Coluche

Biography

Michel Gérard Joseph Colucci (28 October 1944 – 19 June 1986), better known under his stage name Coluche, was a French stage comedian and cinema actor. He adopted Coluche as a stage name at age 26, when he began his entertainment career. He became known for his irreverent attitude towards politics and the establishment, and he incorporated this into much of his material. He was one of the first major comedians to regularly use profanities as a source of humor on French television. He also founded the charity "Les Restaurants du Coeur" which still provides free meals and other products to people in need. Colucci was born on 28 October 1944, just weeks after the Liberation of Paris, in a hospital in the 14th arrondissement of the city. His mother, Simone Bouyer (called "Monette"), worked as a florist in the Boulevard du Montparnasse. His father, Honorio Colucci, from Casalvieri in Lazio, Italy, was a painter and decorator. His father died in 1947 at age 31 from poliomyelitis; his wife struggled thereafter to raise the young Michel and his sister (Danièle, 18 months older than Michel) on a meagre salary. Coluche showed little promise at school, and left after completing his primary studies (June 1958). He tried various temporary jobs, and had several run-ins with authorities. During this time his mother bought him a guitar, which he taught himself to play. In 1964 he joined the 60th Infantry Regiment de Lons-le-Saunier, but was imprisoned for insubordination. On his return to civilian life, he worked in his mother's florist shop which she had been able to open on rue d'Aligre, and later in a larger shop which she opened near la Gare de Lyon. He found this work dull, and suddenly quit, which caused a long-lasting breach with his mother. At the end of the 1960s he tried his luck as a singer in cafes, then turned to comedy. In 1969, with Romain Bouteille he was present at the start of the Café de la Gare, meeting place of a group of young comedic actors practically all of whom were to become famous: Patrick Dewaere, Henri Guybet, Miou-Miou, Martin Lamotte, etc. Among the patrons of the Café de la Gare were Georges Moustaki, Raymond Devos, Jean Ferrat, Jacques Brel, Leni Escudero, Pierre Perret and Jean Yanne. Later they were joined by Gérard Lanvin, Renaud, Rufus, Diane Kurys, Coline Serreau, Anémone, Gérard Depardieu, Thierry Lhermitte, Josiane Balasko and Gérard Jugnot. Coluche's first sketch C'est l'histoire d'un mec (It's the story of a guy) was about the difficulties of telling a funny story. He quickly found success, but alcohol problems forced him to leave the group. He went on to found another group, Le vrai chic parisien (The true Parisian chic) and it was then that he met his future wife, Véronique Kantor. They married in 1975 and had two sons, Marius and Romain Colucci. His behaviour and addictions forced him to leave the new group and launch his solo career. It was at this point that he began to dress in his well-known outfit of white tennis shoes, blue striped overalls, a bright yellow T-shirt and round glasses. He became famous with his parody of a TV game (Le Schmilblick). He was sacked by the radio stations Europe 1 and Radio Monte Carlo for vulgarity. ... Source: Article "Coluche" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Known For

Gérard Duchemin

L'Aile ou la Cuisse

Trainee inspector Michel Clément / Commissioner Jules Clément

Inspecteur La Bavure

Self (archive footage)

Coluche - Ses plus grands sketches

Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui

The office manager

L'An 01

Dagobert 1er

Le Bon Roi Dagobert

Micky

La Femme de mon pote

Ben-Hur Marcel / Aminemephet

Deux heures moins le quart avant Jésus-Christ

Self (archive footage)

Renaud, le Rouge et le Noir

L'inspecteur Charbonnier

Les vécés étaient fermés de l'intérieur

Self

Droit de Réponse

Michel Bernardin

Banzaï

le barman

Laisse aller... c'est une valse

Gérard Barbier

Le Maître d'école

L'évadé

La Ligne de démarcation

Oscar Pilli

Scemo di guerra

Un hallebardier

Elle voit des nains partout !

Self - actor (archive footage)

Fous rires sur les ondes

Lambert

Tchao Pantin

Loulou Dupin

La Vengeance du serpent à plumes

Le roi Gros Pif Ier

Vous n'aurez pas l'Alsace et la Lorraine

Self (archive footage)

Coluche - Le jeu de la vérité

Self - actor (archive footage)

Les Pieds dans la mayonnaise : Les Irrévérencieux des années 70

Self

Drôles de familles

Self (archive footage)

Stupor Mundi: Livre 2, Les Hommes qui mangèrent la montagne

Marquand

Le Pistonné

Coyotte

Sac De Nœuds

Chef

Drôles de zèbres

Self (archive footage)

Coluche : Un Clown ennemi d'État

Self (archive footage)

L'Âge d'or de la pub

Georges

Les Rois du gag

L'agent double 098 / 099

Signé Furax

Self (archive footage)

Comiques de toujours (Vol. 3 & 4)

Self (archive footage)

Du Schmilblick aux Restos du Cœur, la folle histoire de Coluche

Self

Mosaïque

Self (archive footage)

Coluche - Quand je serai grand je serai con - Vol 1 & 2

Self (archive footage)

La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président

Self (archive footage)

Cavanna, jusqu'à l'ultime seconde j'écrirai

L'homme du couple visitant l'appartement

Le Grand Bazar

Self (archive footage)

Coluche, l'ami public numéro un

Self

Coluche : C'est pour rire

Self (archive footage)

Coluche, la France a besoin de toi

Self (archive footage)

Coluche - Quand je serai grand je serai con - Vol 1

Self (archive footage)

Coluche - Quand je serai grand je serai con - Vol 2

Self (archive footage)

Les 60 ans du one-man-show

Self

Journal Bête Et Méchant Presente: Hara-Kiri N°1

Self (archive footage)

Comiques de toujours (Vol. 1 à 4)

Self (archive footage)

Coluche : le bouffon devenu roi

Self (archive footage)

Le mieux du mieux de Coluche

The young neighbor / A worker / A cop

Themroc

Self (archive footage)

10 mai 1981 : Changer la vie ?

Self (archive footage)

Coluche, une époque formidable

Self (archive footage)

Coluche, les plus grands sketchs

Chanteur

Peau d'âne

Himself

Restos du Cœur, 40 ans de solidarité en France