Michel Piccoli
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Michel Jacques Daniel Piccoli was the son of Henri Piccoli, violinist and Marcelle Expert-Bezançon (1892-1990), pianist and daughter of the French industrialist and politician Charles Expert-Bezançon. In 1954, Michel Piccoli married actress Éléonore Hirt with whom he had a daughter, Anne-Cordélia Piccoli. In 1966, he married the singer Juliette Gréco, then in 1978 the screenwriter Ludivine Clerc, with whom he adopted two children of Polish origin, Inord and Missia. Placed in an establishment for problem children, the commitments of the young Piccoli, are made in opposition to his maternal grandfather, senator of the Third Republic, financier of the Radical Party, and important industrial painter, accused by the trade union left and by Georges Clemenceau, of having intoxicated his workmen through lead white which causes lead poisoning. Michel Piccoli then trained as an actor first with Andrée Bauer-Théraud and then during Simon. After an appearance as an extra in "Sortilèges" by Christian-Jaque in 1945, Michel Piccoli made his film debut in "Le Point Du Jour" by Louis Daquin. In the theater he distinguished himself with the Renaud-Barrault and Grenier-Hussot companies as well as at the Théâtre de Babylone. Noticed in the film "French Cancan" in 1954, he continued on stage and worked with directors Jacques Audiberti, Jean Vilar, Jean-Marie Serreau, Peter Brook, Luc Bondy, Patrice Chéreau and André Engel, and became also know in popular TV movies. Having become an atheist after a family bereavement, he met Luis Buñuel in 1956, and ironically took on the role of a priest in "La Mort En Ce Jardin". In 1959, he shot "Le Rendez-Vous De Noël", a short film by André Michel based on the short story by Malek Ouary "Le Noël Du Petit Cireur", in Algiers. The 1960s sounded his consecration, noticed in "Le Doulos" by Jean-Pierre Melville, he was revealed internationally with "Le Mépris" by Jean-Luc Godard alongside Brigitte Bardot. From then on, he toured with the greatest French and international filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock, Luis Buñuel, Youssef Chahine, Manoel de Oliveira... He began the 1980s with the interpretation prize at the Cannes festival in 1980, with "Le Saut Dans Le Vide" by Marco Bellocchio, and that of the Berlin festival in 1982, with "Une Étrange Affaire" by Pierre Granier-Deferre. . He worked with Jacques Doillon, Leos Carax, before trying his hand at directing. In 2001 he received the IX Europe Prize for Theatre. He was part of the jury of the 60th Cannes Film Festival in 2007, chaired by Stephen Frears. In 2011, he played in "Habemus Papam" by Nanni Moretti. The last film in which Michel Piccoli appears is the film "Le Goût Des Myrtilles", by Thomas de Thiers in 2013. Politically committed to the left, member of the Peace Movement (communist), Michel Piccoli distinguished himself by his positions against the National Front, and mobilized for Amnesty International. Michel Piccoli died on May 12, 2020 following a stroke in his mansion in Saint-Philbert-sur-Risle in Eure. His funeral takes place in Évreux on May 19, 2020, where he is cremated, his ashes are scattered within the family property.
