Michel Piccoli

Born

December 27, 1925

Died

May 12, 2020 (94 years old)

Known For

Acting

Place of Birth

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

IMDb

Michel Jacques Daniel Piccoli was 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.

Known For

7.0

The Young Girls of Rochefort

Film Study 01

Footage from La Belle Noiseuse

0.0

2025

It's Not Me

(archive footage)

7.2

2024

Godard by Godard

Self (archive footage)

7.8

2023

Il était une fois Champs-Élysées

Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)

6.6

2022

La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président

Self (archive footage)

7.2

2022

Marx Can Wait

Agostino (archive footage) (uncredited)

7.3

2021

François Mitterrand & Anne Pingeot: Pieces of a Love Story

Self (archive footage)

6.0

2021

Claude Chabrol, the Maverick

Self - Actor (archive footage)

6.2

2019

Dios de monoambiente

Self (archive footage)

0.0

2018

Coming Apart

(archive footage)

0.0

2017

Claude Sautet, Romy, Yves, Michel et les autres

Self (archive footage)

0.0

2017

The Incredible Mr. Piccoli

Self - Actor (archive footage)

6.9

2017

Marco Ferreri: Dangerous But Necessary

Self (archive footage)

7.5

2017

Our Lady of Hormones

Narrator

5.3

2015

The Taste of Blueberries

Michel

0.0

2014

Lines of Wellington

Leópold Scheitzer

5.8

2012

You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet

Le père

6.7

2012

Holy Motors

Man with the Wine Stain

7.0

2012

Agnès Varda: From Here to There

Self · (5 episodes)

6.4

2011

Agnès Varda: From Here to There

Self

7.9

2011

Il était une fois... Vincent, François, Paul et les autres

Self

0.0

2011

We Have a Pope

Melville

6.8

2011

Portrait Of My Father

Self

7.3

2010

Le Bel Âge

Maurice Reverdy

4.4

2009

Once Upon a Time… Contempt

Self

8.0

2009

The Beaches of Agnès

Self (archive footage)

7.7

2008

The Dust of Time

Spyros

6.4

2008

On War

Le grand Hou

5.0

2008

To Each His Own Cinema

Nikita Kruschev (segment "Rencontre unique")

6.5

2007

Le Roi Lear

Le roi Lear

0.0

2007

Beneath the Rooftops of Paris

Marcel

6.2

2007

Boxes

Daddy

5.3

2007

Sole Meeting

Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev

0.0

2007

The Duchess of Langeais

Vidame de Pamiers

5.3

2007

Belle Toujours

Henri Husson

5.9

2006

Gardens in Autumn

Marie, la mère de Vincent

5.7

2006

Magic Mirror

Prof. Heschel

6.3

2006

Otar Iosseliani, le merle siffleur

Himself

5.0

2006

Everything's Connected

Narrator

6.0

2005

Un divertissement et Michel Piccoli

Self

5.0

2004

Raining Cats and Frogs

Ferdinand (voice)

6.9

2003

Little Lili

acteur qui joue Simon

5.4

2003

That Day

Harald

5.6

2003

A Man, a Real One

Michel Piccoli

6.8

2003

Romy Schneider, étrange étrangère

Self

0.0

2002

Il bambino di Betlemme

0.0

2002

I’m Going Home

Gilbert Valence

6.7

2001

Everything's Fine, We're Leaving

Louis

3.4

2000

Speaking of Buñuel

Self

5.9

2000

Actors

Michel Piccoli

5.8

2000

Kiarostami in Close up

as Self

0.0

2000

París-Tombuctú

Michel des Assantes

5.7

1999

Libero Burro

Zio Tony

4.1

1999

The Happiest Place on Earth

Récitant (voice)

1.0

1999

Nothing About Robert

Lord Ariel Chatwick-West

6.1

1999

Vivement dimanche

Self · (1 episode)

3.0

1998

Passion in the Desert

Jean-Michel Venture de Paradis

5.8

1997

Genealogies of a Crime

Georges Didier

6.7

1997

Tykho Moon

Mac Bee / frère Mac Bee

5.7

1996

Party

Michel

6.3

1996

Traveling Companion

Cosimo

6.1

1996

Beaumarchais the Scoundrel

Prince de Conti

6.6

1996

The World of Jacques Demy

Self

6.8

1995

2 x 50 Years of French Cinema

Himself

6.4

1995

One Hundred and One Nights

Simon Cinéma

6.2

1995

Tödliches Geld

Paul Belmont

0.0

1995

The Black Angel

Georges Feuvrier

5.4

1994

The Emigrant

Adam - Ram's father

5.9

1994

Train de nuit

5.0

1994

Berau, sur les traces de Joseph Conrad

Presenter

0.0

1994

Bête de scène

6.0

1994

Rupture(s)

Paul

5.0

1993

Loonies at Large

Henri Toussaint

6.0

1993

The Young Girls Turn 25

Self (archive footage)

7.1

1993

Archipel

Leonard Wilde

2.0

1993

The Supper

Chateaubriand (voice)

