REGGIANI, SERGE

(1922-2004)

Actor. Serge Reggiani was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy. His parents fled the fascist regime and migrated to France in the early 1930s. He studied at the Conservatoire des arts cinématographiques and the Conservatoire d'art dramatique in Paris. One of Reggiani's early significant stage roles was under the direction ofJean Cocteauin his playLes Enfants terribles. Reggiani first appeared onscreen in an uncredited role inLes Disparus de Saint-Agil(1938), directed byChristian-Jaque. He later acted inLouis Daquin'sLe Voyageur de la Toussaint(1942),Léo Joannon'sLe

Carrefour des enfants perdus(1944), Marcel Blistene'sEtoile sans lumière(1945), and André Zwoboda'sFrançois Villon(1945).His breakthrough role arrived in 1946 withMarcel Carné'sLes Portes de la nuit. His popularity rose with his performances inHenri-Georges Clouzot'sManon(1949), André Cayatte'sLes Amants de Vérone(1949),Max Ophuls'sLa Ronde(1950), and especially inJacques Becker'sCasque d'or(1951).

Reggiani engaged in parallel careers in French and Italian cinemas. He costarred withJean-Paul BelmondoinJean-Pierre Melville'sLe Doulos(1962) and further developed his film career in Luigi Comencini'sTutti a casa(1960), Luchino Visconti'sIl Gattopardo(1963), Gérard Calderon'sLe Bestiaire d'amour(1963), Robert Enrico'sLes Aventuriers(1966), and Melville'sL'Armée des ombres(1969).

Also in the 1960s, Reggiani developed a very successful singing career. He released his first album in 1965 and another in 1967, which was a large success. In addition, he acted in the theater, receiving accolades for his principal role in Jean-Paul Sartre's playLes séquestrés d'Altona. In the 1970s, Reggiani continued to balance his music and film careers. He starred in Enrico'sLes Caïds(1972),Claude Sautet'sVincent,François,Paul et les autres(1974), andClaude Lelouch'sLe Chat et la souris(1975). He acted with fellow singer-actor Jacques Dutronc in Lelouch'sLe Bon et les méchants(1975). Soon after, he starred with Dutronc andIsabelle Adjaniin Jacques Ruffio'sViolette et François(1977).

In 1980, Reggiani appeared in Ettore Scola'sLa Terrazza(1980). That same year, he suffered as a result of the suicide of his son Stéphan. After a few years, he returned to the screen in a number of European features, such as Theo Angelopoulos'sO Melissokomos(1986),Léos Carax'sMauvais sang(1986), and Lelouch'sIl y a des jours. . .et des lunes(1989). He also became a painter and continued to record songs. The following decade he acted in Josée Dayan'sPlein fer(1990), Aki Kaurismâki'sI Hired a Contract Killer(1991), Pierre Granier-Deferre'sLe Petit garçon(1993), and Mario Gas'sLe Pianiste(1997). His starred for his son, director Simon Reggiani, in the shortZani(1991) and the featureDe force avec d'autres(1992). This beloved actor's last appearance on the big screen was in 1997 in Gérard Krawczyk'sHéroïnes.