Yves Montand
Known for Acting · 122 credits
- Born
- 1921-10-13
- Died
- 1991-11-09
- Place of birth
- Monsummano Terme, Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy
- Also known as
- Ivo Livi · Yves Livi · Yves Montant · ایو مونتان
Biography
Ivo Livi (13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), better known as Yves Montand, was an Italian-born French actor and singer. He is said to be one of France's greatest 20th-century artists.
Montand was born Ivo Livi in Stignano, a small village in the hills of Monsummano Terme, Italy, to Giovanni Livi, a broom manufacturer. Montand's mother Giuseppina Simoni was a devout Catholic. The family left Italy for France in 1923 following fascist Benito Mussolini's rise to power. He grew up in Marseille, where, as a young man, he worked in his sister's beauty salon (Salon de Coiffure), as well as 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; she made him part of her act.
Montand achieved international recognition as a singer and actor, starring in many films. He is recognised for crooner style songs, with those about Paris becoming instant classics. He was one of the best known performers at Bruno Coquatrix's Paris Olympia music hall, and toured with musicians including Didi Duprat. In October 1947, he sang "Mais qu'est-ce que j'ai?" (music by Henri Betti and lyrics by Édith Piaf) at the Théâtre de l'Étoile. Betti also asked him to sing "C'est si bon" but Montand refused. Following the success of the recording of this song by the Sœurs Étienne in 1948, he decided to record it. Montand was also very popular in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, where he did a concert tour in 1956-57.
During his career, Montand acted in American motion pictures as well as on Broadway. 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 best remembered performances, as the scheming uncle in Jean de Florette, co-starring Gérard Depardieu, and Manon des Sources (both 1986), co-starring Emmanuelle Béart. The film was a worldwide critical hit and revived Montand's profile in the United States, where he made an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman.
In 1951, he married 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, although Montand had a number of well-publicised affairs, notably with American actress Marilyn Monroe, with whom he starred in one of her final films, Let's Make Love. He was the stepfather to Signoret's daughter from her previous marriage, Catherine Allégret.
Known For
TV Shows (19)
What's My Line?
1950
as Self - Mystery Guest
Champs-Elysées
1982
as Self
Apostrophes
1975
as Self
Bambi
1948
as Self
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
1975
as Self
Spécial cinéma
1974
as Self / Self (archive footage)
The Oscars
1953
as Self
Numéro un
1975
as Self
Le Grand Échiquier
1972
as Self / Self - Main Guest
Discorama
1959
as Self
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1956
as Self
Victoires de la musique
1985
as Self
Cinépanorama
1956
as Self
Stars 90
1990
as Self
Einer wird gewinnen
1964
as Self
Cérémonie des César
1976
as Self - President
À bout portant
1968
as Self
Reflets de Cannes
1954
as Self
Movies (103)
The Wages of Fear
1953
as Mario Livi
Grand Prix
1966
as Jean-Pierre Sarti
Le Cercle Rouge
1970
as Jansen
Manon of the Spring
1986
as César Soubeyran, aka "le Papet"
Is Paris Burning?
1966
as Sgt. Marcel Bizien
Z
1969
as Z
Lovers Like Us
1975
as Martin
Let's Make Love
1960
as Jean-Marc Clement / Alexander Dumas
Napoleon
1955
as Lefebvre
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
1970
as Dr. Marc Chabot
Sanctuary
1961
as Candy Man
Delusions of Grandeur
1971
as Blaze, Don Sallust's valet
Jean de Florette
1986
as César Soubeyran, aka 'le Papet'
The Sleeping Car Murders
1965
as L'inspecteur Grazzi
Cesar and Rosalie
1972
as César
The Law
1959
as Matteo Brigante
Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui
2014
Morceaux de Cannes
2021
Grand Prix: Challenge of the Champions
1966
as Self
My Geisha
1962
as Paul Robaix
Goodbye Again
1961
as Roger Demarest
Choice of Arms
1981
as Noel Durieux
The War Is Over
1966
as Diego Mora / Carlos / Domingo
A Grin Without a Cat
1977
as Narrator (voice)
The Confession
1970
as Gérard
State of Siege
1972
as Philip Michael Santore
La Menace
1977
as Henri Savin
Comiques de toujours (Vol. 1 à 4)
2009
as Self (archive footage)
All Fired Up
1982
as Victor Valance
I... for Icarus
1979
as Henri Volney
Mr. Freedom
1969
as Capt. Formidable (uncredited)
Police Python 357
1976
as Inspecteur Marc Ferrot
The Lovely Month of May
1963
as Narrator (French version) (voice)
Trintignant by Trintignant
2021
as Self (archive footage)
Waiter!
