Acting
Gilbert Bécaud
Born 1927-10-24 · Toulon, Var, France
Gilbert Bécaud (24 October 1927 – 18 December 2001) was a French singer, composer, pianist and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-known hits are "Nathalie" and "Et maintenant", a 1961 release that became an English language hit as "What Now My Love". He remained a popular artist for nearly fifty years, identifiable in his dark blue suits, with a white shirt and "lucky tie"; blue with white polka dots. When asked to explain his gift he said, "A flower doesn't understand botany." His favourite venue was the Paris Olympia under the management of Bruno Coquatrix. He debuted there in 1954 and headlined in 1955, attracting 6,000 on his first night, three times the capacity. On 13 November 1997, Bécaud was present for the re-opening of the venue after its reconstruction. Born François Gilbert Léopold Silly in Toulon, France, Bécaud learned to play the piano at a young age, and then went to the Conservatoire de Nice. In 1942, he left school to join the French Resistance during World War II. He began songwriting in 1948, after meeting Maurice Vidalin, who inspired him to write his early compositions. He began writing for Marie Bizet; Bizet, Bécaud and Vidalin became a successful trio, and their partnership lasted until 1950. In 1952, he married Monique Nicholas. They had three children. While touring with Jacques Pills as a pianist, Bécaud met Édith Piaf, Pills' wife at the time. He began singing at her suggestion in 1953, with "Mes Mains" and "Les Croix". His first performance came the year after. His hits in the later part of the decade included "La Corrida" (1956), "Le Jour où la Pluie Viendra" (1957), and "C'est Merveilleux L'amour" (1958). His first hit in the English-speaking world was Jane Morgan's cover version of "Le jour où la pluie viendra" (as "The Day the Rains Came", with English lyrics by Carl Sigman) in 1958. He began acting in the same period, starting with "Le Pays D'où Je Viens" (1956). In 1960, he won a Grand Prix du Disque and composed "L'enfant à L'étoile," a Christmas cantata. That same year, "Let It Be Me", an English version of his "Je t'appartiens", became a hit for the Everly Brothers, followed, over the years, by Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Jerry Butler, Sam & Dave and James Brown. In 1973 he married Kitty Saint-John, with whom he had two children. He died of cancer at the age of 74. In 1961, Bécaud wrote and recorded "Et Maintenant", one of the biggest selling singles in French history. Translated as "What Now My Love", the song became a hit by Shirley Bassey, Sonny & Cher, Elvis Presley, Judy Garland, Andy Williams, Herb Alpert and Frank Sinatra. In 1962, he completed his largest composition, the 2-act opera L'Opéra d'Aran, which was premiered at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on 25 October 1962 (Georges Prêtre conductor). The plot of the opera takes place on the Aran Islands, off the west coast of Ireland, although Bécaud had never been to Ireland before. ... Source: Article "Gilbert Bécaud" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Acting credits
6.555 years ago, on October 1 1968, the first brand advertising spot appeared on the French television screen. Over the next three decades, thousands of creative little films would seduce and build our collective memory. Kitschy or cult spots, humor, slogans, music, stars, gimmicks, grand spectacle or sex appeal: during its golden age, how did advertising convince? Thierry Ardisson has brought together almost 400 advertising clips to relive the era of the conquest of minds and wallets.
L'Âge d'or de la pub
2023
7.2In May 1974, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing became President of the Republic and wanted to bring about a new era of modernity. One of his first decisions was to break up the ORTF with the creation of three new television channels: TF1, Antenne 2 and FR3. Three new public channels but autonomous and competing. It is a race for the audience which is engaged then, and from now on the channels will make the war! This competition will give birth to a real golden age for television programs, with variety shows in the forefront. The stars of the song are going to invade the living rooms of the French for their biggest pleasure. This unedited documentary tells the story of the metamorphosis of this television of the early 1970s, between freedom of tone, scandals, political intrigues and programs that have become mythical.
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
2022
8.0No synopsis available yet.
Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui
2014
6.0Show recorded at the Opéra Comique in Paris on March 6, 1995 for the benefit of the Restos du Coeur.
Les Enfoirés 1995 - Les Enfoirés à l'Opéra-Comique
1995
7.8No synopsis available yet.
Les Enfoirés, 15 ans d'Enfoirés
2005
No synopsis available yet.
