Pierre André Clémenti (28 September 1942 – 27 December 1999) was a French actor.

Life and career

Born in Paris to an unknown father and Rose Clémenti, a Corsican concierge whose surname he took, Clémenti had a difficult childhood and took refuge in literature and the theatre. He studied drama and began his acting career in the theatre. He secured his first minor screen roles in

Yves Allégret Yves Allégret (13 October 1905 – 31 January 1987) was a French film director, often working in the film noir genre. He was born in Asnières-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine and died in Paris. He was an assistant to film directors such as his brothe ...

's '' Jack of Spades'' ("Chien de pique", 1960), performing alongside

Eddie Constantine Eddie Constantine (born Edward Israël Constantinowsky; October 29, 1917 – February 25, 1993) was an American singer, actor and entertainer who spent most of his career in France. He became well-known to film audiences for his portrayal of se ...

. Possibly his best remembered role was as the gangster lover/client of the bourgeois prostitute (

Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress as well as an occasional singer, model, and producer, considered one of the greatest European actresses. She gained recogni ...

) in ''

Belle de jour Belle may refer to: * Belle (''Beauty and the Beast'') * Belle (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Belle (surname), a list of people Brands and enterprises * Belle Air, a former airline with headquarters in Tirana, Albania * ...

'' (1967) directed by

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish-Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico, and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians, and directors to be one of the greatest and ...

, in whose other film ''

The Milky Way The Milky Way is the galaxy that includes our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye. ...

'' (1969) he played the Devil. He worked with several other European directors, including highly regarded films of the era, such as ''

The Leopard ''The Leopard'' ( it, Il Gattopardo ) is a novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa that chronicles the changes in Sicily, Sicilian life and society during the ''Risorgimento''. Published posthumously in 1958 by Feltrinelli (publisher), Feltrinell ...

'' (

Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, stage director, and screenwriter. A major figure of Italian art and culture in the mid-20th century, Visconti was one of the fat ...

, 1963), ''

Pigsty A sty or pigsty is a small-scale outdoor enclosure for raising domestic pigs as livestock. It is sometimes referred to as a hog pen, hog parlor, pigpen, pig parlor, or pig-cote, although pig pen may refer to pens confining pigs that are ke ...

'' (

Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual who also distinguished himself as a journalist, novelist, translator, playwright, visual artist and actor. He is considered one of ...

, 1969) and ''

The Conformist ''The Conformist'' (''Il conformista'') is a novel by Alberto Moravia published in 1951, which details the life and desire for normality of a government official during Italy's fascist period. It is also known for the 1970 film adaptation by B ...

'' (

Bernardo Bertolucci Bernardo Bertolucci (; 16 March 1941 – 26 November 2018) was an Italian film director and screenwriter with a career that spanned 50 years. Considered one of the greatest directors in Italian cinema, Bertolucci's work achieved international ...

, 1970, and Bertolucci's '' Partner'', 1968). Other directors he worked with include

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, and

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. In 1972, Clémenti's career was derailed after he was sentenced to prison for allegedly possessing or using drugs. Due to insufficient evidence, he was released after 17 months; later he wrote a book about his time in prison. After his release he played the ever-optimistic sailor of the Potemkin in

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's ''

Sweet Movie ''Sweet Movie'' is a 1974 avant-garde surrealist comedy-drama film written and directed by Yugoslavian director Dušan Makavejev. An international co-production of companies from France, Canada, and West Germany, the film follows two women: a Ca ...

'' (1974) and the role of Pablo, the seductive saxophone player, in

Fred Haines Fred Haines (February 27, 1936 – May 4, 2008) was an American screenwriter and film director. Early life Haines was born in Los Angeles in 1936, and later moved to Tucson, Arizona with his family. He joined the United States Navy in 195 ...

's '' Steppenwolf'' (also 1974) adapted from the novel by

Hermann Hesse Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include ''Demian'', '' Steppenwolf'', '' Siddhartha'', and '' The Glass Bead Game'', each of which explores an individual' ...

. Throughout his career he continued to be active in the theatre. Clémenti was also involved with the French

underground film An underground film is a film that is out of the mainstream either in its style, genre or financing. Notable examples include: John Waters' ''Pink Flamingos'', David Lynch's ''Eraserhead'', Andy Warhol's ''Blue Movie'', Rosa von Praunheim's ''T ...

movement, directing several of his own films which often featured fellow underground filmmakers and actors. ''Visa de censure no X'' was an experimental work composed of two films. ''

New Old ''New Old'' (New old ou les chroniques du temps présent), is a French film directed by Pierre Clémenti, released in 1979. It is the second part of an experimental trilogy comprising 'Visa De Censure No.X', 'Livre De Famille' and 'Anima Mundi'. ...

'' was a feature-length work starring

Viva Viva may refer to: Companies and organisations * Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator * Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia * Viva Air Dominicana * VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company * Vi ...

released in 1978. He went on to direct ''La Révolution ce n'est qu'un début, continuons le combat'', ''In the Shadow of the Blue Rascal'' and ''Sun''. He married actress Margareth Clémenti (née Le-Van, 1948), mother of his son Balthazar, born in July 1965. Later he was married to Nadine, mother of his second child, Valentin Clémenti-Arnoult. He died of

liver cancer Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...

in 1999.

Selected filmography

Bibliography

*1973 ''Carcere italiano''.

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

: Il Formichiere. *2005 ''Quelques messages personnels''.

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

: Gallimard. *2007 ''Pensieri dal carcere''. Fagnano Alto:

il Sirente Editrice il Sirente is an Italian book publisher with specialisms in human rights and international law, Arabic fiction and comics, investigation, actuality. The company was founded in 1998. The catalog, including works of nonfiction on topics m ...

References

External links

*
DVD Pierre Clémenti film-maker

Pierre Clémenti, cinéaste, by Doris Peternel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clementi, Pierre 1942 births 1999 deaths Male actors from Paris Deaths from liver cancer Deaths from cancer in France French male stage actors French male film actors French male television actors French people of Italian descent 20th-century French male actors