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