Serge Reggiani (2 May 1922 – 23 July 2004) was an Italian-French actor and singer. He was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy and moved to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

with his parents at the age of eight. After studying acting at the Conservatoire des arts cinématographiques, he was discovered by

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the su ...

and appeared in the wartime production of ''

Les Parents terribles ''Les Parents terribles'' is a 1938 French play written by Jean Cocteau. Despite initial problems with censorship, it was revived on the French stage several times after its original production, and in 1948 a film adaptation directed by Cocteau ...

''. He then left

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. S ...

to join the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

. His first feature film was ''Les portes de la nuit'' ("

Gates of the Night ''Gates of the Night'' (french: Les Portes de la nuit) is a 1946 French film that was directed by Marcel Carné. It starred Serge Reggiani and Yves Montand. The script was written by Carné's long-time collaborator Jacques Prévert. The film made ...

"), released in 1946. He went on to perform in 80 films in total, including ''

Casque d'or ''Casque d'Or'' ("Golden Helmet") is a 1952 French historical drama film directed by Jacques Becker. It is a Belle Époque tragedy, the story of an ill-fated love affair between characters played by Simone Signoret and Serge Reggiani. The story wa ...

'', ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'' (1958),''

Tutti a casa ''Everybody Go Home'' ( it, Tutti a casa) is a 1960 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Luigi Comencini. It features an international cast including the U.S. actors Martin Balsam, Alex Nicol and the Franco-Italian Serge Reggiani. Nino Manfred ...

'', ''

Le Doulos ''Le Doulos'' () is a 1962 French crime film written and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, adapted from the novel of the same name by Pierre Lesou. It was released theatrically as ''The Finger Man'' in the English-speaking world, but all video an ...

'', ''

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

'', '' La terrazza'', '' The Pianist'' (1998). Reggiani also triumphed in the theatre in 1959 with his performance in

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and litera ...

's play '' Les Séquestrés d'Altona''. In 1961, Reggiani co-starred with

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

and

Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was an American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive ...

in the film ''

Paris Blues ''Paris Blues'' is a 1961 American musical romantic drama film directed by Martin Ritt, starring Sidney Poitier as expatriate jazz saxophonist Eddie Cook, and Paul Newman as trombone-playing Ram Bowen. The two men romance two vacationing Americ ...

'', filmed on location in Paris. In 1965, at the age of 43, he began a second career as a singer, with the help of

Simone Signoret Simone Signoret (; born Simone Henriette Charlotte Kaminker; 25 March 1921 – 30 September 1985) was a French actress. She received various accolades, including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, a César Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a ...

and her husband

Yves Montand Ivo Livi (), better known as Yves Montand (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), was an Italian-French actor and singer. Early life Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, to Giovanni Livi, a broom manufacturer, Ivo held strong ...

, and later with the assistance of the French singer Barbara. Reggiani became one of the most acclaimed performers of French ''

chanson A (, , french: chanson française, link=no, ; ) is generally any lyric-driven French song, though it most often refers to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval and Renaissance music. The genre had origins in the monophonic s ...

'' and although he was in his 40s, his rugged image made him popular with both younger 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 Georges Moustaki (born Giuseppe Mustacchi; 3 May 1934 – 23 May 2013) was an Egyptian-French singer-songwriter of Jewish Italo-Greek origin. He wrote about 300 songs for some of the most popular singers in France, including Édith Piaf, Dalida, ...

. He regularly sang songs by

Boris Vian Boris Vian (; 10 March 1920 – 23 June 1959) was a French polymath: writer, poet, musician, singer, translator, critic, actor, inventor and engineer who is primarily remembered for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sulliva ...

(''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 anti-militarism, most notably during the student revolts in France in 1968. With age he became more and more acclaimed as one of the best interpreters of the ''chanson'', and also for bringing the poems of

Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he start ...

Apollinaire Guillaume Apollinaire) of the Wąż coat of arms. (; 26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist, and art critic of Polish descent. Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of the ...

, and Prévert to new audiences. From 1980, when his son died, Reggiani struggled with alcoholism and depression. In 1995, however, he made a comeback to singing, giving a few concerts despite his deteriorated health and personal distress, the last one being held as late as the spring of 2004. In later life, he became a painter and gave a number of exhibitions of his works. 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 Alexandre "Sacha" Distel (29 January 1933 – 22 July 2004) was a French singer, guitarist, songwriter and actor who had hits with a cover version of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" in 1970, which reached No 10 in the UK Charts, "Scoubidou", ...