Known for
Credits
Holy Motors (2012)
as Man with the Wine Stain
Actors (2000)
as Michel Piccoli
Topaz (1969)
as Jacques Granville
Belle de Jour (1967)
as Henri Husson
The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967)
as Simon Dame
Adieu Philippine (1962)
as Izquierdo dans l'émission de télévision 'Montserrat' (uncredited)
Is Paris Burning? (1966)
as Edgar Pisani
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)
as Interior Minister
Contempt (1963)
as Paul Javal
Themroc (1973)
as Themroc
That Obscure Object of Desire (1977)
as Mathieu Faber (voice) (uncredited)
Max and the Junkmen (1971)
as Max, inspector
Party (1996)
as Michel
La Grande Bouffe (1973)
as Michel
Cesar and Rosalie (1972)
as Narrator (voice)
La Belle Noiseuse (1991)
as Edouard Frenhofer
The Assassination (1972)
as Colonel Kassar
Rencontre Unique (2007)
as Nikita Khrouchtchev
The Passerby (1982)
as Max Baumstein
Nathalie (1957)
as Franck Marchal
Going and Coming Back (1985)
as Simon Lerner
To Each His Own Cinema (2007)
as Nikita Kruschev (segment "Rencontre unique")
The Last Woman (1976)
as Michel
How Good the Whites Are (1988)
as Père Jean-Marie
Coming Apart (2017)
as (archive footage)
We Have a Pope (2011)
as Melville
The Phantom of Liberty (1974)
as Police Prefect #2
The Things of Life (1970)
as Pierre Bérard
Brook by Brook (2002)
as Self
Tödliches Geld (1995)
as Paul Belmont
Atlantic City (1980)
as Joseph
Little Lili (2003)
as acteur qui joue Simon
Danger: Diabolik (1968)
as Inspector Ginko
A Room in Town (1982)
as Edmond Leroyer
Mauvais Sang (1986)
as Marc
The World of Jacques Demy (1995)
as Self
Boxes (2007)
as Daddy
Rene the Cane (1977)
as Ispettore Marchand
Seven Deaths by Prescription (1975)
as Dr Losseray
Diary of a Chambermaid (1964)
as Monsieur Monteil
Climates of Love (1962)
as François
That Night of Varennes (1982)
as King Louis XVI (uncredited)
Paparazzi (1964)
as Texte dit par (voice)
Horizons... (1953)
as un ouvrier
Hauteclaire (1961)
as Serlon de Savigny
Weak Spot (1975)
as L'enquêteur
The Witches of Salem (1957)
as James Putnam
Lines of Wellington (2012)
as Leópold Scheitzer
Sunday Buddies (1957)
as Le directeur de l'aéro-club
The Beaches of Agnès (2008)
as Self (archive footage)
Everything's Connected (2005)
as Narrator
The Sleeping Car Murders (1965)
as René Cabourg, l'employé besogneux (Victime #2)
Death in a French Garden (1985)
as Graham Tombsthay
One Hundred and One Nights (1995)
as Simon Cinéma
That Day (2003)
as Harald
Spy, Stand Up (1982)
as Jean-Paul Chance
Strange Affair (1981)
as Bertrand Malair
La Chevelure (1961)
as L'homme
Ousmane Sow (1996)
as Narrateur
Brigitte Bardot: The Icon of France (2009)
Actor
Death in the Garden (1956)
as Father Lizzardi
Rupture(s) (1993)
as Paul
Raining Cats and Frogs (2003)
as Ferdinand (voice)
The War Is Over (1966)
as Inspector #1
La Voleuse (1966)
as Werner Kreuz
The Infernal Trio (1974)
as Georges Sarret
The Incredible Mr. Piccoli (2017)
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
París-Tombuctú (1999)
as Michel des Assantes
Dom Juan (1965)
as Dom Juan
Dillinger Is Dead (1969)
as Glauco
Chicago Digest (1951)
as Slim Spring
It's Not Me (2024)
as (archive footage)
Le Doulos (1962)
as Nuttheccio
Long Live Life (1984)
as Michel Perrin
Without Leaving an Address (1951)
as Un journaliste aux archives (uncredited)
Wedding in Blood (1973)
as Pierre Maury
The Veiled Man (1987)
as Kassar
My Love, My Love (1967)
as Marrades
Rendezvous (1961)
as Paul
French Cancan (1955)
as Le Capitaine Valorgueil
The Bardot mystery (2012)
Actor
Romy, A Free Woman (2022)
as archive footage
Godard's Passion (1982)
as Michel Boulard
Parisienne... Parisiennes (1962)
as Récitant (voice)
The Taste of Blueberries (2014)
as Michel
Claude Chabrol, the Maverick (2019)
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Far West (1973)
