Older people undoubtedly know the name of the French singer and actor Yves Montand. An unforgettable soulful voice and unique charm have always left an indelible mark on the hearts of listeners.
The French chanson would have lost a lot if it had not been for such a colorful, passionate and, at times, daring performer like Yves Montand. He left his unforgettable mark on French cinema as well. Hundreds of concerts in his country and abroad and more than a hundred films have brought him worldwide fame.
A family
Yves Montand, whose native name is Ivo Livy, began life in sunny Italy in 1921. This was the third child in the family of Giovanni and Giuseppina Livi. The parents were already growing up a daughter, Lydia, six years old, and a son, Giuliano, four years old. Giuseppina was Italian by birth, a zealous Catholic, and Giovanni was Jewish, and, moreover, was distinguished by communist views.
It was the political predilections of the head of the family that forced the family to leave Italy with the coming to power of the fascist regime of Mussolini. The family settled in French Marseilles, thinking over time to emigrate to America, and so it stayed there. However, they received citizenship only in 1929.
The family lived modestly, as did many Jewish families at the time. It is for this reason that older children were forced to leave school and look for work. Lydia started working as a hairdresser, and Giuliano found a job as a waiter, changing his name to Julien.
The parents had a secret hope that their youngest son would be able to finish school and then get higher education. But, alas, these hopes were not destined to be fulfilled. School did not bring joy to the boy and he often and with pleasure ran away from lessons. And, starting at the age of 11, just like the older children, he went to work. He got a job at a factory, and in the evenings, with the pennies saved, he bought the cheapest ticket to the cinema and watched films with gusto. So he revisited almost all the Hollywood classics that fell into his city. Often the teenager disappeared at concerts that were given in open areas.
From the age of 13, the teenager helped Lydia in the hairdresser and sang in restaurants in the evenings. With a good voice, the audience liked him even then. Parents were not happy with his hobby, but the weekly 50 francs reconciled them with his son and his hobby.
Creation
The talented young man entered a relatively serious stage at the age of 17, taking on the pseudonym Yves Montand. We can say that his mother blessed him for a rapid career, because his stage name came from his mother's "Ivo, monta!", Which in a mixture of Italian and French meant: "Ivo, get up!" - so she called her son home. And Eve got up. His movement to fame and adoration almost all his life had a progressive character. There were almost no recessions in his career.
In the early forties, a kind of creative image of the singer looms. His first songs were about ordinary people: a boxer, a soldier, a worker, and therefore a gifted young man became a “singing proletarian”.
Around the same years, fate brings him together with the performers who went through all the scenes of the world with him. The duet of guitar (Henri Kroll) and piano (Bob Castella) accompanied the singer throughout his creative life. Subsequently, he began to collaborate with songwriters Francis Lemarc and Jacques Prevert, with whom Yves learns success and fame.
In the mid-fifties, a significant meeting for the singer took place - at a joint concert in the Moulin Rouge, he met the legendary Edith Piaf. Despite the fact that she was six years older than the twenty-three-year-old Willow, a whirlwind romance broke out between them. The singer decided to make up for the shortcomings of the education and upbringing of the hot Italian guy and with all her passion taught him the stage life and behavior in society. At this happy time, Yves Montand does a lot, filling in the gaps in education, completely revising the repertoire. Under her influence, a more restrained and serious performer grew up.
Edith Piaf gave her protégé her first opportunity to play in a movie. He made his debut in the film A Star Without Sky. Then there were "Gates of Night" and "Idol". Critics called the first roles of the actor "very immature", but he was happy - his childhood dream came true, moreover, he learns quickly.
In the early 50s, the creative life of the singer and actor was in full swing. He collects sold out almost at all of his concerts, he has been filming a lot. More than 200 concerts were organized for him at the Etoile Theater, which invariably ended in applause. The film "Pay for Fear" with his participation was noted at the Cannes Film Festival. The famous chansonnier goes on tour all over the world, in 1956 he came to the USSR, where he received a warm welcome, concerts were organized for him in large cities and was even invited to a meeting with Khrushchev. In our country, his concerts caused a real stir.
This was followed by a tour of Eastern Europe and the United States, where the audience received him just as warmly, even "awarded" the title of "sex symbol", and soon the actor receives an invitation to Hollywood to shoot the film "Let's Make Love", starring Marilyn Monroe …
In the late 60s, work in cinema completely absorbed an already well-known actor. Almost every year, a picture with his participation appears on the screens. Now famous directors are fighting for the right to film it. This continues until the 91st year, which ended his career and life. The actor caught a cold during numerous takes on the set, got pneumonia, followed by a heart attack. He died on November 9 at the age of seventy.
Personal life
The multifaceted life path of Yves Montana is a continuous series of love stories and adventures. As Brother Julien said: "He is a real Italian macho." His biography could become a plot for a large number of novels.
In mid-1949, Yves met with the wife of director Marc Allegre - actress Simone Signoret. Passionate feelings flared up. But for another two years, the woman did not dare to break off the old marriage. And only in 51st they played a wedding on the Cote d'Azur. Yves adopted Simone's daughter from his first marriage, and they never parted until the death of his wife. Although the spouse did not pacify the hot Italian feelings. Simone had to forgive him many novels, which he did not particularly hide.
After a relationship with Marilyn Monroe, the marriage almost fell apart, but prudence still prevailed. Simone died in 1985. A couple of children, except for an adopted daughter, did not have.
After the death of his wife, the final chord followed in the personal life of the indefatigable macho. After marrying his young secretary, the singer finally became a father. The second wife gave him a son, Valentine. At first, the father was not very happy with such a gift, but the ubiquitous press quickly "convinced" him. The elderly actor spent his last years in a quiet family atmosphere.
The grave of the famous singer and actor is located in the French cemetery of Père Lachaise, next to Simone. Edith Piaf is also buried there. Two great loves of the inimitable Yves Montana.