6.6

1992

Le Bal des casse-pieds

Désiré, l'homosexuel

5.8

1992

La Belle Noiseuse: Divertimento

Edouard Frenhofer

6.5

1992

Against Oblivion

Self

6.5

1991

The Children Thief

Mr. Armand

4.7

1991

La Belle Noiseuse

Edouard Frenhofer

7.4

1991

Walking a Tightrope

Marcel Spadice

4.8

1991

The Fate of Baron Leisenbohg

Le baron de Leisenbohg

3.0

1991

Martha and I

Ernst

7.0

1990

May Fools

Milou

6.9

1990

The Monkey Folk

6.5

1989

Un coupable

L'avocat

7.5

1988

La Ruelle au clair de lune

Pierre Willer

7.0

1988

Blanc de Chine

Batz

0.0

1988

How Good the Whites Are

Père Jean-Marie

6.0

1988

Malady of Love

Raoul Bergeron

5.0

1987

The Veiled Man

Kassar

4.2

1987

Nulle part ailleurs

Self · (1 episode)

5.6

1987

La Rumba

Damien Malleville

4.6

1987

The Distant Land

Friedrich Hofreiter

5.0

1987

The Prude

Pierre

4.9

1986

Mauvais Sang

Marc

7.1

1986

The Nonentity

der Tölpel

6.1

1986

My Brother-in-law Killed My Sister

Étienne Sembadel

4.4

1986

Adieu Bonaparte

Caffarelli

5.8

1985

Going and Coming Back

Simon Lerner

6.3

1985

Death in a French Garden

Graham Tombsthay

6.1

1985

La Lune

0.0

1981

Du crime considéré comme un des beaux-arts.

Morrand

0.0

1981

Confused Feelings

Professor

4.4

1981

The Prodigal Daughter

Le père

7.2

1981

Wetten, dass..?

Self · (1 episode)

5.3

1981

Docteur Teyran

Jean Teyran · (3 episodes)

0.0

1980

Atlantic City

Joseph

6.8

1980

The Price of Survival

René Winterhalter

0.0

1980

A Leap in the Dark

Mauro Ponticelli

6.2

1980

The Bit Between the Teeth

Pierre Chazerand

5.6

1979

Le divorcement

Philippe

6.0

1979

Atrocious Tales of Love and Death

Victor Navarro

6.2

1979

Sugar

Grezillo

6.7

1978

Little Girl in Blue Velvet

Conrad Brukner

4.5

1978

The Savage State

Orlaville

6.2

1978

Strauberg ist da

Strauberg

0.0

1978

Fire's Share

Robert Hansen

5.3

1978

The Accuser

Saint-Ramé

5.7

1977

Spoiled Children

Bernard Rougerie

6.3

1977

Rene the Cane

Ispettore Marchand

4.1

1977

Mado

Simon Léotard

6.5

1976

F as in Fairbanks

Etienne

6.4

1976

One Way or Another

Lui

7.6

1976

The Last Woman

4.9

1974

The Voyage Into the Whirlpool Has Begun

0.0

1974

Far West

Indian chief

6.2

1973

La Grande Bouffe

Michel

7.1

1973

Wedding in Blood

Pierre Maury

6.3

1973

Padre Amerin

6.7

1972

Midi trente

Self · (5 episodes)

6.0

1972

Ten Days' Wonder

Paul Regis

6.3

1971

Touch and Go

Valentin

4.6

1971

V.I.P. Schaukel

Self · (1 episode)

6.0

1971

Max and the Junkmen

Max, inspector

7.2

1971

Samedi soir

1968

Woman in Chains

L'invité pressé au vernissage (uncredited)

7.0

1968

Heartbeat

Charles

6.4

1968

Danger: Diabolik

Inspector Ginko

6.4

1968

The Diary of an Innocent Boy

Count Philippe

6.0

1968

My Love, My Love

Marrades

6.2

1967

Belle de Jour

Henri Husson

7.3

1967

Shock Troops

L'homme de trop

6.7

1967

The Dinosaur and the Baby

Paul Javal (archive footage)

6.0

1967

The Young Girls of Rochefort

Simon Dame

7.7

1967

Romy: Anatomy of a Face

Self

6.5

1967

Is Paris Burning?

Edgar Pisani

7.2

1966

Elsa the Rose

Narrator (voice)

6.1

1966

The Creatures

Edgar Piccoli

6.5

1966

La Voleuse

Werner Kreuz

5.6

1966

The Game Is Over

Alexandre Saccard

5.1

1966

The Devil's Tricks

L'antiquaire

5.5

1966

The War Is Over

Inspector #1

6.4

1966

Le Coup de grâce

Capri / Bruno

5.0

1966

Lady L

Lecoeur

5.8

1965

The Sleeping Car Murder

René Cabourg, l'employé besogneux (Victime #2)

7.0

1965

Dom Juan

6.1

1965

Masquerade

0.0

1962

Le Temps des assassins

Récitant (voice)

0.0

1962

Rendezvous

Paul

6.2

1961

L'homme

4.5

1961

Quarante fontaines

Récitant (voice)

0.0

1961

La Nuit de Tom Brown

Tom Brown, jeune

0.0

1959

Tabarin

Jacques Forestier

4.0

1958

Sinners of Paris

L'inspecteur Vardier, de la P.J.

5.1

1958

Nathalie

Franck Marchal

5.9

1957

Le quadrille des diamants

Richard Burke

0.0

1957

Le Plus Heureux des trois

Pianist

0.0

1957

Sunday Buddies

Le directeur de l'aéro-club

6.1

1957

The Witches of Salem

0.0

1953

Torticola versus Frankensberg

Torticola

4.0

1952

The Perfume of the Lady in Black

Lebel

5.0

1949

The Mark Of The Day

Georges Gohelle

8.0

1949

The Bellman

Un villageois

6.7

1945