Serge Reggiani
Born
May 2, 1922
Died
July 22, 2004 (82 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Reggio Emilia, Italy
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.
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
Self (archive footage)
2022
Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui
2014
Il était une fois... Vincent, François, Paul et les autres
Self (archive footage)
2011
They Saw Inferno
Self
2010
Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno
Marcel (archive footage)
2009
Vivement dimanche
Self · (1 episode)
1998
The Pianist
Rossell mayor
1998
Heroines
monsieur Montgolfier
1997
Les Enfoirés 1995 - Les Enfoirés à l'Opéra-Comique
1995
The Little Boy
Germain
1995
Serge Reggiani - Palais des congrès
Self
1993
Rosen-Emil
Dr. Levy
1993
De force avec d'autres
Sergio
1993
I Hired a Contract Killer
Vic
1990
Plein fer
Emilio
1990
There Were Days... and Moons
Le père de Sophie
1990
Let Sleeping Cops Lie
Le Stéphanois
1988
L'écho
Marius
1988
Le monde est à vous
Self · (8 episodes)
1987
Sacrée soirée
Self · (1 episode)
1987
Mauvais Sang
Charlie
1986
The Beekeeper
Sick Man
1986
Victoires de la musique
Self · (1 episode)
1985
La Chance aux chansons
Self · (12 episodes)
1984
Champs-Elysées
Self · (2 episodes)
1982
Fantastica
Euclide Brown
1980
The Imprint of Giants
Fouldroule
1980
The Terrace
Sergio
1980
Solemn Communion
Le récitant chanteur (voice)
1977
Violette & Francois
M. Levene
1977
Une fille cousue de fil blanc
Jérôme
1977
The Good and the Bad
le chef de la résistance
1976
30 millions d'amis
Self · (1 episode)
1976
Cat and Mouse
Lechat
1975
Numéro un
Self · (4 episodes)
1975
Numéro un
Self - Host · (1 episode)
1975
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
Self · (3 episodes)
1975
Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others
Paul, écrivain, journaliste
1974
Don't Touch the White Woman!
The Mad Indian
1974
The Big Shots
Thia
1972
3000 Million Without an Elevator
Pierrot
1972
Midi trente
Self · (2 episodes)
1972
Le Grand Échiquier
Self · (7 episodes)
1972
Samedi soir
Self · (1 episode)
1971
36, le grand tournant
Narrator (voice)
1970
Countdown to Vengeance
François Nolan
1970
Army of Shadows
Hairdresser
1969
À bout portant
Self · (1 episode)
1968
The Day of the Owl
Parrinieddu
1968
The Seven Cervi Brothers
Ferrari, antifascista in carcere
1968
The 25th Hour
Trajan Koruga
1967
The Last Adventure
the pilot
1967
The Threatening Sky
Narrator
1966
Bestiary of Love
Narrator (voice)
1965
The Blue Panther
Ivanov
1965
The Leopard
Don Francisco Ciccio Tumeo
1963
Le Doulos
Maurice Faugel
1962
Warriors Five
Libero
1962
Pueblo en armas
Narrator (voice)
1961
Paris Blues
Michel 'Gypsy' Devigne
1961
Mad Years
Récitant / Narrator (voice)
1960
Everybody Go Home!
Geniere Assunto Ceccarelli
1960
Marie-Octobre
Antoine Rougier
1959
Discorama
Self · (4 episodes)
1959
The Stowaway
Alfred Mougins
1958
Les Misérables
Enjolras
1958
Not Delivered
Bastien Sassey
1958
The Seine Meets Paris
Speaker
1957
Élisa
Bernard Voisin
1957
The Doll that Took the Town
Mario Grimaldi
1957
Une enquête du commissaire Prévôt
Le commissaire Prévôt · (12 episodes)
1956
Cinépanorama
Self · (1 episode)
1956
The Wicked Go to Hell
Rudel
1955
Napoleon
Lucien Bonaparte
1955
Act of Love
Claude Lacaud
1953
Storms
Sergio Parnell
1953
The Curious Adventures of Mr. Wonderbird
Chimney Sweep (voice)
1953
The World Condemns Them
André
1953
Red Shirts - Anita Garibaldi
Lantini
1952
Casque d'Or
Georges
1952
Secret People
Louis Balan
1952
Good Enough to Eat
Jean-Loup aka 'Loup'
1951
On the Set of 'Casque D'Or'
Self (Archive Footage)
1951
La Ronde
Franz, le soldat
1950
The Elders of Saint-Loup
Abbot Paul Forestier
1950
The Perfume of the Lady in Black
Joseph "Rouletabille"
1949
The Sinners
Pierre
1949
Return to Life
Louis (segment "Le retour de Louis")
1949
The Mystery of the Yellow Room
Joseph Rouletabille
1949
Manon
Léon Lescaut
1949
The Lovers of Verona
Angelo (Romeo)
1949
Le Dessous des cartes
Manu
1948
Coïncidences
Jean Ménétrier
1947
Gates of the Night
Guy Sénéchal
1946
Star Without Light
Gaston Lansac
1946
François Villon
François Villon
1945
Children of Chaos
Joris
1944
Le Voyageur de la Toussaint
Bob Éloi
1943
Night in December
(uncredited)
1941
Saturnin de Marseille
1941
Boys' School
Un élève
1938