Michel Piccoli
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.
Filmography
The Life of Mirrors
The Life of Mirrors
Romy, A Free Woman
as archive footage
Romy, A Free Woman
as archive footage
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
as Self (archive footage)
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
as Self (archive footage)
Marx Can Wait
as Agostino (archive footage) (uncredited)
Marx Can Wait
as Agostino (archive footage) (uncredited)
Claude Chabrol, the Maverick
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Claude Chabrol, the Maverick
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Holy Motors
as Man with the Wine Stain
Holy Motors
as Man with the Wine Stain
The Bardot mystery
The Bardot mystery
Il était une fois... Vincent, François, Paul et les autres
as Self
Il était une fois... Vincent, François, Paul et les autres
as Self
We Have a Pope
as Melville
We Have a Pope
as Melville
The Beaches of Agnès
as Self (archive footage)
The Beaches of Agnès
as Self (archive footage)
To Each His Own Cinema
as Nikita Kruschev (segment "Rencontre unique")
To Each His Own Cinema
as Nikita Kruschev (segment "Rencontre unique")
Beneath the Rooftops of Paris
as Marcel
Beneath the Rooftops of Paris
as Marcel
Raining Cats and Frogs
as Ferdinand (voice)
Raining Cats and Frogs
as Ferdinand (voice)
Little Lili
as acteur qui joue Simon
Little Lili
as acteur qui joue Simon
That Day
as Harald
That Day
as Harald
Brook by Brook
as Self
Brook by Brook
as Self
París-Tombuctú
as Michel des Assantes
París-Tombuctú
as Michel des Assantes
Libero Burro
as Zio Tony
Libero Burro
as Zio Tony
Les paradoxes de Buñuel
as Self
Les paradoxes de Buñuel
as Self
Genealogies of a Crime
as Georges Didier
Genealogies of a Crime
as Georges Didier
Tykho Moon
as Mac Bee / frère Mac Bee
Tykho Moon
as Mac Bee / frère Mac Bee
Ousmane Sow
as Narrateur
Ousmane Sow
as Narrateur
Party
as Michel
Party
as Michel
Traveling Companion
as Cosimo
Traveling Companion
as Cosimo
Beaumarchais the Scoundrel
as Prince de Conti
Beaumarchais the Scoundrel
as Prince de Conti
The World of Jacques Demy
as Self
The World of Jacques Demy
as Self
One Hundred and One Nights
as Simon Cinéma
One Hundred and One Nights
as Simon Cinéma
Tödliches Geld
as Paul Belmont
Tödliches Geld
as Paul Belmont
The Black Angel
as Georges Feuvrier
The Black Angel
as Georges Feuvrier
The Emigrant
as Adam - Ram's father
The Emigrant
as Adam - Ram's father
Train de nuit
Train de nuit
Berau, sur les traces de Joseph Conrad
as Presenter
Berau, sur les traces de Joseph Conrad
as Presenter
Bête de scène
Bête de scène
Rupture(s)
as Paul
Rupture(s)
as Paul
Loonies at Large
as Henri Toussaint
Loonies at Large
as Henri Toussaint
The Young Girls Turn 25
as Self (archive footage)
The Young Girls Turn 25
as Self (archive footage)
Archipel
as Leonard Wilde
Archipel
as Leonard Wilde
The Supper
as Chateaubriand (voice)
The Supper
as Chateaubriand (voice)
From Time to Time
as Jules Verne
From Time to Time
as Jules Verne
La Belle Noiseuse: Divertimento
as Edouard Frenhofer
La Belle Noiseuse: Divertimento
as Edouard Frenhofer
Lest We Forget
as Self (segment "Pour Nasrin Rasooli, Iran")
Lest We Forget
as Self (segment "Pour Nasrin Rasooli, Iran")
