell mayor
Heroines
1997 · monsieur Montgolfier
Les Enfoirés 1995 - Les Enfoirés à l'Opéra-Comique
1995
The Little Boy
1995 · Germain
Serge Reggiani - Palais des congrès
1993 · Self
Rosen-Emil
1993 · Dr. Levy
De force avec d'autres
1993 · Sergio
Contraté un asesino a sueldo
1990 · Vic
Plein fer
1990 · Emilio
There Were Days... and Moons
1990 · Le père de Sophie
Coupe franche
1989 · Mathieu
Let Sleeping Cops Lie
1988 · Le Stéphanois
L'écho
1988 · Marius
Mauvais Sang
1986 · Charlie
The Beekeeper
1986 · Sick Man
Fantastica
1980 · Euclide Brown
The Imprint of Giants
1980 · Fouldroule
The Terrace
1980 · Sergio Stifler
Solemn Communion
1977 · Le récitant chanteur (voice)
Violette & Francois
1977 · M. Levene
Une fille cousue de fil blanc
1977 · Jérôme
The Good and the Bad
1976 · le chef de la résistance
Cat and Mouse
1975 · Lechat
Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others
1974 · Paul, écrivain, journaliste
Don't Touch the White Woman!
1974 · The Mad Indian
The Big Shots
1972 · Thia
3000 Million Without an Elevator
1972 · Pierrot
36, le grand tournant
1970 · Narrator (voice)
Countdown to Vengeance
1970 · François Nolan
Army of Shadows
1969 · Le barbier
France, Song
1969 · Himself
The Day of the Owl
1968 · Parrinieddu
The Seven Cervi Brothers
1968 · Ferrari, antifascista in carcere
La Plaie et le Couteau, Charles Baudelaire
1967 · Un récitant
The 25th Hour
1967 · Trajan Koruga
The Last Adventure
1967 · the pilot
The Threatening Sky
1966 · Narrator
Bestiary of Love
1965 · Narrator (voice)
The Blue Panther
1965 · Ivanov
The Leopard
1963 · Ciccio Tumeo
Le Doulos
1962 · Maurice Faugel
Warriors Five
1962 · Libero
Pueblo en armas
1961 · Narrator (voice)
Cuba, a People Armed
1961 · Narrator
Paris Blues
1961 · Michel 'Gypsy' Devigne
Mad Years
1960 · Récitant / Narrator (voice)
Everybody Go Home!
1960 · Geniere Assunto Ceccarelli
Marie-Octobre
1959 · Antoine Rougier
The Stowaway
1958 · Alfred Mougins
Les Misérables
1958 · Enjolras
Not Delivered
1958 · Bastien Sassey
The Seine Meets Paris
1957 · Speaker
Élisa
1957 · Bernard Voisin
The Doll that Took the Town
1957 · Mario Grimaldi
The Wicked Go to Hell
1955 · Rudel
Napoleon
1955 · Lucien Bonaparte
Act of Love
1953 · Claude Lacaud
Storms
1953 · Sergio Parnell
The Curious Adventures of Mr. Wonderbird
1953 · Chimney Sweep (voice)
The World Condemns Them
1953 · André
Red Shirts - Anita Garibaldi
1952 · Lantini
Casque d'Or
1952 · Georges
Secret People
1952 · Louis Balan
Good Enough to Eat
1951 · Jean-Loup aka 'Loup'
On the Set of 'Casque D'Or'
1951 · Self (Archive Footage)
La Ronde
1950 · Franz, le soldat
The Elders of Saint-Loup
1950 · Abbot Paul Forestier
The Perfume of the Lady in Black
1949 · Joseph "Rouletabille"
The Sinners
1949 · Pierre
Return to Life
1949 · Louis (segment "Le retour de Louis")
The Mystery of the Yellow Room
1949 · Joseph Rouletabille
Manon
1949 · Léon Lescaut
The Lovers of Verona
1949 · Angelo (Romeo)
Le Dessous des cartes
1948 · Manu
Coïncidences
1947 · Jean Ménétrier
Gates of the Night
1946 · Guy Sénéchal
Star Without Light
1946 · Gaston Lansac
François Villon
1945 · François Villon
Children of Chaos
1944 · Joris
Le Voyageur de la Toussaint
1943 · Bob Éloi
Night in December
1941 · (uncredited)
Saturnin de Marseille
1941
Boys' School
1938 · Un élève
TV shows (19)
Vivement dimanche
1998 · Self
Le monde est à vous
1987 · Self
Sacrée soirée
1987 · Self
Victoires de la musique
1985 · Self
Cinecittà Cinecittà
1985 · Serge Reggiani
La Chance aux chansons
1984 · Self
Champs-Elysées
1982 · Self
Ciné regards
1978 · Self
30 millions d'amis
1976 · Self
Numéro un
1975 · Self, Self - Host
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
1975 · Self
Midi trente
1972 · Self
Le Grand Échiquier
1972 · Self
Samedi soir
1971 · Self
À bout portant
1968 · Self
Discorama
1959 · Self
Overseas Press Club - Exclusive!
1957 · Sgt. Jean Renaud
Une enquête du commissaire Prévôt
1956 · Le commissaire Prévôt
Cinépanorama
1956 · Self