as Indian chief
Nothing About Robert (1999)
as Lord Ariel Chatwick-West
Romy Schneider, étrange étrangère (2002)
as Self
Woman in Chains (1968)
as L'invité pressé au vernissage (uncredited)
Shock Troops (1967)
as L'homme de trop
One Way or Another (1976)
as Him
The Black Angel (1994)
as Georges Feuvrier
Bad Liaisons (1955)
as un inspecteur
La dragée haute (1960)
as Hugo Barsac
The Milky Way (1969)
as Marquis de Sade
Archipel (1993)
as Leonard Wilde
Bête de scène (1994)
Actor
The Prize of Peril (1983)
as Frédéric Mallaire
The Dust of Time (2008)
as Spyros
Lady L (1965)
as Lecoeur
Don't Touch the White Woman! (1974)
as Buffalo Bill
Liza (1972)
as Giorgio's friend
Claude Sautet, Romy, Yves, Michel et les autres (2017)
as Self (archive footage)
Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others (1974)
as François, médecin
Spoiled Children (1977)
as Bernard Rougerie
Quarante fontaines (1961)
as Récitant (voice)
The Grand Manoeuvre (1955)
as Officer (uncredited)
The Diary of an Innocent Boy (1968)
as Count Philippe
The Day and the Hour (1963)
as Antoine
May Fools (1990)
as Milou
The Duchess of Langeais (2007)
as Vidame de Pamiers
I’m Going Home (2001)
as Gilbert Valence
Le Roi Lear (2007)
as Le roi Lear
All About Loving (1964)
as Raoul
Le Quadrille des diamants (1957)
as Richard Burke
Le Bel Âge (2009)
as Maurice Reverdy
Genealogies of a Crime (1997)
as Georges Didier
Berau, sur les traces de Joseph Conrad (1994)
as Presenter
Le Coup de grâce (1966)
as Capri / Bruno
Will the High Salaried Workers Raise Their Hands! (1982)
as José Viss
The Savage State (1978)
as Orlaville
The Emigrant (1994)
as Adam - Ram's father
Café tabac (1964)
as Récitant (voice)
Un divertissement et Michel Piccoli (2004)
as Self
Loving in the Rain (1974)
as Mr. Dellerue (voice)
You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet (2012)
as Le père
Dangerous Moves (1984)
as Akiva Liebskind
Price of Love (1955)
as Georges
The Creatures (1966)
as Edgar Piccoli
Saint-Tropez, devoirs de vacances (1954)
as Gérard
A Leap in the Dark (1980)
as Mauro Ponticelli
Le Bal des casse-pieds (1992)
as Désiré, l'homosexuel
Godard by Godard (2023)
as Self (archive footage)
Little Girl in Blue Velvet (1978)
as Conrad Brukner
Fumée, histoire et fantaisie (1961)
Actor
Otar Iosseliani, le merle siffleur (2006)
as Self
The Children Thief (1991)
as Mr. Armand
Marx Can Wait (2021)
as Agostino (archive footage) (uncredited)
Train de nuit (1994)
Actor
Leonor (1975)
as Richard
The Prodigal Daughter (1981)
as Le père
Heartbeat (1968)
as Charles
Le Chalet sous la neige (1959)
as Robert
Daughters of Destiny (1954)
as Pasquerel (segment "Jeanne")
The Game Is Over (1966)
as Alexandre Saccard
Ten Days' Wonder (1971)
as Paul Regis
Atrocious Tales of Love and Death (1979)
as Victor Navarro
Le Rendez-vous de Noël (1960)
Actor
The Bit Between the Teeth (1979)
as Pierre Chazerand
Adieu Bonaparte (1985)
as Caffarelli - كافاريللي
The Perfume of the Lady in Black (1949)
as Lebel
The Eyes, the Mouth (1982)
as Tío Agostino
Chance at Love (1964)
as Philippe Decharme (segment "Lucky la chance")
Malady of Love (1987)
as Raoul Bergeron
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président (2022)
as Self (archive footage)
On War (2008)
as Le grand Hou
Masquerade (1965)
as Georges Sarrassin
Belle Toujours (2006)
as Henri Husson
Amazons of Rome (1961)
as Console Publicola
Délire à deux (1968)
as Him
Tout chante autour de moi (1954)
as Reverdier
La Belle Noiseuse: Divertimento (1992)
as Edouard Frenhofer
Touch and Go (1971)
as Valentin
Mado (1976)
as Simon Léotard
The Mark of the Day (1949)
as Georges Gohelle
Success Is the Best Revenge (1984)
as French Official
From Time to Time (1992)
as Jules Verne
Lest We Forget (1991)
as Self (segment "Pour Nasrin Rasooli, Iran")
