Serge Reggiani
Biography
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.
Known For
Don Francisco Ciccio Tumeo
Il gattopardo
Enjolras
Les Misérables
le chef de la résistance
Le Bon et les Méchants
Maurice Faugel
Le Doulos
the pilot
Les Aventuriers
Michel 'Gypsy' Devigne
Paris Blues
Marcel (archive footage)
L'Enfer d'Henri-Georges Clouzot
Paul, écrivain, journaliste
Vincent, François, Paul… et les autres
Guy Sénéchal
Les Portes de la nuit
Hairdresser
L'Armée des ombres
Le récitant chanteur (voice)
La Communion solennelle
Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui
Louis (segment "Le retour de Louis")
Retour à la vie
Sergio
De force avec d'autres
Charlie
Mauvais Sang
Geniere Assunto Ceccarelli
Tutti a casa
Sick Man
Ο Μελισσοκόμος
Trajan Koruga
La Vingt-cinquième Heure
Angelo (Romeo)
Les Amants de Vérone
Georges
Casque d'Or
Franz, le soldat
La Ronde
le père de Sophie
Il y a des jours... et des lunes
The Mad Indian
Touche pas à la femme blanche
Saturnin de Marseille
Ivanov
Marie Chantal contre Dr. Kha
(uncredited)
La Nuit de Décembre
Antoine Rougier
Marie-Octobre
Lechat
Le Chat et la Souris
Jean Ménétrier
Coïncidences
Sergio
La terrazza
Self (archive footage)
Il était une fois... Vincent, François, Paul et les autres
Jean-Loup aka 'Loup'
Une fille à croquer
Narrator (voice)
36, le grand tournant
Louis Balan
Secret People
Sergio Parnell
Bufere
Gaston Lansac
Étoile sans lumière
Léon Lescaut
Manon
Pierre
Au royaume des cieux
Emilio
Plein fer
Dr. Levy
Rosen-Emil
Claude Lacaud
Un acte d'amour
Joseph Rouletabille
Le Mystère de la chambre jaune
Joseph "Rouletabille"
Le Parfum de la dame en noir
Rudel
Les salauds vont en enfer
Euclide Brown
Fantastica
Abbot Paul Forestier
Les Anciens de Saint-Loup
Bastien Sassey
Échec au porteur
Joris
Le Carrefour des enfants perdus
Bob Éloi
Le Voyageur de la Toussaint
Alfred Mougins
The Stowaway
Chimney Sweep (voice)
La bergère et le ramoneur
M. Levene
Violette et François
Lantini
Camicie rosse
monsieur Montgolfier
Héroïnes
André
Il mondo le condanna
Libero
La guerra continua
Bernard Voisin
Élisa
Jérôme
Une fille cousue de fil blanc
Narrator (voice)
Pueblo en armas
Self (archive footage)
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
Marius
L'écho
Speaker
La Seine a rencontré Paris
Thia
Les caïds
Vic
I Hired a Contract Killer
Un élève
Les Disparus de Saint-Agil
Manu
Le Dessous des cartes
Le Stéphanois
Ne réveillez pas un flic qui dort
Self
Serge Reggiani - Palais des congrès
Récitant / Narrator (voice)
Les années folles
Mario Grimaldi
La donna del giorno
Pierrot
Trois Milliards Sans Ascenseur
Lucien Bonaparte
Napoléon
Rossell mayor
El pianista
Parrinieddu
Il giorno della civetta
Fouldroule
L'empreinte des géants
François Nolan
Comptes à rebours
Ferrari, antifascista in carcere
I sette fratelli Cervi
François Villon
François Villon
Narrator
Le Ciel, la terre
Les Enfoirés 1995 - Les Enfoirés à l'Opéra-Comique
Self
Ils ont vu l’Enfer...
Germain
Le petit garçon
Narrator (voice)
Le Bestiaire d'amour
Self (Archive Footage)
On the Set of 'Casque D'Or'
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
84
Gender
Male
Birthday
1922-05-02
Place of Birth
Reggio Emilia, Italy
Also Known As
Серж Реджани