Michel Piccoli
Michel Jacques Daniel Piccoli is the son of Henri Piccoli, violinist and Marcelle Expert-Bezançon (1892-1990), pianist and daughter of the French industrialist and politician Charles Expert-Bezançon. In 1954, Michel Piccoli married actress Éléonore Hirt with whom he had a daughter, Anne-Cordélia Piccoli. In 1966, he married the singer Juliette Gréco, then in 1978 the screenwriter Ludivine Clerc, with whom he adopted two children of Polish origin, Inord and Missia.
Placed in an establishment for problem children, the commitments of the young Piccoli, are made in opposition to his maternal grandfather, senator of the Third Republic, financier of the Radical Party, and important industrial painter, accused by the trade union left and by Georges Clemenceau, of having intoxicated his workmen through lead white which causes lead poisoning.
Michel Piccoli then trained as an actor first with Andrée Bauer-Théraud and then during Simon. After an appearance as an extra in "Sortilèges" by Christian-Jaque in 1945, Michel Piccoli made his film debut in "Le Point Du Jour" by Louis Daquin. In the theater he distinguished himself with the Renaud-Barrault and Grenier-Hussot companies as well as at the Théâtre de Babylone. Noticed in the film "French Cancan" in 1954, he continued on stage and worked with directors Jacques Audiberti, Jean Vilar, Jean-Marie Serreau, Peter Brook, Luc Bondy, Patrice Chéreau and André Engel, and became also know in popular TV movies. Having become an atheist after a family bereavement, he met Luis Buñuel in 1956, and ironically took on the role of a priest in "La Mort En Ce Jardin". In 1959, he shot "Le Rendez-Vous De Noël", a short film by André Michel based on the short story by Malek Ouary "Le Noël Du Petit Cireur", in Algiers. The 1960s sounded his consecration, noticed in "Le Doulos" by Jean-Pierre Melville, he was revealed internationally with "Le Mépris" by Jean-Luc Godard alongside Brigitte Bardot. From then on, he toured with the greatest French and international filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock, Luis Buñuel, Youssef Chahine, Manoel de Oliveira...
He began the 1980s with the interpretation prize at the Cannes festival in 1980, with "Le Saut Dans Le Vide" by Marco Bellocchio, and that of the Berlin festival in 1982, with "Une Étrange Affaire" by Pierre Granier-Deferre. . He worked with Jacques Doillon, Leos Carax, before trying his hand at directing. In 2001 he received the IX Europe Prize for Theatre. He was part of the jury of the 60th Cannes Film Festival in 2007, chaired by Stephen Frears. In 2011, he played in "Habemus Papam" by Nanni Moretti. The last film in which Michel Piccoli appears is the film "Le Goût Des Myrtilles", by Thomas de Thiers in 2013.
Politically committed to the left, member of the Peace Movement (communist), Michel Piccoli distinguished himself by his positions against the National Front, and mobilized for Amnesty International.
Michel Piccoli died on May 12, 2020 following a stroke in his mansion in Saint-Philbert-sur-Risle in Eure. His funeral takes place in Évreux on May 19, 2020, where he is cremated, his ashes are scattered within the family property.
