Yves Montand

Infobox actor
bgcolour = silver
name = Yves Montand


imagesize = 200px
caption = Yves Montand c.1960
birthname = Ivo Livi, born of Catholic peasants in Italy
birthdate = birth date|1921|10|13|df=y
location = Monsummano Terme, Italy
deathdate = death date and age |1991|11|9|1921|10|13|df=y
deathplace = Senlis, Oise, France
othername =
yearsactive = 1946 - 1991
spouse = Simone Signoret 1951-85
Carole Amiel 1987-91
homepage =
notable role = Mario in The Wages of Fear
The Deputy in Z
Philip Michael Santore in State of Siege
Cesar Soubeyran in Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources
academyawards =
emmyawards =
tonyawards =

Yves Montand (pronounced|iv mɔ̃ˈtɑ̃ in French) (13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991) was an Italian-born French actor and singer.

Biography

Early life

Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy to Josephine and Giovanni, poor peasants. Montand's family left Italy for France. He grew 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 as a singer and actor, starring in numerous films. His recognizably crooner songs, especially those about Paris, became instant classics.

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 the French dubbings of Looney Tunes, the character Pepé Le Pew is an Italian skunk named "Pépé le putois". The voice characterization was often based on Montand's performances.

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 U.S., where he made an appearance on "Late Night with David Letterman."

Personal life

Montand's only child, Valentin, his son by his second wife 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 St Paul de Vence, Provence until his death. He is buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France.

Montand died November 9, 1991 in France from a heart attack. [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0598971/bio]

In 2004, Catherine Allégret, Montand's stepdaughter and Signoret's daughter from her first marriage, published a book titled "World Upside Down" ("Un monde à l'envers" ISBN 2-253-11442-1) in which she contended that Montand had abused her sexually since she was five years old.

He is the voice in the remake of the popular Italian partisan song, "Bella ciao" which is making the rounds on the Internet in mp3 format.

Filmography

*"Les portes de la nuit" (1946)
*"Le salaire de la peur" (1953)
*"Les Sorcières de Salem" (1956)
*"La Grande Strada Azzurra" (1957)
*"Legge, La" (1959)
*"Let's Make Love" (1960)
*"Goodbye Again" (1961)
*"My Geisha" (1962)
*"Compartiment tueurs" (1965)
*"La guerre est finie" (1966)
*"Grand Prix" (1966)
*"Vivre pour vivre" (1967)
*"Le Diable par le Queue" (1968) (The Devil by the Tail)
*"Z" (1969)
*"On a Clear Day You Can See Forever" (1970)
*"Le Cercle Rouge" (1970)
*"L'Aveu" (1970)
*"La folie des grandeurs" (1971)
*"Tout va bien" (1972)
*"César et Rosalie" (1972)
*"État de Siège" (1973)
*"Vincent, François, Paul...et les autres" (1974)
*"Le Sauvage" (1975)
*"Police Python 357" (1976)
*"The Big Operator" (1976)
*"Le fond de l'air est rouge" (1977)
*"La Menace" (1977)
*"I as in Icarus" (1979)
*"Choix des Armes" (1981)
*"Garçon!" (1983)
*"Manon des Sources" (1986)
*"Jean de Florette" (1986)
*"IP5" (1991)

External links

*imdb name|name=Yves Montand|id=0598971
*findagrave|1359

Persondata
NAME= Montand, Yves
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Livi, Ivo
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Actor
DATE OF BIRTH= 1921-10-13
PLACE OF BIRTH= Monsummano Terme, Italy
DATE OF DEATH= death date and age |1991|11|9|1921|10|13|df=y
PLACE OF DEATH= Senlis, Oise, France