The Children Thief
as Mr. Armand
The Children Thief
as Mr. Armand
La Belle Noiseuse
as Edouard Frenhofer
La Belle Noiseuse
as Edouard Frenhofer
Walking a Tightrope
as Marcel Spadice
Walking a Tightrope
as Marcel Spadice
The Fate of Baron Leisenbohg
as Le baron de Leisenbohg
The Fate of Baron Leisenbohg
as Le baron de Leisenbohg
May Fools
as Milou
May Fools
as Milou
Un coupable
as L'avocat
Un coupable
as L'avocat
How Good the Whites Are
as Père Jean-Marie
How Good the Whites Are
as Père Jean-Marie
Malady of Love
as Raoul Bergeron
Malady of Love
as Raoul Bergeron
The Distant Land
as Friedrich Hofreiter
The Distant Land
as Friedrich Hofreiter
The Prude
as Pierre
The Prude
as Pierre
Mauvais Sang
as Marc
Mauvais Sang
as Marc
My Brother-in-law Killed My Sister
as Étienne Sembadel
My Brother-in-law Killed My Sister
as Étienne Sembadel
Adieu Bonaparte
as Caffarelli
Adieu Bonaparte
as Caffarelli
Going and Coming Back
as Simon Lerner
Going and Coming Back
as Simon Lerner
Le Matelot 512
as Narrator (voice)
Le Matelot 512
as Narrator (voice)
Success Is the Best Revenge
as French Official
Success Is the Best Revenge
as French Official
Long Live Life
as Michel Perrin
Long Live Life
as Michel Perrin
Dangerous Moves
as Akiva Liebskind
Dangerous Moves
as Akiva Liebskind
The General of the Dead Army
as Benetandi
The General of the Dead Army
as Benetandi
A Room in Town
as Edmond Leroyer
A Room in Town
as Edmond Leroyer
Godard's Passion
as Michel Boulard
Godard's Passion
as Michel Boulard
La Cerisaie
as Léonid
La Cerisaie
as Léonid
Spy, Stand Up
as Jean-Paul Chance
Spy, Stand Up
as Jean-Paul Chance
Strange Affair
as Bertrand Malair
Strange Affair
as Bertrand Malair
Confused Feelings
as Professor
Confused Feelings
as Professor
The Price of Survival
as René Winterhalter
The Price of Survival
as René Winterhalter
A Leap in the Dark
as Mauro Ponticelli
A Leap in the Dark
as Mauro Ponticelli
The Bit Between the Teeth
as Pierre Chazerand
The Bit Between the Teeth
as Pierre Chazerand
Le Divorcement
as Philippe
Le Divorcement
as Philippe
Sugar
as Grezillo
Sugar
as Grezillo
Little Girl in Blue Velvet
as Conrad Brukner
Little Girl in Blue Velvet
as Conrad Brukner
The Savage State
as Orlaville
The Savage State
as Orlaville
Spoiled Children
as Bernard Rougerie
Spoiled Children
as Bernard Rougerie
The Accuser
as Saint-Ramé
The Accuser
as Saint-Ramé
That Obscure Object of Desire
as Mathieu Faber (voice) (uncredited)
That Obscure Object of Desire
as Mathieu Faber (voice) (uncredited)
Mado
as Simon Léotard
Mado
as Simon Léotard
F as in Fairbanks
as Etienne
F as in Fairbanks
as Etienne
The Last Woman
as Michel
The Last Woman
as Michel
Leonor
as Richard
Leonor
as Richard
Weak Spot
as L'enquêteur
Weak Spot
as L'enquêteur
The Voyage Into the Whirlpool Has Begun
The Voyage Into the Whirlpool Has Begun
Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others
as François, médecin
Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others
as François, médecin
The Phantom of Liberty
as Police Prefect #2
The Phantom of Liberty
as Police Prefect #2
Life Size
as Michel
Life Size
as Michel
The Infernal Trio
as Georges Sarret
The Infernal Trio
as Georges Sarret
Don't Touch the White Woman!
as Buffalo Bill
Don't Touch the White Woman!
