Michel Piccoli
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- December 27, 1925
- Died
- May 12, 2020
- Birthplace
- Paris, Ile-de-France, France
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 2025
Actor
It's Not Me 2024
as (archive footage)
Godard by Godard 2023
as Self (archive footage)
Romy, A Free Woman 2022
as archive footage
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président 2022
as Self (archive footage)
Marx Can Wait 2021
as Agostino (archive footage) (uncredited)
François Mitterrand & Anne Pingeot: Pieces of a Love Story 2021
as Self (archive footage)
Claude Chabrol, the Maverick 2019
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
- Dios de monoambiente
Dios de monoambiente 2018
as Self (archive footage)
Coming Apart 2017
as (archive footage)
Claude Sautet, Romy, Yves, Michel et les autres 2017
as Self (archive footage)
The Incredible Mr. Piccoli 2017
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Marco Ferreri: Dangerous But Necessary 2017
as Self (archive footage)
Our Lady of Hormones 2015
as Narrator
The Taste of Blueberries 2014
as Michel
Lines of Wellington 2012
as Leópold Scheitzer
You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet 2012
as Le père
Holy Motors 2012
as Man with the Wine Stain
The Bardot mystery 2012
Actor
Agnès Varda: From Here to There 2011
as Self
Il était une fois... Vincent, François, Paul et les autres 2011
as Self
We Have a Pope 2011
as Melville
Portrait Of My Father 2010
as Self
Le Bel Âge 2009
as Maurice Reverdy
Brigitte Bardot: The Icon of France 2009
Actor
Once Upon a Time… Contempt 2009
as Self
The Beaches of Agnès 2008
as Self (archive footage)
The Dust of Time 2008
as Spyros
On War 2008
as Le grand Hou
2 x 50 Years of French Cinema 2008
as Self
To Each His Own Cinema 2007
as Nikita Kruschev (segment "Rencontre unique")
- Le Roi Lear
Le Roi Lear 2007
as Le roi Lear
Beneath the Rooftops of Paris 2007
as Marcel
Boxes 2007
as Daddy
Rencontre Unique 2007
as Nikita Khrouchtchev
The Duchess of Langeais 2007
as Vidame de Pamiers
Belle Toujours 2006
as Henri Husson
Gardens in Autumn 2006
as Marie, la mère de Vincent
Magic Mirror 2006
as Prof. Heschel
C'est pas tout à fait la vie dont j'avais rêvé 2006
Director, Writer
Otar Iosseliani, le merle siffleur 2006
as Self
Everything's Connected 2005
as Narrator
Un divertissement et Michel Piccoli 2004
as Self
Raining Cats and Frogs 2003
as Ferdinand (voice)
Little Lili 2003
as acteur qui joue Simon
That Day 2003
as Harald
A Man, a Real One 2003
as Michel Piccoli
Romy Schneider, étrange étrangère 2002
as Self
Brook by Brook 2002
as Self
- Il bambino di Betlemme
Il bambino di Betlemme 2002
Actor
I’m Going Home 2001
as Gilbert Valence
The Black Beach 2001
Director, Writer
Everything's Fine, We're Leaving 2000
as Louis
Speaking of Buñuel 2000
as Self
Actors 2000
as Michel Piccoli
- New World Order: Somewhere in Africa
New World Order: Somewhere in Africa 2000
as Narrator (voice)
Kiarostami in Close up 2000
as as Self
Libero Burro 1999
as Zio Tony
París-Tombuctú 1999
as Michel des Assantes
The Happiest Place on Earth 1999
as Récitant (voice)
Nothing About Robert 1999
as Lord Ariel Chatwick-West
Les paradoxes de Buñuel 1998
as Self
Alors voilà, 1997
Director, Writer
Passion in the Desert 1997
as Jean-Michel Venture de Paradis
Genealogies of a Crime 1997
as Georges Didier
Tykho Moon 1996
as Mac Bee / frère Mac Bee
Ousmane Sow 1996
as Narrateur
Party 1996
as Michel
Traveling Companion 1996
as Cosimo
Beaumarchais the Scoundrel 1996
as Prince de Conti
The World of Jacques Demy 1995
as Self
One Hundred and One Nights 1995
as Simon Cinéma
- Tödliches Geld
Tödliches Geld 1995
as Paul Belmont
The Black Angel 1994
as Georges Feuvrier
The Emigrant 1994
as Adam - Ram's father
Train de nuit 1994
Actor, Writer, Director
- Berau, sur les traces de Joseph Conrad
Berau, sur les traces de Joseph Conrad 1994
as Presenter
- Bête de scène
Bête de scène 1994
Actor
- Rupture(s)
Rupture(s) 1993
as Paul
Loonies at Large 1993
