Yves Montand
| Yves Montand | |
|---|---|
Montand at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival.
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| Born |
Ivo Livi 13 October 1921 Monsummano Terme, Italy |
| Died | 9 November 1991 (aged 70) Senlis, Oise, France |
| Occupation | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1946–1991 |
| Spouse(s) |
Simone Signoret (m. 1951; her death 1985) Carole Amiel (m. 1987; his death 1991) |
| Children | 1 |
Ivo Livi, better known as Yves Montand (French pronunciation: [iv mɔ̃tɑ̃]; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), was an Italian-French actor and singer.
Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, to Giuseppina (née Simoni) and Giovanni Livi, a Jewish broom manufacturer. Giuseppina was a devout Catholic, while Giovanni held strong Communist beliefs. Montand's family left for France in 1923 because of Italy's Fascist regime. He grew up in Marseille, where, as a young man, he worked in his sister's beauty salon (Salon de Coiffure), 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.
Montand 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. He was one of the most famous performers at Bruno Coquatrix's famous 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. The composer of this song had him offer also sing C'est si bon he had written but Yves Montand refused. Following the success of the recording of this song by the Sœurs Étienne in 1948, he decided to record it.
During his career, Montand acted in a number of 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 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 worldwide critical hit and raised Montand's profile in the US, where he made an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman.
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