Acted in
It’s Not Me
2024
as Self (archive footage)
Godard by Godard
2023
as Self (archive footage)
Il était une fois Champs-Élysées
2022
as Self (archive footage)
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
2022
as Self (archive footage)
Marx Can Wait
2021
as Agostino (archive footage) (uncredited)
François Mitterrand & Anne Pingeot: Pieces of a Love Story
2021
as Self (archive footage)
Claude Chabrol, the Maverick
2019
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Coming Apart
2017
as (archive footage)
Claude Sautet, Romy, Yves, Michel et les autres
2017
as Self (archive footage)
The Incredible Mr. Piccoli
2017
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Marco Ferreri: Dangerous But Necessary
2017
as Self (archive footage)
Our Lady of Hormones
2015
as Narrator
The Taste of Blueberries
2014
as Michel
Lines of Wellington
2012
as Leópold Scheitzer
You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet
2012
as Le père
Holy Motors
2012
as Man with the Wine Stain
Agnès Varda: From Here to There
2011
as Self
Agnès Varda: From Here to There
2011
as Himself
Agnès Varda: From Here to There
2011
as Self
Il était une fois... Vincent, François, Paul et les autres
2011
We Have a Pope
2011
as Melville
Portrait Of My Father
2010
as Self
Le Bel Âge
2009
as Maurice Reverdy
Once Upon a Time… Contempt
2009
as Self
The Beaches of Agnès
2008
as Self (archive footage)
The Dust of Time
2008
as Spyros
On War
2008
as Le grand Hou
To Each His Own Cinema
2007
as Nikita Kruschev (segment "Rencontre unique")
Le Roi Lear
2007
as Le roi Lear
Beneath the Rooftops of Paris
2007
as Marcel
Boxes
2007
as Papa
The Duchess of Langeais
2007
as Vidame de Pamiers
Belle Toujours
2006
as Henri Husson
Gardens in Autumn
2006
as Marie, la mère de Vincent
Magic Mirror
2006
as Prof. Heschel
Otar Iosseliani, le merle siffleur
2006
as Himself
Everything's Connected
2005
as Narrator
Raining Cats and Frogs
2003
as Ferdinand (voice)
Little Lili
2003
as acteur qui joue Simon
That Day
2003
as Harald
A Man, a Real One
2003
as Michel Piccoli
Romy Schneider, étrange étrangère
2002
as Self
Il bambino di Betlemme
2002
I’m Going Home
2001
as Gilbert Valence
Everything's Fine, We're Leaving
2000
as Louis
Speaking of Buñuel
2000
as Self
Actors
2000
as Self
Kiarostami in Close up
2000
as as Self
Libero Burro
1999
as Uncle Tony
París-Tombuctú
1999
as Michel des Assantes
Nothing About Robert
1999
as Lord Ariel Chatwick-West
Passion in the Desert
1997
as Jean-Michel Venture de Paradis
Genealogies of a Crime
1997
as Georges Didier
Tykho Moon
1996
as Mac Bee / frère Mac Bee
Party
1996
as Michel
Traveling Companion
1996
as Cosimo
Beaumarchais the Scoundrel
1996
as Prince de Conti
The World of Jacques Demy
1995
as Self
2 x 50 Years of French Cinema
1995
as Himself
One Hundred and One Nights
1995
as Simon Cinéma
Tödliches Geld
1995
as Paul Belmont
The Black Angel
1994
as Georges Feuvrier
The Emigrant
1994
as Adam - Ram's father
Train de nuit
1994
Berau, sur les traces de Joseph Conrad
1994
as Presenter
Bête de scène
1994
Rupture(s)
1993
as Paul
Loonies at Large
1993
as Henri Toussaint
The Young Girls Turn 25
1993
as Self (archive footage)
Archipel
1993
as Leonard Wilde
The Supper
1992
as Chateaubriand (voice)
Le bal des Casse-pieds
1992
as Désiré, l'homosexuel
La Belle Noiseuse : Divertimento
1992
as Edouard Frenhofer
Against Oblivion
1991
as Self
Les Équilibristes - Nico Papatakis, Jean Genet
1991
as Marcel Spadice
The Children Thief
1991
as Mr. Armand
La Belle Noiseuse
1991
as Edouard Frenhofer
Walking a Tightrope
1991
as Marcel Spadice
The Fate of Baron Leisenbohg
1991
as Le baron de Leisenbohg
Martha and I
1990
as Ernst
May Fools
1990
as Milou
The Monkey Folk
1989
Un coupable
1988
as L'avocat
La Ruelle au clair de lune
1988
as Pierre Willer
Blanc de Chine
1988
as Batz
How Good the Whites Are
1988
as Père Jean-Marie
Malady of Love
1987
as Raoul Bergeron
The Veiled Man
1987
as Kassar
La Rumba
1987
as Damien Malleville
The Distant Land
1987
as Friedrich Hofreiter
The Prude
1986
as Pierre
Mauvais Sang
1986
as Marc
The Nonentity
1986
as der Tölpel
My Brother-in-law Killed My Sister
1986
as Étienne Sembadel
Adieu Bonaparte
1985
as Caffarelli
Going and Coming Back
1985
as Simon Lerner
Death in a French Garden
1985
as Graham Tombsthay
La Lune
1985
Le Matelot 512
1984
as Récitant (voice)
Success Is the Best Revenge
1984
as French Official
Long Live Life
1984
as Michel Perrin
Dangerous Moves
1984
as Akiva Liebskind
The General of the Dead Army
1983
as Benetandi
The Prize of Peril
1983
as Frédéric Mallaire
Will the High Salaried Workers Raise Their Hands!
