Yves Montand (13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991) was an Italian-born French actor and singer.
Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, to Giovanni Livi, a broom manufacturer and Giuseppina Simoni, a devout Catholic, while her husband held strong Communist beliefs. Montand's family left for France in 1923 because of Italy's Fascist regime. He grew up in Marseille, where, as a young man, he worked in his sister's beauty salon (Salon de Coiffure), and later on the docks. He began a career in show business as a music-hall singer. In 1944, he was discovered by Édith Piaf in Paris and she made him part of her act He lived with her for two years. She became his mentor and co-star in several films.
During his career, Montand acted in a number of American motion pictures as well as on Broadway. Montand went on to international recognition as a singer and actor, starring in numerous films. He made his film debut in "Star Without Light" (1946), followed by "Gates of the Night" (1946).In the late 1940s, he recorded the four greatest hits composed by Henri Betti : "Mais qu'est-ce que j'ai ?" (lyrics by Édith Piaf) in 1947, "C'est si bon" (lyrics by André Hornez), "Rien dans les Mains, rien dans les Poches" (lyrics by André Hornez) and "Maître Pierre" (lyrics by Jacques Plante) in 1948.
In 1951, he married the actress Simone Signoret, and they co-starred in several films throughout their careers. The marriage was, by all accounts, fairly harmonious, lasting until her death in 1985.
A veteran of 60 films, some of his best remembered roles were in the films "The Wages of fear" (1953), "The Crucible" (1957), "My Geisha" (1962), "Grand Prix" (1966), "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever" (1970) and "Manon of the Spring" (1986). He was nominated for a César Award for "Best Actor" in 1980 for I comme Icare and again in 1984 for Garçon! In 1986, after his international box-office draw power had fallen off considerably, the 65-year-old Montand gave one of his most memorable performances, as the scheming uncle in the two-part film Jean de Florette, co-starring Gérard Depardieu, and Manon des Sources, co-starring Emmanuelle Béart. The film was a worldwide critical hit and raised Montand's profile in the US, where he made an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman.
In his later years he maintained a home in St Paul de Vence, Provence until his death from a heart attack November 9, 1991 in Senlis, Oise, France. In an interview, Jean-Jacques Beineix said, "He died on the set of IP5: The Island of Pachyderms On the very last day, after his very last shot. It was the very last night and we were doing retakes. He finished what he was doing and then he just died. And the film tells the story of an old man who dies from a heart attack, which is the same thing that happened!"
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Montand's only child, Valentin, his son by his second wife Carole Amiel, was born in 1988. In a paternity suit that rocked France, another woman accused Montand of being the father of her daughter and went to court to obtain a DNA sample from him. Montand refused, but the woman persisted after his death. In a court ruling that made international headlines, the woman won the right to have Montand exhumed and a sample taken. It subsequently showed that he was not the girl's father.
Montand's only child, Valentin, his son by his second wife Carole Amiel, was born in 1988. In a paternity suit that rocked France, another woman accused Montand of being the father of her daughter and went to court to obtain a DNA sample from him. Montand refused, but the woman persisted after his death. In a court ruling that made international headlines, the woman won the right to have Montand exhumed and a sample taken. It subsequently showed that he was not the girl's father.
He is buried next to Simone Signoret in the Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France. (Edited mainly from Wikipedia)