Michel Piccoli
Known for Acting · 271 credits
- Born
- 1925-12-27
- Died
- 2020-05-12
- Place of birth
- Paris, Ile-de-France, France
- Also known as
- Мишель Пикколи · ميشيل بيكولي
Biography
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.
Known For
TV Shows (19)
Champs-Elysées
1982
as Self
Vivement dimanche
1998
as Self
Midi Première
1975
as Self
Apostrophes
1975
as Self
Wetten, dass..?
1981
as Self
Spécial cinéma
1974
as Self
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
1975
as Self
Midi trente
1972
as Self
German Film Award
1951
as Self
Nulle part ailleurs
1987
as Self
Samedi soir
1971
as Self
V.I.P. Schaukel
1971
as Self
Il était une fois Champs-Élysées
2022
as Self (archive footage)
Treffpunkte
1970
as Self
Henry James Stories
1976
as Captain Roger
Les Grandes Familles
1989
as Noël Schoudler
Agnès Varda: From Here to There
2011
as Self
Docteur Teyran
1980
as Jean Teyran
Chili Impressions
1978
as Self - Le lecteur des écrits d'A. Pinochet (voice)
Movies (252)
Belle de Jour
1967
as Henri Husson
To Each His Own Cinema
2007
as Nikita Kruschev (segment "Rencontre unique")
Atlantic City
1980
as Joseph
That Obscure Object of Desire
1977
as Mathieu Faber (voice) (uncredited)
La Belle Noiseuse
1991
as Edouard Frenhofer
Topaz
1969
as Jacques Granville
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
1972
as Interior Minister
Is Paris Burning?
1966
as Edgar Pisani
Holy Motors
2012
as Man with the Wine Stain
The Young Girls of Rochefort
1967
as Simon Dame
Contempt
1963
as Paul Javal
One Hundred and One Nights
1995
as Simon Cinéma
French Cancan
1955
as Le Capitaine Valorgueil
The Last Woman
1976
as Michel
The Beaches of Agnès
2008
as Self (archive footage)
A Room in Town
1982
as Edmond Leroyer
Danger: Diabolik
1968
as Inspector Ginko
The Phantom of Liberty
1974
as The Second Police Prefect
Liza
1972
as Giorgio's friend
One Way or Another
1976
as Him
Max and the Junkmen
1971
as Max, inspector
La Grande Bouffe
1973
as Michel
Le Doulos
1962
as Nuttheccio
Mauvais Sang
1986
as Marc
The Accuser
1977
as Saint-Ramé
La Voleuse
1966
as Werner Kreuz
The Sleeping Car Murders
1965
as René Cabourg, l'employé besogneux (Victime #2)
The Things of Life
1970
as Pierre Bérard
Belle Toujours
2006
as Henri Husson
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
2022
as Self (archive footage)
Climates of Love
1962
as François
The Assassination
1972
as Colonel Kassar
Cesar and Rosalie
1972
as Narrator (voice)
Diary of a Chambermaid
1964
as Monsieur Monteil
Seven Deaths by Prescription
1975
as Dr Losseray
The Milky Way
1969
as Marquis de Sade
Little Girl in Blue Velvet
1978
as Conrad Brukner
Un coupable
1988
as L'avocat
Rene the Cane
1977
as Ispettore Marchand
We Have a Pope
2011
as Melville
The Bit Between the Teeth
1979
as Pierre Chazerand
Libero Burro
1999
as Zio Tony
The War Is Over
1966
as Inspector #1
La Rumba
1987
as Damien Malleville
The Grand Manoeuvre
1955
as Officer (uncredited)
The Passerby
1982
as Max Baumstein
Godard's Passion
1982
as Michel Boulard
The Creatures
1966
as Edgar Piccoli
Beaumarchais the Scoundrel
1996
as Prince de Conti
Lines of Wellington
2012
as Leópold Scheitzer
That Night of Varennes
1982
as King Louis XVI (uncredited)
The Diary of an Innocent Boy
1968
as Count Philippe
The Prodigal Daughter
1981
as Le père
Les Joueurs
1960
as Chvokhniev
Chance at Love
1964
as Philippe Decharme (segment "Lucky la chance")
Weak Spot
1975
as L'enquêteur
Adieu Philippine
1962
as Izquierdo dans l'émission de télévision 'Montserrat' (uncredited)