. He is buried in

Montparnasse Cemetery Montparnasse Cemetery (french: link=no, Cimetière du Montparnasse) is a cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, in the city's 14th arrondissement. The cemetery is roughly 47 acres and is the second largest cemetery in Paris. The cemetery ...

Selected filmography

* ''

Boys' School Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in separate buildings or schools. The practice of ...

'' (1938) – Un élève (uncredited) * ''

Conflict Conflict may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Conflict'' (1921 film), an American silent film directed by Stuart Paton * ''Conflict'' (1936 film), an American boxing film starring John Wayne * ''Conflict'' (1937 film) ...

'' (1938) – (uncredited) * ''

Night in December ''Night in December'' (French: ''Nuit de décembre'') is a 1940 drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt and starring Pierre Blanchar, Renée Saint-Cyr and Gilbert Gil.Crisp p.250 The film's art direction was by Henri Ménessier. Cast * Pierre B ...

'' (1940) – Un figurant * ''Saturnin de Marseille'' (1941) * '' Strange Inheritance'' (1943) – Bob Éloi * ''Le carrefour des enfants perdus'' (1944) – Joris * ''

François Villon François Villon (Modern French: , ; – after 1463) is the best known French poet of the Late Middle Ages. He was involved in criminal behavior and had multiple encounters with law enforcement authorities. Villon wrote about some of these ex ...

'' (1945) – François Villon * '' Star Without Light'' (1946) – Gaston Lansac * ''

'' (1946) – Guy Sénéchal *''

Coincidences A coincidence is a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances that have no apparent causal connection with one another. The perception of remarkable coincidences may lead to supernatural, occult, or paranormal claims, or it may lead to ...

'' (1947) – Jean Ménétrier * ''La fleur de l'âge'' (1947) * ''Manù il contrabbandiere'' (1948) – Manuel Ambrosini, detto 'Manù' * ''

Under the Cards ''Under the Cards'' (French: ''Le dessous des cartes'') is a 1948 French crime film directed by André Cayatte and starring Madeleine Sologne, Serge Reggiani and Paul Meurisse.Crisp p.311 The story is loosely based on the Stavisky Affair of the 1 ...

'' (1948) – Manu * ''

The Lovers Of Verona ''The Lovers of Verona'' (french: Les amants de Vérone) is a 1949 French romantic drama film co-written and directed by André Cayatte, loosely based on the William Shakespeare play ''Romeo and Juliet''. The film was a joint project of screenwr ...

'' (1949) – Angelo (Romeo) * ''

Manon ''Manon'' () is an ''opéra comique'' in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel '' L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'' by the Abbé Prévost. It was first ...

'' (1949) – Leon Lescaut * ''

The Mystery of the Yellow Room ''The Mystery of the Yellow Room'' (in French ''Le mystère de la chambre jaune'') is a mystery novel written by French author Gaston Leroux. One of the first locked-room mystery novels, it was first published serially in France in the periodical ...

'' (1949) – Joseph Rouletabille * ''

Return to Life ''Return to Life'' (french: Retour à la vie) is a 1949 French drama portmanteau film in five parts directed by Georges Lampin, André Cayatte, Henri-Georges Clouzot and Jean Dréville (who directed the last two parts). It was entered into the ...

'' (1949) – Louis, le mari de la jeune allemande (segment 5 : Le retour de Louis") * ''Au royaume des cieux'' (1949) – Pierre Massot * ''

The Perfume of the Lady in Black ''The Perfume of the Lady in Black'' ( it, Il profumo della signora in nero) is a 1974 giallo-horror film directed by Francesco Barilli. The film had nothing to do with the similarly-titled novel by Gaston Leroux. Plot Silvia (Mimsy Farmer) is ...

'' (1949) – Joseph Rouletabille * ''

La Ronde La Ronde may refer to: Geography * La Ronde, Charente-Maritime, a commune in the Charente-Maritime ''département'', France * La Ronde River, on the Caribbean island of Dominica *La Ronde (amusement park), Montreal, Quebec, Canada *A La Ronde, an ...

