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.
Known For

Champs-Elysées

Vivement dimanche

Sacrée soirée

Les Rendez-vous du dimanche

Le monde est à vous

Numéro un

Numéro un

Le Grand Échiquier
All Movies (88)
- La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président2022 · as Self (archive footage)
- Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui2014
- Il était une fois... Vincent, François, Paul et les autres2011 · as Self (archive footage)
- They Saw Inferno2010 · as Self
- Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno2009 · as Marcel (archive footage)
- The Pianist1998 · as Rossell mayor
- Heroines1997 · as monsieur Montgolfier
- Les Enfoirés 1995 - Les Enfoirés à l'Opéra-Comique1995
- The Little Boy1995 · as Germain
- Serge Reggiani - Palais des congrès1993 · as Self
- Rosen-Emil1993 · as Dr. Levy
- De force avec d'autres1993 · as Sergio
- I Hired a Contract Killer1990 · as Vic
- Plein fer1990 · as Emilio
- There Were Days... and Moons1990 · as Le père de Sophie
- Coupe franche1989 · as Mathieu
- Let Sleeping Cops Lie1988 · as Le Stéphanois
- L'écho1988 · as Marius
- Mauvais Sang1986 · as Charlie
- The Beekeeper1986 · as Sick Man
- Fantastica1980 · as Euclide Brown
- The Imprint of Giants1980 · as Fouldroule
- The Terrace1980 · as Sergio Stifler
- Solemn Communion1977 · as Le récitant chanteur (voice)
- Violette & Francois1977 · as M. Levene
- Une fille cousue de fil blanc1977 · as Jérôme
- The Good and the Bad1976 · as le chef de la résistance
- Cat and Mouse1975 · as Lechat
- Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others1974 · as Paul, écrivain, journaliste
- Don't Touch the White Woman!1974 · as The Mad Indian
- The Big Shots1972 · as Thia
- 3000 Million Without an Elevator1972 · as Pierrot
- 36, le grand tournant1970 · as Narrator (voice)
- Countdown to Vengeance1970 · as François Nolan
- Army of Shadows1969 · as Le barbier
- France, Song1969 · as Himself
- The Day of the Owl1968 · as Parrinieddu
- The Seven Cervi Brothers1968 · as Ferrari, antifascista in carcere
- La Plaie et le Couteau, Charles Baudelaire1967
- The 25th Hour1967 · as Trajan Koruga
- The Last Adventure1967 · as the pilot
- The Threatening Sky1966 · as Narrator
- Bestiary of Love1965 · as Narrator (voice)
- The Blue Panther1965 · as Ivanov
- The Leopard1963 · as Ciccio Tumeo
- Le Doulos1962 · as Maurice Faugel
- Warriors Five1962 · as Libero
- Pueblo en armas1961 · as Narrator (voice)
- Cuba, a People Armed1961 · as Narrator
- Paris Blues1961 · as Michel 'Gypsy' Devigne
- Mad Years1960 · as Récitant / Narrator (voice)
- Everybody Go Home!1960 · as Geniere Assunto Ceccarelli
- Marie-Octobre1959 · as Antoine Rougier
- The Stowaway1958 · as Alfred Mougins
- Les Misérables1958 · as Enjolras
- Not Delivered1958 · as Bastien Sassey
- The Seine Meets Paris1957 · as Speaker
- Élisa1957 · as Bernard Voisin
- The Doll that Took the Town1957 · as Mario Grimaldi
- The Wicked Go to Hell1955 · as Rudel
- Napoleon1955 · as Lucien Bonaparte
- Act of Love1953 · as Claude Lacaud
- Storms1953 · as Sergio Parnell
- The Curious Adventures of Mr. Wonderbird1953 · as Chimney Sweep (voice)
- The World Condemns Them1953 · as André
- Red Shirts - Anita Garibaldi1952 · as Lantini
- Casque d'Or1952 · as Georges
- Secret People1952 · as Louis Balan
- Good Enough to Eat1951 · as Jean-Loup aka 'Loup'
- On the Set of 'Casque D'Or'1951 · as Self (Archive Footage)
- La Ronde1950 · as Franz, le soldat
- The Elders of Saint-Loup1950 · as Abbot Paul Forestier
- The Perfume of the Lady in Black1949 · as Joseph "Rouletabille"
- The Sinners1949 · as Pierre
- Return to Life1949 · as Louis (segment "Le retour de Louis")
- The Mystery of the Yellow Room1949 · as Joseph Rouletabille
- Manon1949 · as Léon Lescaut
- The Lovers of Verona1949 · as Angelo (Romeo)
- Le Dessous des cartes1948 · as Manu
- Coïncidences1947 · as Jean Ménétrier
- Gates of the Night1946 · as Guy Sénéchal
- Star Without Light1946 · as Gaston Lansac
- François Villon1945 · as François Villon
- Children of Chaos1944 · as Joris
- Le Voyageur de la Toussaint1943 · as Bob Éloi
- Night in December1941 · as (uncredited)
- Saturnin de Marseille1941
- Boys' School1938 · as Un élève
All TV Shows (19)
- Vivement dimanche1998 · as Self
- Le monde est à vous1987 · as Self
- Sacrée soirée1987 · as Self
- Victoires de la musique1985 · as Self
- Cinecittà Cinecittà1985 · as Serge Reggiani
- La Chance aux chansons1984 · as Self
- Champs-Elysées1982 · as Self
- 30 millions d'amis1976 · as Self
- Numéro un1975 · as Self
- Numéro un1975 · as Self - Host
- Les Rendez-vous du dimanche1975 · as Self
- Midi trente1972 · as Self
- Le Grand Échiquier1972 · as Self
- Samedi soir1971 · as Self
- À bout portant1968 · as Self
- Discorama1959 · as Self
- Overseas Press Club - Exclusive!1957 · as Sgt. Jean Renaud
- Une enquête du commissaire Prévôt1956 · as Le commissaire Prévôt
- Cinépanorama1956 · as Self