Das Lied, das die Leute mögen
1967
6.1Agathe, 18, dreams of change. Gone are her vacations on the rainy beaches of Belgium! She decides to hitchhike down to the South of France, where she'll have many happy and less happy encounters. On the way to Paris, men of various ages offer to shorten her wait by the roadside. Some try to take advantage of her, while another, in a fit of madness, tries to stab her. Despite these assaults, Agathe continues her journey, heading for Valence and then Aix-en-Provence.
Hitch-Hike
1962
6.8One Christmas Eve, a carefree young man, Eric, arrives in a small provincial town. Here, he meets Julien, a bar pianist who is his exact double. Julien is in love with Marinette, a pretty waitress, but he is too shy to make any romantic overtures. Eric decides to give the course of true love a helping hand by pretending to be Julien. Meanwhile, Eric’s fabulously wealthy uncle has sent his minions out to bring him back home, so that he may celebrate Christmas in the bosom of his family.
The Country I Come From
1956
7.0Agnès Bonnardet leaves her parents to marry Claude Sironi, a painter who becomes famous but loses his talent. Meanwhile Agnes acquires a style of her own as an artist, which makes Claude jealous of his young wife. One day, he sends one of his own paintings to the Bazar de la Charité, a very trendy Paris department store, instead of one of his wife's works as ordered. Afraid of her being mad at him, he locks her up in the cloak room. A dreadful fire suddenly breaks out and sets the building ablaze.
The Scarlet Bazaar
1947
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Bécaud, mon père
2016
8.0Photo reporters Rolf and Karin travel the country in search of the best motifs for a new travel calendar. When they happen to pass by the filming of "A Year Full of Music", the theme for the calendar is found. Over the course of the seasons, they take pictures of popular music artists such as Gilbert Bécaud, Thomas Lück and Etta Cameron in the most beautiful places in the country, from the Baltic Sea to Berlin and the Thuringian Forest.
Ein Jahr voll Musik
1970
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Gilbert Bécaud - L'Olympia : Spectacle Bleu
2002
8.0Henri's wife has divorced him. While Henri is not excessively upset about the divorce, he is sad, hates to be alone, and dislikes the sorts of wrenching changes that are being forced on him. Indeed, his ex-wife cannot get him to leave their shared quarters by the court deadline without having a terrific row with him. When he finally leaves, he leans a great deal on his 10-year-old daughter for company, comfort and support. She gets used to that and has to make adjustments when Henri gets a new woman in his life.
A Free Man
1973
6.0The movie follows the lives of a woman and a man starting from several generations earlier. The story spans a whole century and several continents.
And Now My Love
1974
No synopsis available yet.
Festival der Stars
1969
6.4Catherine Miller's triumph at the Casino de Paris leads fashionable playwright Alexandre Gordi to ask her to create his next play. Flattered, Catherine moves into Gordi's villa near Cannes, escorted by her entire family. Only Jacques Merval, Gordi's secretary, disagrees. This is understandable, as it is he who writes the plays that Gordi, rather tired, simply signs. Jacques is a one-man band in every sense of the word, allying himself with the Casino manager to bring Catherine back to her music-hall successes. Despite a few clouds, and thanks to Gordi's generous intervention, he succeeds. Wasn't his only thought the happiness of the woman he loves?
Paris Casino
1957
4.5Returning from a two-year stay in Terre Adélie, explorer Bernard Villiers meets up with his best friend, Thomas Desjardins, whose diplomatic duties call him to London. While Thomas is away, Bernard learns that Catherine, his wife, has run off with his collaborator Michel. Out of friendship for Thomas, and always resourceful, he follows the couple and tries to separate them. He does so much, in fact, that he falls in love with Catherine.
Croquemitoufle
1959
8.0The film is a rundown of the songs sung by the stars of the time, chained to various shows such as strip and comic caricatures.
38-24-36
1963
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Gilbert Bécaud - L'Olympia : Spectacle Rouge
2002
8.5Germany’s rising chanson star Alexandra, known for her dark, smoky voice and haunting hits like “Mein Freund, der Baum”, died in a car crash at 27 in 1969. In just three years she’d tasted fame’s glory and its price: lost privacy, relentless pressure, and creative compromise.
Alexandra – die Legende einer Sängerin
1999
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Gilbert Bécaud - Numéro un
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