1982
as José Viss
A Room in Town
1982
as Edmond Leroyer
The Eyes, the Mouth
1982
as Tío Agostino
Beyond the Door
1982
as Mr. Mutti
Godard's Passion
1982
as Michel Boulard
The Night of Varennes
1982
as King Louis XVI (uncredited)
The Passerby
1982
as Max Baumstein
La Cerisaie
1982
as Léonid
Scénario du film Passion
1982
as Self
Espion, lève-toi
1982
as Jean-Paul Chance
Strange Affair
1981
as Bertrand Malair
Du crime considéré comme un des beaux-arts.
1981
as Morrand
Confused Feelings
1981
as Professor
The Prodigal Daughter
1981
as Le père
Docteur Teyran
1980
as Jean Teyran
Atlantic City
1980
as Joseph
The Price of Survival
1980
as René Winterhalter
Leap Into the Void
1980
as Mauro Ponticelli
The Bit Between the Teeth
1979
as Pierre Chazerand
Le divorcement
1979
as Philippe
Atrocious Tales of Love and Death
1979
as Victor Navarro
Sugar
1978
as Grezillo
Little Girl in Blue Velvet
1978
as Conrad Brukner
The Savage State
1978
as Orlaville
Strauberg ist da
1978
Fire's Share
1978
as Robert Hansen
The Accuser
1977
as Saint-Rame
Spoiled Children
1977
as Bernard Rougerie
Rene the Cane
1977
as Ispettore Marchand
Mado
1976
as Simon Léotard
F as in Fairbanks
1976
as Etienne
One Way or Another
1976
as Lui
The Last Woman
1976
as Michel
Nouvelles d'Henry James
1976
as Capitaine Roger
Seven Deaths by Prescription
1975
as Dr Losseray
Leonor
1975
as Richard
Midi Première
1975
as Self
Weak Spot
1975
as L'enquêteur
Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others
1974
as François, médecin
The Phantom of Liberty
1974
as Le deuxième préfet de police
Life Size
1974
as Michel
The Infernal Trio
1974
as Georges Sarret
Don't Touch the White Woman!
1974
as Buffalo Bill
Un amour de pluie
1974
as Mr. Dellerue (voice)
The Voyage Into the Whirlpool Has Begun
1974
Far West
1973
La Grande Bouffe
1973
as Michel
Wedding in Blood
1973
as Pierre Maury
Themroc
1973
as Themroc
The Woman in Blue
1973
as Pierre
Cesar and Rosalie
1972
as Narrator (voice)
The Assassination
1972
as Colonel Kassar
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
1972
as Le Ministre
Liza
1972
as Giorgio's friend
The Audience
1972
as Padre Amerin
Midi trente
1972
as Self
Ten Days' Wonder
1971
as Paul Regis
Touch and Go
1971
as Valentin
Max and the Junkmen
1971
as Max
Invasion
1970
as Marcello
The Things of Life
1970
as Pierre Bérard
Topaz
1969
as Jacques Granville
The Uninvited
1969
as François Desailly
The Milky Way
1969
as Marquis de Sade
Dillinger Is Dead
1969
as Glauco
Délire à deux
1968
Woman in Chains
1968
as L'invité pressé au vernissage (uncredited)
Heartbeat
1968
as Charles
Danger: Diabolik
1968
as Inspector Ginko
The Diary of an Innocent Boy
1968
as Count Philippe
My Love, My Love
1967
as Marrades
Belle de Jour
1967
as Henri Husson
Shock Troops
1967
as L'homme de trop
The Dinosaur and the Baby
1967
as Paul Javal (archive footage)
The Young Girls of Rochefort
1967
as Simon Dame
Romy: Anatomy of a Face
1967
as Self
Is Paris Burning?