'' (1950) – Franz the Soldier * '' Old Boys of Saint-Loup'' (1950) – L'abbé Paul Forestier * ''

Good Enough to Eat ''Good Enough to Eat'' (French: ''Une fille à croquer'') is a 1951 French comedy film directed by Raoul André and starring Gaby Morlay, Louise Carletti and Serge Reggiani. It draws inspiration from the story of Red Riding Hood.Zipes p.145 The f ...

'' (1951) – Jean-Louis dit Loup * '' Secret People'' (1952) – Louis * ''

'' (1952) – Georges Manda * '' Red Shirts'' (''Anita Garibaldi'', 1952) – Lantini * ''

The King and the Mockingbird ''The King and the Mockingbird'' (french: Le Roi et l'Oiseau, ) is a 1980 traditionally-animated fantasy film directed by Paul Grimault. Prior to 2013, it was released in English as '' The King and Mister Bird''. Begun in 1948 as ''La Bergère e ...

'' (1952) – The chimney sweep (voice) * ''

Storms A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm), ...

'' (1953) – Sergio Parnell * ''

The World Condemns Them ''The World Condemns Them'' ( it, Il mondo le condanna, french: Les Anges déchus) is a 1953 Italian-French melodrama film directed by Gianni Franciolini. Plot Cast * Alida Valli as Renata Giustini * Amedeo Nazzari as Paolo Martelli * Se ...

'' (1953) – André * '' Act of Love'' (1953) – Claude Lacaud * ''

Napoléon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

'' (1955) – Lucien Bonaparte * ''The Wicked Go to Hell'' (1955) – Rudel * ''The Doll That Took the Town'' (1957) – Mario Grimaldi * ''Élisa'' (1957) – Bernard Voisin * ''Échec au porteur'' (1958) – Bastien Sassey * ''

'' (1958) – Enjolras * '' The Stowaway'' (1958) – Alfred Mougins * ''

Marie-Octobre ''Marie-Octobre'' is a 1959 French drama mystery film directed by Julien Duvivier, based on the eponymous novel by Jacques Robert. It is also known as ''Secret Meeting'' The film was remade in 2008 by director Josée Dayan, starring Nathalie Bay ...

'' (1959) – Antoine Rougier * ''

Everybody Go Home ''Everybody Go Home'' ( it, Tutti a casa) is a 1960 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Luigi Comencini. It features an international cast including the U.S. actors Martin Balsam, Alex Nicol and the Franco-Italian Serge Reggiani. Nino Manfred ...

'' (1960) – Assunto Ceccarelli * ''

'' (1961) – Michel "Gypsy" Devigne * ''

Warriors Five ''Warriors Five'' ( it, La guerra continua, french: La dernière attaque) is a 1962 black and white Italian-French-Yugoslavian international co-production war film directed by Leopoldo Savona and starring Jack Palance, Giovanna Ralli, and Serge Re ...

'' (1962) – Libero * ''

'' (1962) – Maurice Faugel * ''

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

'' (1963) – Don Francisco Ciccio Tumeo * ''L'enfer'' (1964) – Marcel #1 * ''

Marie-Chantal contre le docteur Kha ''Marie-Chantal contre le docteur Kha'', also known as ''Blue Panther'', is a 1965 spy film directed by Claude Chabrol. based on the character in a series of novels by Jacques Chazot. Plot The French It girl Marie-Chantal gets accidentally enta ...

'' (1965) – Ivanov * ''

The 25th Hour ''The 25th Hour'' is the 2001 debut novel by David Benioff. A film adaptation, for which Benioff wrote the screenplay, was directed by Spike Lee and released in 2002. Background The idea for the book came when Benioff returned home to New York ...

'' (1967) – Trajan Koruga * '' The Last Adventure'' (1967) – The pilot * '' Il giorno della civetta'' (1968) – Parrinieddu * ''

The Seven Cervi Brothers '' The Seven Cervi Brothers'' ( it, I sette fratelli Cervi) is a 1968 Italian drama film directed by Gianni Puccini. The film recounts the last days of life during the resistance of the anti-fascist Cervi Brothers. The director Puccini died a few ...

'' (1968) – Inmate Ferrari * ''

Army of Shadows ''Army of Shadows'' (french: L'Armée des ombres; it, L'armata degli eroi) is a 1969 World War II suspense-drama film written and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, and starring Lino Ventura, Simone Signoret, Paul Meurisse and Jean-Pierre Cassel. ...