Hello Cubans (1963)
as Narrator (voice)
Dios de monoambiente (2018)
as Self (archive footage)
The Nonentity (1986)
as der Tölpel
Speaking of Buñuel (2000)
as Self
Le Plus Heureux des trois (1957)
as Pianist
Beaumarchais the Scoundrel (1996)
as Prince de Conti
Loonies at Large (1993)
as Henri Toussaint
Our Lady of Hormones (2015)
as Narrator
The Young Girls Turn 25 (1993)
as Self (archive footage)
My Brother-in-law Killed My Sister (1986)
as Étienne Sembadel
Beast at Bay (1959)
as Commissioner Jacques Guimard
Passion in the Desert (1997)
as Jean-Michel Venture de Paradis
Beyond the Door (1982)
as Mr. Mutti
The Prude (1986)
as Pierre
Scénario du film Passion (1982)
as Self
Once Upon a Time… Contempt (2009)
as Self
The Voyage Into the Whirlpool Has Begun (1974)
Actor
2 x 50 Years of French Cinema (2008)
as Self
Life Size (1974)
as Michel
The General of the Dead Army (1983)
as Benetandi
Danger in the Middle East (1960)
as Brian Cannon
Ernst Thälmann – Leader of the Working Class (1955)
as Maurice Rouger
The Uninvited (1969)
as François Desailly
François Mitterrand & Anne Pingeot: Pieces of a Love Story (2021)
as Self (archive footage)
Marco Ferreri: Dangerous But Necessary (2017)
as Self (archive footage)
The Devil's Tricks (1966)
as L'antiquaire
Agnès Varda: From Here to There (2011)
as Self
The Life of Mirrors (2025)
Actor
Croissance de Paris (1955)
as Récitant (voice)
The Supper (1992)
as Chateaubriand (voice)
Confused Feelings (1981)
as Professor
Gardens in Autumn (2006)
as Marie, la mère de Vincent
Everything's Fine, We're Leaving (2000)
as Louis
The Audience (1972)
as Padre Amerin
Tykho Moon (1996)
as Mac Bee / frère Mac Bee
Tabarin (1958)
as Jacques Forestier
Magic Mirror (2006)
as Prof. Heschel
The Dinosaur and the Baby (1967)
as Paul Javal (archive footage)
L'Été en hiver (1964)
as Jean, the Reporter
Kiarostami in Close up (2000)
as as Self
The Price of Survival (1980)
as René Winterhalter
Portrait Of My Father (2010)
as Self
Sugar (1978)
as Grezillo
Les paradoxes de Buñuel (1998)
as Self
The Happiest Place on Earth (1999)
as Récitant (voice)
La Leçon d'humour dans un parc (1951)
Actor
Sinners of Paris (1958)
as L'inspecteur Vardier, de la P.J.
Walking a Tightrope (1991)
as Marcel Spadice
Blanc de Chine (1988)
as Batz
The Accuser (1977)
as Saint-Ramé
La Ruelle au clair de lune (1988)
as Pierre Willer
Le Matelot 512 (1984)
as Narrator (voice)
Fire's Share (1978)
as Robert Hansen
La Nuit de Tom Brown (1959)
as Tom Brown, jeune
La Cerisaie (1982)
as Léonid
A Man, a Real One (2003)
as Michel Piccoli
lulu (1978)
as Schoen
Torticola versus Frankensberg (1952)
as Torticola
The Fate of Baron Leisenbohg (1991)
as Le baron de Leisenbohg
Il était une fois... Vincent, François, Paul et les autres (2011)
as Self
Invasion (1970)
as Marcello
Libero Burro (1999)
as Zio Tony
Le Divorcement (1979)
as Philippe
Un coupable (1988)
as L'avocat
The Bellman (1945)
as Un villageois
The Woman in Blue (1973)
as Pierre
Martha and I (1990)
as Ernst
Beneath the Rooftops of Paris (2007)
as Marcel
Les Joueurs (1960)
as Chvokhniev
Il bambino di Betlemme (2002)
Actor
Bardot et Godard (1964)
as Self
Romy: Anatomy of a Face (1967)
as Self
Marie Soleil (1964)
as Kafka
La Rumba (1987)
as Damien Malleville
Le Temps des assassins (1962)
as Récitant (voice)
The Distant Land (1987)
as Friedrich Hofreiter
Luis Buñuel : Un cinéaste de notre temps (1964)
as Narrator (voice)
Du crime considéré comme un des beaux-arts. (1981)
as Morrand
F as in Fairbanks (1976)
as Etienne
Elsa the Rose (1966)
as Narrator (voice)
La Lune (1985)
Actor
Traveling Companion (1996)
as Cosimo
Terreur en Oklahoma (1951)
as Tommy Goudchote
Strauberg ist da (1978)
as Strauberg
The Monkey Folk (1989)
Actor
La France romane (1956)
as Récitant (voice)
New World Order: Somewhere in Africa (2000)
as Narrator (voice)