1983
as Alex, head waiter
Live for Life
1967
as Robert Colomb
The Witches of Salem
1957
as John Proctor
Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others
1974
as Vincent, entrepreneur
Lost Souvenirs
1950
as Raoul, street singer (segment "Le violon")
Womanlight
1979
as Michel Follin
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
2012
as Self (archive footage)
Tout Va Bien
1972
as Him, Jacques
The End of a Beautiful Epoch
2015
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Special Section
1975
as Un milicien
Making 'The Misfits'
2002
as Self (archive footage)
Good Morning, Mr. Orwell
1984
as Self
Chance and Violence
1974
as Laurent Bermann
IP5: The Island of Pachyderms
1992
as Léon Marcel
The Devil by the Tail
1969
as Le baron César Maricorne
Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still
1974
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Pushing the Limit: The Making of Grand Prix
2006
as Self (archive footage)
The Wind Rose
1957
as Yves (archive footage)
The Big Operator
1976
as Morland
The Anatomy of Love
1954
as Vasco
One Night... a Train
1968
as Mathias
Men and Wolves
1957
as Ricuccio
The Force of Destiny
2017
as Self
Netchayev is Back
1991
as Pierre Marroux
The Incredible Mr. Piccoli
2017
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Three Seats for the 26th
1988
as Yves Montand
A Butterfly in the Night
1976
as Voz
T'es fou Marcel
1974
as Self
Rendez-vous de l'espérance
1950
as Self
Heroes and Sinners
1955
as Michel Rivière
The Wide Blue Road
1957
as Giovanni Squarciò
Hollywood Invasion
2011
as archive footage
Le Parti du cinéma
2021
as Self (archive footage)
Claude Sautet, Romy, Yves, Michel et les autres
2017
as Self (archive footage)
Premier mai
1958
as Jean Meunier
Gates of the Night
1946
as Jean Diego
Mitterrand, président culturel
2021
as Self (archive footage)
Roads to the South
1978
as Jean Larrea
Il était une fois... Vincent, François, Paul et les autres
2011
as Self (archive footage)
Star Without Light
1946
as Pierre
Paris Is Always Paris
1951
as Yves Montand
Les Rois de la comédie
2023
as Self (archive footage)
The Red Inn
1951
as Singing Commentator (voice)
Deneuve, la reine Catherine
2022
as Self (archive footage)
1958: Those Who Said No
2018
as Self (archive footage)
You Speak of Prague: The Second Trial of Artur London
1971
as Self - Interviewee
Les Deux mémoires
1974
as Self
Nostalgia for the Future
2026
as Self (Archive footage)
The Son
1973
as Ange Orahona
Jean-Louis Trintignant - Mystérieux et insaisissable
2022
Marguerite of the Night
1955
as M. Léon
The Idol
1948
as Fontana
Marilyn, dernières séances
2008
as Self(archive footage)
Marilyn, a woman of today
2022
as archive footage
Paris Still Sings!
1951
as Self
Un matin comme les autres
1956
as Yves
Rush - Voyage à Moscou
1990
as Self
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Singer
1974
as Self
Rotterdam-Europoort
1966
as Narrator (French version) (voice)
Yves Montand is Singing
1957
as Self
Signoret and Montand, Monroe and Miller: Two couples in Hollywood
2020
as Self(archive footage)
Romy, A Free Woman
2022
as archive footage
Marilyn Monroe: In The Movies
2012
Montand
1994
as Self (archive footage)
J'ai tout donné
1972
as Self
Vive la crise !
1984
as Self / Self - Presenter
Dans les coulisses: le tournage de 'Trois Places pour le 26'
2013
as Self (Archive Footage)
Django Reinhardt
1957
as Narrator (voice)
One Minute for One Image
1983
as Self - Narrator
About Yves Montand
Ivo Livi (13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), better known as Yves Montand, was an Italian-born French actor and singer. He is said to be one of France's greatest 20th-century artists. Montand was born Ivo Livi in Stignano, a small village in the hills of Monsummano Terme, Italy, to Giovanni Livi, a broom manufacturer. Montand's mother Giuseppina Simoni was a devout Catholic. The family left Italy for France in 1923 following fascist Benito Mussolini's rise to power. He grew up in Marseille, where, as a young man, he worked in his sister's bea… With 122 credits spanning from 1946 to 2026, Yves Montand has appeared in 103 films and 19 TV shows.
Fans searching for Yves Montand movies, Yves Montand filmography, or the latest projects starring Yves Montand can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Yves Montand Movies
- The Wages of Fear (1953) — as Mario Livi
- Grand Prix (1966) — as Jean-Pierre Sarti
- Le Cercle Rouge (1970) — as Jansen
- Manon of the Spring (1986) — as César Soubeyran, aka "le Papet"
- Is Paris Burning? (1966) — as Sgt. Marcel Bizien
Where to Watch Yves Montand Films
Most Yves Montand movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Yves Montand, check our movies catalogue and browse page.