French-Italian actor and singer
Father of Valentin Montand with Carole Amiel.
Singer, best known for his performance of jazz hit "Autumn Leaves" among other popular songs.
The name of "Yves Montand" comes from his childhood: his Italian mother used to yell at him "Ivo, monta" ("come upstairs, Ivo" in Tuscan dialect) when it was time to go home.
Dated famous French singer dith Piaf from 1944 to 1946.
When he was young, he was a hairdresser in Marseille (France).
Stepfather of Catherine Allgret from his marriage to Simone Signoret. His only biological child, son Valentin Montand , was by his girlfriend Carole Amiel.
Has his look-alike puppet in the French show "Guignols de linfo, Les" .
President of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1987
His parents escaped Italy in 1921 as Benito Mussolini rose to power.
Montands father, Giovanni Livi, was a locally important figure in the French Communist Party in Marseilles when Montand was in his teens. Montand himself later joined the Communist Party and remained a member until 1968, when he broke with the Party in response to the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.
Admired Fred Astaire.
He is interred near his wife Simone Signoret in the Pre Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.
Became natural citizen of France in 1932.
Toured as a jazz singer in the Soviet Union in 1956 and in 1963, and met with Nikita Khrushchev. Became critical of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, then made a movie about socialist dictatorship.
Anne Fleurange accused him of being the father of her daughter, who she said was conceived while she and Montand were working on Vincent, Franois, Paul... et les autres . She sued him to obtain a DNA sample, but he refused. After his death, Fleurange obtained a court ruling to have his body exhumed. On 11 March 1998, a paternity test proved that Montand wasnt the father of her daughter.
In her book "My Lucky Stars", Shirley MacLaine wrote that before filming on My Geisha began, Montand bet her husband Steve Parker that he could seduce her. Parker, whom MacLaine learned later, was having an affair at the time, took Montand up on the bet; Montand won.
Came from a working-class (docklands) Marseilles family. Left school at eleven and held various jobs in bars, factories and a hair salon. He first performed in amateur theatrics at the age of seventeen. His breakthrough came in his twenties, while singing in Parisian music halls. There he was spotted by Edith Piaf. He lived with her for two years. She became his mentor and co-star in several films, until his first solo success in "Le Salaire de la Peur" in 1953.
Became the first popular singer to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House, in 1982.
First singing tour of the United States in 1959.
Had a well-publicised affair with Marilyn Monroe in 1960, while filming Lets Make Love .
In October 1947, Henri Betti offered to Yves Montand singing two songs he has composed : "Mais quest-ce que jai ?" (lyrics by dith Piaf ) and "Cest si bon" (lyrics by Andr Hornez ). Yves Montand recorded "Mais quest-ce que jai ?" with Jean Marion and his Orchestra but not "Cest si bon". After the success of the recording of "Cest si bon" by Les Soeurs tienne with Raymond Legrand and his Orchestra, he decided to record it. He recorded the song on 11 May 1948.
In 2016, Lambert Wilson released the album "Wilson chante Montand" in which he sings the songs of Yves Montand. The musical arrangements of the 17 songs on the album were made by Bruno Fontaine. Among the 17 tracks there is "Mais quest-ce que jai ?" composed by Henri Betti with the lyrics of dith Piaf in 1947.
In the late 1940s, he recorded the four greatest hits composed by Henri Betti : "Mais quest-ce que jai ?" (lyrics by dith Piaf ) in 1947, "Cest si bon" , "Rien dans les Mains, rien dans les Poches" (lyrics by Andr Hornez ) and "Matre Pierre" (lyrics by Jacques Plante ) in 1948.
Marlne Jobert tells in her biography that Yves Montand once tried to seduce her; and because she refused he tried several times to smash her career. Jobert also said that while she had great admiration for the artist, Yves Montand was some one arrogant, selfish and a disgusting character in his personal life.
Marlne Jobert tells in her biography that just after the news about Marilyn Monroes death, Yves Montand - ex Marilyns lover - remained stone cold whilst the rest of the French people around him were crying, full of grief.
Marlne Jobert tells in her biography that when she was invited by the couple Yves Montand - Simone Signoret - Montand humiliated Signoret just in front of their guest. And this without any reason.
Yves Montand was shown singing from France to the USA via the communications satellite "Telestar". This was a transmission to show how satellite technology could broadcast from one continent to another. This was in the summer of 1962, one of several transmissions from earth to satellite and back to earth.
Montand is often erroneously credited with playing a German officer (mainly seen in long shots) in Kellys Heroes . The character is actually played by the credited actor David Gross , who strongly resembles Montand.
I think a man can have two, maybe three affairs, while he is married.