as Buffalo Bill
Loving in the Rain
as Mr. Dellerue (voice)
Loving in the Rain
as Mr. Dellerue (voice)
Far West
as Indian chief
Far West
as Indian chief
Wedding in Blood
as Pierre Maury
Wedding in Blood
as Pierre Maury
Themroc
as Themroc
Themroc
as Themroc
Cesar and Rosalie
as Narrator (voice)
Cesar and Rosalie
as Narrator (voice)
The Assassination
as Colonel Kassar
The Assassination
as Colonel Kassar
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
as Interior Minister
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
as Interior Minister
Liza
as Giorgio's friend
Liza
as Giorgio's friend
Touch and Go
as Valentin
Touch and Go
as Valentin
Max and the Junkmen
as Max, inspector
Max and the Junkmen
as Max, inspector
Invasion
as Marcello
Invasion
as Marcello
The Things of Life
as Pierre Bérard
The Things of Life
as Pierre Bérard
Topaz
as Jacques Granville
Topaz
as Jacques Granville
The Uninvited
as François Desailly
The Uninvited
as François Desailly
The Milky Way
as Marquis de Sade
The Milky Way
as Marquis de Sade
Délire à deux
as Him
Délire à deux
as Him
Woman in Chains
as L'invité pressé au vernissage (uncredited)
Woman in Chains
as L'invité pressé au vernissage (uncredited)
Danger: Diabolik
as Inspector Ginko
Danger: Diabolik
as Inspector Ginko
My Love, My Love
as Marrades
My Love, My Love
as Marrades
Belle de Jour
as Henri Husson
Belle de Jour
as Henri Husson
The Dinosaur and the Baby
as Paul Javal (archive footage)
The Dinosaur and the Baby
as Paul Javal (archive footage)
The Game Is Over
as Alexandre Saccard
The Game Is Over
as Alexandre Saccard
The Devil's Tricks
as L'antiquaire
The Devil's Tricks
as L'antiquaire
The War Is Over
as Inspector #1
The War Is Over
as Inspector #1
Lady L
as Lecoeur
Lady L
as Lecoeur
The Sleeping Car Murders
as René Cabourg, l'employé besogneux (Victime #2)
The Sleeping Car Murders
as René Cabourg, l'employé besogneux (Victime #2)
Dom Juan
as Dom Juan
Dom Juan
as Dom Juan
Marie Soleil
as Kafka
Marie Soleil
as Kafka
Bardot et Godard
as Self
Bardot et Godard
as Self
Hello Cubans
as Narrator (voice)
Hello Cubans
as Narrator (voice)
The Day and the Hour
as Antoine
The Day and the Hour
as Antoine
Le Doulos
as Nuttheccio
Le Doulos
as Nuttheccio
Adieu Philippine
as Izquierdo dans l'émission de télévision 'Montserrat' (uncredited)
Adieu Philippine
as Izquierdo dans l'émission de télévision 'Montserrat' (uncredited)
Climates of Love
as François
Climates of Love
as François
Le Rendez-vous de Noël
Le Rendez-vous de Noël
Beast at Bay
as Commissioner Jacques Guimard
Beast at Bay
as Commissioner Jacques Guimard
Tabarin
as Jacques Forestier
Tabarin
as Jacques Forestier
Sinners of Paris
as L'inspecteur Vardier, de la P.J.
Sinners of Paris
as L'inspecteur Vardier, de la P.J.
Nathalie
as Franck Marchal
Nathalie
as Franck Marchal
Sunday Buddies
as Le directeur de l'aéro-club
Sunday Buddies
as Le directeur de l'aéro-club
The Witches of Salem
as James Putnam
The Witches of Salem
as James Putnam
Death in the Garden
as Father Lizzardi
Death in the Garden
as Father Lizzardi
The Grand Manoeuvre
as Officer (uncredited)
The Grand Manoeuvre
as Officer (uncredited)
Ernst Thälmann – Leader of the Working Class
as Maurice Rouger
Ernst Thälmann – Leader of the Working Class
as Maurice Rouger
Croissance de Paris
as Récitant (voice)
Croissance de Paris
as Récitant (voice)
Tout chante autour de moi
as Reverdier
Tout chante autour de moi
as Reverdier
Daughters of Destiny
as Pasquerel (segment "Jeanne")
Daughters of Destiny
as Pasquerel (segment "Jeanne")
Chicago Digest
as Slim Spring
Chicago Digest
as Slim Spring
The Perfume of the Lady in Black
as Lebel
The Perfume of the Lady in Black
as Lebel
The Mark of the Day
as Georges Gohelle
The Mark of the Day
as Georges Gohelle