Yves Montand
Ivo Livi (13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), better known as Yves Montand, was an Italian-born French actor and singer. He is said to be one of France's greatest 20th-century artists.
Montand was born Ivo Livi in Stignano, a small village in the hills of Monsummano Terme, Italy, to Giovanni Livi, a broom manufacturer. Montand's mother Giuseppina Simoni was a devout Catholic. The family left Italy for France in 1923 following fascist Benito Mussolini's rise to power. He grew up in Marseille, where, as a young man, he worked in his sister's beauty salon (Salon de Coiffure), as well as later on the docks. He began a career in show business as a music-hall singer. In 1944, he was discovered by Édith Piaf in Paris; she made him part of her act.
Montand achieved international recognition as a singer and actor, starring in many films. He is recognised for crooner style songs, with those about Paris becoming instant classics. He was one of the best known performers at Bruno Coquatrix's Paris Olympia music hall, and toured with musicians including Didi Duprat. In October 1947, he sang "Mais qu'est-ce que j'ai?" (music by Henri Betti and lyrics by Édith Piaf) at the Théâtre de l'Étoile. Betti also asked him to sing "C'est si bon" but Montand refused. Following the success of the recording of this song by the Sœurs Étienne in 1948, he decided to record it. Montand was also very popular in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, where he did a concert tour in 1956-57.
During his career, Montand acted in American motion pictures as well as on Broadway. He was nominated for a César Award for Best Actor in 1980 for I comme Icare and again in 1984 for Garçon! In 1986, after his international box-office draw power had fallen off considerably, the 65-year-old Montand gave one of his best remembered performances, as the scheming uncle in Jean de Florette, co-starring Gérard Depardieu, and Manon des Sources (both 1986), co-starring Emmanuelle Béart. The film was a worldwide critical hit and revived Montand's profile in the United States, where he made an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman.
In 1951, he married Simone Signoret, and they co-starred in several films throughout their careers. The marriage was, by all accounts, fairly harmonious, lasting until her death in 1985, although Montand had a number of well-publicised affairs, notably with American actress Marilyn Monroe, with whom he starred in one of her final films, Let's Make Love. He was the stepfather to Signoret's daughter from her previous marriage, Catherine Allégret.
Montand's only child, a son named Valentin, by his second wife, Carole Amiel (b. 1960), was born in 1988. In a paternity suit that caused commotion across France, another woman accused Montand of being the father of her daughter and went to court to obtain a DNA sample from him. Montand refused, but the woman persisted even after his death. In a court ruling that made international headlines, the woman won the right to have Montand exhumed and a sample taken. The results indicated that he was not the girl's biological father.
He supported left-wing causes during the 1950s and 1960s, and attended Communist festivals and meetings. ...
Source: Article "Yves Montand" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Known for
Le Grand Échiquier
Self
Le Grand Échiquier
Self - Main Guest
Bambi-Verleihung
Self
À bout portant
Self
Stars 90
Self
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
Self
Numéro un
Self
The Oscars
Self
Victoires de la musique
Self
What's My Line?
Self - Mystery Guest
A Butterfly in the Night
Voz
Grand Prix
Jean-Pierre Sarti
Reflets de Cannes
Self
The Wages of Fear
Mario Livi
Is Paris Burning?
Sgt. Marcel Bizien
Le Cercle Rouge
Jansen
Manon of the Spring
César Soubeyran, aka "le Papet"
Delusions of Grandeur
Blaze, Don Sallust's valet
Z
The Deputy, a doctor
Cesar and Rosalie
César
Napoleon
Lefebvre
Jean de Florette
César Soubeyran, aka 'le Papet'
Let's Make Love
Jean-Marc Clement / Alexander Dumas
The Devil by the Tail
Le baron César Maricorne
A Grin Without a Cat
Narrator (voice)
The Sleeping Car Murder
L'inspecteur Grazzi
Sanctuary
Candy Man
Goodbye Again
Roger Demarest
I... For Icarus
Henri Volney
Gates of the Night
Jean Diego
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
Dr. Marc Chabot
Lovers Like Us
Martin
The Confession
Gérard (A.L. / Artur London)
Live for Life
Robert Colomb
La Menace
Henri Savin
The Witches of Salem
John Proctor
One Night... a Train
Mathias
Choice of Arms
Noel Durieux
State of Siege
Philip Michael Santore
My Geisha
Paul Robaix
IP5: The Island of Pachyderms
Léon Marcel
Mr. Freedom
Capt. Formidable (uncredited)
All Fired Up
Victor Valance
The War Is Over
Diego Mora / Carlos / Domingo
Waiter!
Alex, head waiter
Special Section
Un milicien
Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others
Vincent, entrepreneur
Tout Va Bien
Him, Jacques
Womanlight
Michel Follin
The Law
Matteo Brigante
Lost Souvenirs
Raoul, street singer (segment "Le violon")
Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui
Police Python 357
Inspecteur Marc Ferrot
The End of a Beautiful Epoch
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Red Inn
Singing Commentator (voice)
The Incredible Mr. Piccoli
Self - Actor (archive footage)
The Anatomy of Love
Vasco
The Big Operator
Morland
Chance and Violence
Laurent Bermann
Three Seats for the 26th
Yves Montand
Good Morning, Mr. Orwell
Self
The Lovely Month of May
Narrator (French version) (voice)
Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Comiques de toujours (Vol. 1 à 4)
Self (archive footage)
Paris Is Always Paris
Yves Montand
Le Parti du cinéma
Self (archive footage)
Les Rois de la comédie
Self (archive footage)
Making 'The Misfits'
Self (archive footage)
D'un film à l'autre
Self (archive footage)
Star Without Light
Pierre
The Wide Blue Road
Giovanni Squarciò
Champs-Elysées
Self
The Son
Ange Orahona
Netchayev is Back
Pierre Marroux
Roads to the South
Jean Larrea
The Idol
Fontana
Grand Prix: Challenge of the Champions
Self
Trintignant by Trintignant
Self (archive footage)
Men and Wolves
Ricuccio
Heroes and Sinners
Michel Rivière
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
Il était une fois... Vincent, François, Paul et les autres
Self (archive footage)
Rotterdam-Europoort
Narrator (French version) (voice)
1958: Those Who Said No
Self (archive footage)
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
Self (archive footage)
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Singer
Self
Les Deux mémoires
Self
You Speak of Prague: The Second Trial of Artur London
Self - Interviewee
Einer wird gewinnen
Self
Marguerite of the Night
M. Léon
The Wind Rose
Yves (archive footage)
Signoret et Montand, Monroe et Miller : Deux couples à Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
Vive la crise !
Spécial cinéma
Self
Spécial cinéma
Self (archive footage)
Premier mai
Jean Meunier
Pushing the Limit: The Making of Grand Prix
Self (archive footage)
Paris Still Sings!
Self
Mitterrand, président culturel
Self (archive footage)
One Minute for One Image
Narrator
J'ai tout donné
Self
Django Reinhardt
Narrator (voice)
T'es fou Marcel
Self
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
Self
Yves Montand is Singing
Self
Claude Sautet, Romy, Yves, Michel et les autres
Self (archive footage)
Dans les coulisses: le tournage de 'Trois Places pour le 26'
Self (Archive Footage)
Rush - Voyage à Moscou
Self
Cinépanorama
Self
Montand
Self (archive footage)
The Force of Destiny
Apostrophes
Self
Rendez-vous de l'espérance
Self
Un matin comme les autres
Yves
Discorama
Self