as Henri Toussaint
The Young Girls Turn 25 1993
as Self (archive footage)
- Archipel
Archipel 1993
as Leonard Wilde
The Supper 1992
as Chateaubriand (voice)
From Time to Time 1992
as Jules Verne
Le Bal des casse-pieds 1992
as Désiré, l'homosexuel
La Belle Noiseuse: Divertimento 1992
as Edouard Frenhofer
Lest We Forget 1991
as Self (segment "Pour Nasrin Rasooli, Iran"), Director
The Children Thief 1991
as Mr. Armand
La Belle Noiseuse 1991
as Edouard Frenhofer
Walking a Tightrope 1991
as Marcel Spadice
The Fate of Baron Leisenbohg 1991
as Le baron de Leisenbohg
Martha and I 1990
as Ernst
May Fools 1990
as Milou
The Monkey Folk 1989
Actor
Un coupable 1988
as L'avocat
- La Ruelle au clair de lune
La Ruelle au clair de lune 1988
as Pierre Willer
Blanc de Chine 1988
as Batz
How Good the Whites Are 1988
as Père Jean-Marie
Malady of Love 1987
as Raoul Bergeron
The Veiled Man 1987
as Kassar
La Rumba 1987
as Damien Malleville
The Distant Land 1987
as Friedrich Hofreiter
The Prude 1986
as Pierre
Mauvais Sang 1986
as Marc
The Nonentity 1986
as der Tölpel
My Brother-in-law Killed My Sister 1986
as Étienne Sembadel
Adieu Bonaparte 1985
as Caffarelli - كافاريللي
Going and Coming Back 1985
as Simon Lerner
Death in a French Garden 1985
as Graham Tombsthay
La Lune 1985
Actor
Le Matelot 512 1984
as Narrator (voice)
Success Is the Best Revenge 1984
as French Official
Long Live Life 1984
as Michel Perrin
Dangerous Moves 1984
as Akiva Liebskind
The General of the Dead Army 1983
as Benetandi, Producer
The Prize of Peril 1983
as Frédéric Mallaire
Will the High Salaried Workers Raise Their Hands! 1982
as José Viss
A Room in Town 1982
as Edmond Leroyer
The Eyes, the Mouth 1982
as Tío Agostino
Beyond the Door 1982
as Mr. Mutti
Godard's Passion 1982
as Michel Boulard
That Night of Varennes 1982
as King Louis XVI (uncredited)
The Passerby 1982
as Max Baumstein
La Cerisaie 1982
as Léonid
Scénario du film Passion 1982
as Self
Spy, Stand Up 1982
as Jean-Paul Chance
Strange Affair 1981
as Bertrand Malair
- Du crime considéré comme un des beaux-arts.
Du crime considéré comme un des beaux-arts. 1981
as Morrand
Confused Feelings 1981
as Professor
The Prodigal Daughter 1981
as Le père
Atlantic City 1980
as Joseph
The Price of Survival 1980
as René Winterhalter, Producer
A Leap in the Dark 1980
as Mauro Ponticelli
The Bit Between the Teeth 1979
as Pierre Chazerand
Le Divorcement 1979
as Philippe
Atrocious Tales of Love and Death 1979
as Victor Navarro
Sugar 1978
as Grezillo
Little Girl in Blue Velvet 1978
as Conrad Brukner
lulu 1978
as Schoen
The Savage State 1978
as Orlaville, Producer
- Strauberg ist da
Strauberg ist da 1978
as Strauberg
Fire's Share 1978
as Robert Hansen
The Accuser 1977
as Saint-Ramé
Spoiled Children 1977
as Bernard Rougerie, Producer
That Obscure Object of Desire 1977
as Mathieu Faber (voice) (uncredited)
Rene the Cane 1977
as Ispettore Marchand
Mado 1976
as Simon Léotard
F as in Fairbanks 1976
as Etienne
One Way or Another 1976
as Him
The Last Woman 1976
as Michel
Seven Deaths by Prescription 1975
as Dr Losseray, Associate Producer
Leonor 1975
as Richard, Producer
Weak Spot 1975
as L'enquêteur, Co-Producer
The Voyage Into the Whirlpool Has Begun 1974
Actor
Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others 1974
as François, médecin
The Phantom of Liberty 1974
as Police Prefect #2
Life Size 1974
as Michel, Producer
The Infernal Trio 1974
as Georges Sarret
Don't Touch the White Woman! 1974
as Buffalo Bill, Producer
Loving in the Rain 1974
as Mr. Dellerue (voice)
Far West 1973
as Indian chief
La Grande Bouffe 1973
as Michel
Wedding in Blood 1973
as Pierre Maury
Themroc 1973
as Themroc
The Woman in Blue 1973
as Pierre
Cesar and Rosalie 1972
as Narrator (voice)
The Assassination 1972
as Colonel Kassar
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie 1972
as Interior Minister
Liza 1972
as Giorgio's friend
The Audience 1972
as Padre Amerin
Ten Days' Wonder 1971
as Paul Regis
Touch and Go 1971
as Valentin