1966
as Edgar Pisani
Elsa the Rose
1966
as Narrator (voice)
The Creatures
1966
as Edgar Piccoli
La Voleuse
1966
as Werner Kreuz
The Game Is Over
1966
as Alexandre Saccard
The Devil's Tricks
1966
as L'antiquaire
The War Is Over
1966
as Inspector #1
Le coup de grâce
1966
as Capri / Bruno
Lady L
1965
as Lecoeur
The Sleeping Car Murder
1965
as René Cabourg, l'employé besogneux (Victime #2)
Dom Juan
1965
as Dom Juan
Masquerade
1965
as Georges Sarrassin
Café tabac
1964
as Récitant (voice)
Chance at Love
1964
as Philippe Decharme
All About Loving
1964
as Raoul
Marie Soleil
1964
as Kafka
Paparazzi
1964
as Texte dit par (voice)
Bardot et Godard
1964
as Himself
Cinéastes de notre temps : Luis Buñuel
1964
as Narrator (voice)
Diary of a Chambermaid
1964
as Monsieur Monteil
L'Été en hiver
1964
as Jean, the reporter
Salut les Cubains
1963
as Narrator (voice)
Contempt
1963
as Paul Javal
The Day and the Hour
1963
as Antoine
Le Doulos
1962
as Nuttheccio
Climates of Love
1962
as François
Parisienne... Parisiennes
1962
as Récitant (voice)
Le Temps des assassins
1962
as Récitant (voice)
Rendezvous
1961
as Paul
Fumée, histoire et fantaisie
1961
Hauteclaire
1961
as Serlon de Savigny
Amazons of Rome
1961
as Console Publicola
La Chevelure
1961
as L'homme
Quarante fontaines
1961
as Récitant (voice)
Le Rendez-vous de Noël
1960
Danger in the Middle East
1960
as Brian Cannon
La dragée haute
1960
Les joueurs
1960
as Chvokhniev
Le Chalet sous la neige
1959
as Robert
Beast at Bay
1959
as Commissaire Jacques Guimard
La Nuit de Tom Brown
1959
as Tom Brown, jeune
Tabarin
1958
as Jacques Forestier
Sinners of Paris
1958
as L'inspecteur Vardier, de la P.J.
Nathalie
1957
as Franck Marchal
Le quadrille des diamants
1957
as Richard Burke
Le Plus Heureux des trois
1957
as Pianist
Sunday Buddies
1957
as Le directeur de l'aéro-club
The Witches of Salem
1957
as James Putnam
La France romane
1956
as Récitant (voice)
Death in the Garden
1956
as Father Lizzardi
The Grand Manoeuvre
1955
as Un officier (uncredited)
Bad Liaisons
1955
as un inspecteur
Ernst Thälmann – Leader of the Working Class
1955
as Maurice Rouger
Croissance de Paris
1955
as Récitant (voice)
French Cancan
1955
as Le Capitaine Valorgueil
Price of Love
1955
as Georges
Tout chante autour de moi
1954
as Reverdier
Saint-Tropez, devoirs de vacances
1954
as Gérard
Daughters of Destiny
1954
as Pasquerel (segment "Jeanne")
Torticola versus Frankensberg
1952
as Torticola
Chicago Digest
1951
as Slim Spring
Terreur en Oklahoma
1951
as Tommy Goudchote
La Leçon d'humour dans un parc
1951
Without Leaving an Address
1951
as Un journaliste aux archives
Without Leaving an Address
1951
as Un journaliste aux archives (non crédité)
Deutscher Filmpreis
1951
as Self
The Perfume of the Lady in Black
1949
as Lebel
The Mark Of The Day
1949
as Georges Gohelle
The Bellman
1945
as Un villageois