'' (''L'Armée des ombres'', 1969) – The hairdresser * ' (1971) – François Nolan * ''

Trois milliards sans ascenseur ''Trois milliards sans ascenseur'' (Translation: ''Three Billions Without an Elevator'') ( it, Sette cervelli per un colpo perfetto/ ''Seven Brains for a Perfect Shot'') is a 1972 French-Italian film, directed by Roger Pigaut. It stars actor Gabri ...

'' (1972) – Pierrot * ' (1972) – Thia * ''

Don't Touch the White Woman! ''Don't Touch the White Woman!'' (french: Touche pas à la femme blanche !) is a 1974 Western comedy film co-written and directed by Marco Ferreri. Plot A fictionalized version of Custer's Last Stand, set at a real building site in Paris, France ...

'' (1974) – The Mad Indian * '' Vincent, François, Paul... et les autres'' (1974) – Paul * ''

Le Chat et la souris ''Le Chat et la Souris'' (US title: ''Cat and Mouse'', also known as ''Seven Suspects for Murder'') is a 1975 French mystery film directed and written by Claude Lelouch. The film stars Michèle Morgan, Serge Reggiani and Jean-Pierre Aumont. It t ...

'' (1975) – Lechat * ''

The Good and the Bad ''Le Bon et les Méchants'' is a French film directed by Claude Lelouch and released in 1976. Synopsis From 1935 to 1945, the happiness of a couple turns to sadness when their Traction Avant is used by the gang des Tractions Avant. Details *Dir ...

'' (1976) – Le chef de la résistance * ''Une fille cousue de fil blanc'' (1977) – Jérôme * ''Violette & François'' (1977) – Père de François * ''

Solemn Communion ''Solemn Communion'' (french: La Communion solennelle) is a 1977 French comedy-drama film directed by René Féret. It was entered into the 1977 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Christian Drillaud as Young Charles Gravet * Claude Bouchery as Ju ...

'' (1977) – Le récitant chanteur (voice) * '' La terrazza'' (1980) – Sergio * ''L'empreinte des géants'' (1980) – Fouldroule * '' Fantastica'' (1980) – Euclide Brown * ''

The Beekeeper ''The Beekeeper'' is the eighth studio album by singer-songwriter Tori Amos. It deals with the topics of death, adultery and romantic conflict, and makes brief reference to ancient Gnostic mysticism from the ''Apocryphon of John''. Sonically, ...

'' (1986) – Sick Man * ''

Mauvais Sang ''Mauvais Sang'' (, ''Bad Blood''), also known as ''The Night Is Young'', is Leos Carax's second film. Released in 1986, the film played at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival before being nominated for three César Awards and winning the ...

'' (1986) – Charlie * ''

Let Sleeping Cops Lie ''Let Sleeping Cops Lie'' also known as ''Don't Wake a Sleeping Cop'' ( French: ''Ne réveillez pas un flic qui dort'') is a French crime film released in 1988, directed by José Pinheiro, starring Alain Delon and Michel Serrault. The screenpla ...

'' (''Ne réveillez pas un flic qui dort'', 1988) – Le Stéphanois * ''Coupe-franche'' (1989) – Mathieu * '' There Were Days... and Moons'' (1990) – Sophie's father * ''

I Hired a Contract Killer ''I Hired a Contract Killer'' is a film directed, produced and written by the Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismäki in 1990. It is a Finnish-British-German-Swedish co-production and stars the renowned French actor Jean-Pierre Léaud. The film also feat ...

'' (1990) – Vic of Vic's French Burgers * ''Plein fer'' (1990) – Emilio * ''De force avec d'autres'' (1993) – Sergio * ' (1993) – Dr. Levy * ''Le petit garçon'' (1995) – Germain * ''Héroïnes'' (1997) – Montgolfier * '' The Pianist'' (1998) – Rossell mayor

External links

Biography
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reggiani, Serge 1922 births 2004 deaths French male stage actors French male film actors 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French male painters 21st-century French painters 21st-century French male artists People of Emilian descent Italian emigrants to France Italian male film actors People from Reggio Emilia Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery 20th-century French male singers Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Commanders of the Ordre national du Mérite Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres