Serge Reggiani (2 May 1922 – 23 July 2004) was an Italian-born French singer and actor. He was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy and moved to France with his parents at the age of eight. For many years, he struggled with alcoholism, caused in part by the 1980 suicide of his son Stephan.
After acting school (Conservatoire des arts cinématographiques) he was discovered by Jean Cocteau and appeared in a wartime production of Les Parents terribles ("The Terrible Parents"). During World War II, he left Paris to join the French resistance.
His first feature film came in 1946 with his role in Les portes de la nuit ("The Doors of the Night"). He later went on to perform in 80 films including Casque d'or, Les Misérables (1958),Tutti a casa, Le Doulos, Il Gattopardo, La terrazza, The Pianist (1998).
In spite of never quite reaching the peak with his acting career, he did triumph in the theatre in 1959 with his performance in Jean-Paul Sartre’s play Les Séquestrés d'Altona. In the meantime, though, in 1965 he began a second career, that of a singer (at the age of 43), with the help of Simone Signoret and her husband Yves Montand and later with great assistance of the French diva Barbara. Reggiani became one of the most acclaimed performers of French "Chanson" ("song") and although he was in his 40s, his bad-boy rugged image made him popular with both young and older listeners.
His best known songs include Les loups sont entrés dans Paris ("The Wolves Have Entered Paris") and Sarah (La femme qui est dans mon lit) ("The Woman Who Is In My Bed"), the latter written by Georges Moustaki. However, one of his regular songwriters throughout his career was Boris Vian (Le Déserteur, Arthur où t'as mis le corps, La Java des bombes atomiques). His new young fans identified with his left-wing ideals and antimilitarism, most notably during the 1968 student revolts in France. With age he became more and more acclaimed as one of the best interpreters of the French chanson also bringing the poetry of Rimbaud, Apollinaire and Prévert closer to his audience. In 1995, he made a comeback to the singing stage, giving a few concerts despite his deteriorated health and personal distress, the last one being held as late as in the year of his death, in spring of 2004.
In later life he became a painter and gave a number of exhibitions of his artwork.
Serge Reggiani died in Paris of a heart attack at the age of 82, one day after the death of another well known French singer Sacha Distel. He is interred in Montparnasse Cemetery.
| 2022 | La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président as Self (archive footage) |
| 2014 | Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui |
| 2010 | Ils ont vu l’Enfer... as Self |
| 2010 | Il était une fois... Vincent, François, Paul et les autres |
| 2009 | L'Enfer d'Henri-Georges Clouzot as Marcel (archive footage) |
| 1998 | El pianista as Rossell mayor |
| 1997 | Héroïnes as monsieur Montgolfier |
| 1995 | Les Enfoirés 1995 - Les Enfoirés à l'Opéra-Comique |
| 1995 | Le petit garçon as Germain |
| 1993 | Serge Reggiani - Palais des congrès |
| 1993 | Rosen-Emil as Dr. Levy |
| 1993 | De force avec d'autres as Sergio |
| 1990 | I Hired a Contract Killer as Vic |
| 1990 | Plein fer as Emilio |
| 1990 | Il y a des jours... et des lunes as le père de Sophie |
| 1988 | Ne réveillez pas un flic qui dort as Le Stéphanois |
| 1988 | L'écho |
| 1987 | Arıcı as Sick Man |
| 1986 | Mauvais Sang as Charlie |
| 1980 | Fantastica as Euclide Brown |
| 1980 | L'empreinte des géants as Fouldroule |
| 1980 | La terrazza as Sergio |
| 1977 | La Communion solennelle as Le récitant chanteur (voice) |
| 1977 | Violette et François as Père de François |
| 1977 | Une fille cousue de fil blanc as Jérôme |
| 1976 | Le Bon et les Méchants as le chef de la résistance |
| 1975 | Le Chat et la Souris as Lechat |
| 1974 | Vincent, François, Paul… et les autres as Paul, écrivain, journaliste |
| 1974 | Touche pas à la femme blanche as The Mad Indian |
| 1972 | Les caïds as Thia |
| 1972 | Trois Milliards Sans Ascenseur as Pierrot |
| 1970 | 36, le grand tournant |
| 1970 | Comptes à rebours as François Nolan |
| 1969 | Gölgeler Ordusu as Hairdresser |
| 1968 | Il giorno della civetta as Parrinieddu |
| 1968 | I sette fratelli Cervi as Ferrari, antifascista in carcere |
| 1967 | La Vingt-cinquième Heure as Trajan Koruga |
| 1967 | Macera Peşinde as the pilot |
| 1966 | Le Ciel, la terre as Narrator |
| 1965 | Le Bestiaire d'amour |
| 1965 | Marie Chantal contre Dr. Kha as Ivanov |
| 1963 | Leopar as Don Francisco Ciccio Tumeo |
| 1962 | Le Doulos as Maurice Faugel |
| 1962 | La guerra continua as Libero |
| 1961 | Paris Blues as Michel 'Gypsy' Devigne |
| 1960 | Les années folles as Récitant / Narrator (voice) |
| 1960 | Tutti a casa as Geniere Assunto Ceccarelli |
| 1959 | Marie-Octobre as Antoine Rougier |
| 1958 | The Stowaway as Alfred Mougins |
| 1958 | Les Misérables as Enjolras |
| 1958 | Échec au porteur as Bastien Sassey |
| 1957 | La Seine a rencontré Paris as Speaker |
| 1957 | Élisa |
| 1957 | La donna del giorno as Mario Grimaldi |
| 1955 | Les salauds vont en enfer as Rudel |
| 1955 | Napoléon as Lucien Bonaparte |
| 1953 | Un acte d'amour as Claude Lacaud |
| 1953 | Bufere as Sergio Parnell |
| 1953 | La bergère et le ramoneur as Le ramoneur (voice) |
| 1953 | Il mondo le condanna as André |
| 1952 | Camicie rosse as Lantini |
| 1952 | Altın Başlık as Georges |
| 1952 | Secret People as Louis Balan |
| 1951 | Une fille à croquer as Jean-Loup aka 'Loup' |
| 1950 | La Ronde as Franz, le soldat |
| 1950 | Les Anciens de Saint-Loup as abbé Paul Forestier |
| 1949 | Le Parfum de la dame en noir as Joseph "Rouletabille" |
| 1949 | Au royaume des cieux as Pierre |
| 1949 | Retour à la vie as Louis (segment "Le retour de Louis") |
| 1949 | Le Mystère de la chambre jaune as Joseph Rouletabille |
| 1949 | Manon as Léon Lescaut |
| 1949 | Les Amants de Vérone as Angelo (Romeo) |
| 1948 | Le Dessous des cartes as Manu |
| 1947 | Coïncidences |
| 1946 | Les Portes de la nuit as Guy Sénéchal |
| 1946 | Étoile sans lumière as Gaston Lansac |
| 1945 | François Villon as François Villon |
| 1944 | Le Carrefour des enfants perdus as Joris |
| 1943 | Le Voyageur de la Toussaint as Bob Éloi |
| 1941 | La Nuit de Décembre as (uncredited) |
| 1941 | Saturnin de Marseille |
| 1938 | Les Disparus de Saint-Agil as Un élève |
| Pueblo en armas |
Duvar