Yves Montand
Yves Montand (
October 13,
1921 –
November 9,
1991) was a
French/
Italian actor.
Early life
Montand was born
Ivo Livi in
Monsummano Alto,
Italy to Josephine and Giovanni, poor
Catholic peasants. In 1921, shortly after his birth, Montand's family left
Italy for
France. (When they applied for French citizenship, his father pretended that they left Italy in order to escape
Mussolini's regime, but Mussolini came to power in 1922.) Montand came to grow up in
Marseille, where as a young man he worked in his sister's barber shop, and 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 and she made him part of her act, becoming his
mentor and
lover.
Career
He went on to international recognition, starring in numerous films. In
1951 he married the actress
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
Marilyn Monroe, with whom he starred in one of her last films,
Let's make Love.
During his career, Montand acted in a number of American motion pictures as well as on
Broadway. He was nominated for a
Cesar 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 most memorable performances, as the scheming uncle in the two-part film:
Jean de Florette, co-starring
Gérard Depardieu, and
Manon des Sources, co-starring
Emmanuelle Béart. The film was a world-wide critical hit and raised Montand's profile in the US, where he made an appearance on "
Late Night with David Letterman".
Personal life
Montand's only child, Valentin, his son by his assistant Carole Amiel, was born in 1988. In a paternity suit that rocked 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 after his death. In a court ruling that made international headlines, the woman won the right to have Montand exhumed and a sample taken. It subsequently showed that he was not the girl's father.
In his later years he maintained a home in
Provence until his death. He is buried in the
Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France.
IP5 (
1991)
Jean de Florette (
1986)
Manon des Sources (
1986)
Garçon ! (
1983)
I comme Icare (
1979)
Le Fond de L'air Est Rouge (
1977)
Vincent, François, Paul...Et les Autres (
1974)
État de Siège (
1973)
César et Rosalie (
1972)
Tout va Bien (1972)
La folie des grandeurs (
1971)
L'Aveu (
1970)
Le Cercle rouge (1970)
On A Clear Day, You Can See Forever (
1970)
Z (
1969)
Vivre pour Vivre (
1967)
Grand Prix (
1966)
La Guerre est finie (1966)
Compartiment tueurs (
1965)
My Geisha (
1962)
Let's Make Love (
1960)
Goodbye again (
1960)
La Grande Strada Azzurra (
1957)
Le Salaire de la Peur (
1953)
Les Portes de la Nuit (
1946)