Max and the Junkmen 1971
as Max, inspector
Invasion 1970
as Marcello
The Things of Life 1970
as Pierre Bérard
Topaz 1969
as Jacques Granville
The Uninvited 1969
as François Desailly
The Milky Way 1969
as Marquis de Sade
Dillinger Is Dead 1969
as Glauco
Délire à deux 1968
as Him
Woman in Chains 1968
as L'invité pressé au vernissage (uncredited)
Heartbeat 1968
as Charles
Danger: Diabolik 1968
as Inspector Ginko
The Diary of an Innocent Boy 1968
as Count Philippe
My Love, My Love 1967
as Marrades
Belle de Jour 1967
as Henri Husson
Shock Troops 1967
as L'homme de trop
The Dinosaur and the Baby 1967
as Paul Javal (archive footage)
The Young Girls of Rochefort 1967
as Simon Dame
Romy: Anatomy of a Face 1967
as Self
Is Paris Burning? 1966
as Edgar Pisani
Elsa the Rose 1966
as Narrator (voice)
The Creatures 1966
as Edgar Piccoli
La Voleuse 1966
as Werner Kreuz
The Game Is Over 1966
as Alexandre Saccard
The Devil's Tricks 1966
as L'antiquaire
The War Is Over 1966
as Inspector #1
Le Coup de grâce 1966
as Capri / Bruno
Lady L 1965
as Lecoeur
The Sleeping Car Murders 1965
as René Cabourg, l'employé besogneux (Victime #2)
Dom Juan 1965
as Dom Juan
Masquerade 1965
as Georges Sarrassin
- Café tabac
Café tabac 1964
as Récitant (voice)
All About Loving 1964
as Raoul
Marie Soleil 1964
as Kafka
Chance at Love 1964
as Philippe Decharme (segment "Lucky la chance")
Paparazzi 1964
as Texte dit par (voice), Writer
Bardot et Godard 1964
as Self
Luis Buñuel : Un cinéaste de notre temps 1964
as Narrator (voice)
Diary of a Chambermaid 1964
as Monsieur Monteil
L'Été en hiver 1964
as Jean, the Reporter
Hello Cubans 1963
as Narrator (voice)
Contempt 1963
as Paul Javal
The Day and the Hour 1963
as Antoine
Le Doulos 1962
as Nuttheccio
Adieu Philippine 1962
as Izquierdo dans l'émission de télévision 'Montserrat' (uncredited)
Climates of Love 1962
as François
- Le Temps des assassins
Le Temps des assassins 1962
as Récitant (voice)
Parisienne... Parisiennes 1962
as Récitant (voice)
Rendezvous 1961
as Paul
- Fumée, histoire et fantaisie
Fumée, histoire et fantaisie 1961
Actor
Hauteclaire 1961
as Serlon de Savigny
Amazons of Rome 1961
as Console Publicola
- Quarante fontaines
Quarante fontaines 1961
as Récitant (voice)
La Chevelure 1961
as L'homme
- Le Rendez-vous de Noël
Le Rendez-vous de Noël 1960
Actor
Danger in the Middle East 1960
as Brian Cannon
La dragée haute 1960
as Hugo Barsac
Les Joueurs 1960
as Chvokhniev
- Le Chalet sous la neige
Le Chalet sous la neige 1959
as Robert
Beast at Bay 1959
as Commissioner Jacques Guimard
La Nuit de Tom Brown 1959
as Tom Brown, jeune
Tabarin 1958
as Jacques Forestier
Sinners of Paris 1958
as L'inspecteur Vardier, de la P.J.
Nathalie 1957
as Franck Marchal
Le Quadrille des diamants 1957
as Richard Burke
- Le Plus Heureux des trois
Le Plus Heureux des trois 1957
as Pianist
Sunday Buddies 1957
as Le directeur de l'aéro-club
The Witches of Salem 1957
as James Putnam
- La France romane
La France romane 1956
as Récitant (voice)
Death in the Garden 1956
as Father Lizzardi
The Grand Manoeuvre 1955
as Officer (uncredited)
Bad Liaisons 1955
as un inspecteur
Ernst Thälmann – Leader of the Working Class 1955
as Maurice Rouger
Croissance de Paris 1955
as Récitant (voice)
French Cancan 1955
as Le Capitaine Valorgueil
Price of Love 1955
as Georges
Tout chante autour de moi 1954
as Reverdier
Saint-Tropez, devoirs de vacances 1954
as Gérard
Daughters of Destiny 1954
as Pasquerel (segment "Jeanne")
Horizons... 1953
as un ouvrier
- Torticola versus Frankensberg
Torticola versus Frankensberg 1952
as Torticola
Chicago Digest 1951
as Slim Spring
- Terreur en Oklahoma
Terreur en Oklahoma 1951
as Tommy Goudchote
- La Leçon d'humour dans un parc
La Leçon d'humour dans un parc 1951
Actor
Without Leaving an Address 1951
as Un journaliste aux archives (uncredited), as Un journaliste aux archives
The Perfume of the Lady in Black 1949
as Lebel
The Mark of the Day 1949
as Georges Gohelle
The Bellman 1945
as Un villageois
Credits from TMDB.