Tykho Moon
1996
as Mac Bee / frère Mac Bee
Actors
2000
as Michel Piccoli
Mado
1976
as Simon Léotard
Masquerade
1965
as Georges Sarrassin
Magic Mirror
2006
as Prof. Heschel
A Leap in the Dark
1980
as Mauro Ponticelli
May Fools
1990
as Milou
Going and Coming Back
1985
as Simon Lerner
Beyond the Door
1982
as Mr. Mutti
Nathalie
1957
as Franck Marchal
It's Not Me
2024
as (archive footage)
The Dust of Time
2008
as Spyros
On War
2008
as Le grand Hou
Wedding in Blood
1973
as Pierre Maury
The Prize of Peril
1983
as Frédéric Mallaire
Confused Feelings
1981
as Professor
Raining Cats and Frogs
2003
as Ferdinand (voice)
The Mark of the Day
1949
as Georges Gohelle
Woman in Chains
1968
as L'invité pressé au vernissage (uncredited)
Dillinger Is Dead
1969
as Glauco
Spy, Stand Up
1982
as Jean-Paul Chance
Leonor
1975
as Richard
The World of Jacques Demy
1995
as Self
Daughters of Destiny
1954
as Pasquerel (segment "Jeanne")
Success Is the Best Revenge
1984
as French Official
Without Leaving an Address
1951
as Un journaliste aux archives (uncredited)
The Infernal Trio
1974
as Georges Sarret
Marx Can Wait
2021
as Agostino (archive footage) (uncredited)
Little Lili
2003
as acteur qui joue Simon
Amazons of Rome
1961
as Console Publicola
Dom Juan
1965
as Dom Juan
The Game Is Over
1966
as Alexandre Saccard
The Fate of Baron Leisenbohg
1991
as Le baron de Leisenbohg
Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others
1974
as François, médecin
The Witches of Salem
1957
as James Putnam
Adieu Bonaparte
1985
as Caffarelli
Malady of Love
1987
as Raoul Bergeron
Lady L
1965
as Lecoeur
Dangerous Moves
1984
as Akiva Liebskind
La Belle Noiseuse: Divertimento
1992
as Edouard Frenhofer
I’m Going Home
2001
as Gilbert Valence
Shock Troops
1967
as L'homme de trop
The Happiest Place on Earth
1999
as Récitant (voice)
You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet
2012
as Le père
The Bellman
1945
as Un villageois
Paparazzi
1964
as Texte dit par (voice)
Portrait Of My Father
2010
as Self
Loonies at Large
1993
as Henri Toussaint
The Children Thief
1991
as Mr. Armand
Will the High Salaried Workers Raise Their Hands!
1982
as José Viss
Ernst Thälmann – Leader of the Working Class
1955
as Maurice Rouger
Spoiled Children
1977
as Bernard Rougerie
Lest We Forget
1991
as Self (segment "Pour Nasrin Rasooli, Iran")
Ten Days' Wonder
1971
as Paul Regis
Hello Cubans
1963
as Narrator (voice)
Le Roi Lear
2007
as Le roi Lear
Don't Touch the White Woman!
1974
as Buffalo Bill
The Uninvited
1969
as François Desailly
París-Tombuctú
1999
as Michel des Assantes
Loving in the Rain
1974
as Mr. Dellerue (voice)
My Brother-in-law Killed My Sister
1986
as Étienne Sembadel
The Black Angel
1994
as Georges Feuvrier
François Mitterrand & Anne Pingeot: Pieces of a Love Story
2021
as Self (archive footage)
About Michel Piccoli
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 P… With 271 credits spanning from 1945 to 2025, Michel Piccoli has appeared in 252 films and 19 TV shows.
Fans searching for Michel Piccoli movies, Michel Piccoli filmography, or the latest projects starring Michel Piccoli can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Michel Piccoli Movies
- Belle de Jour (1967) — as Henri Husson
- To Each His Own Cinema (2007) — as Nikita Kruschev (segment "Rencontre unique")
- Atlantic City (1980) — as Joseph
- That Obscure Object of Desire (1977) — as Mathieu Faber (voice) (uncredited)
- La Belle Noiseuse (1991) — as Edouard Frenhofer
Where to Watch Michel Piccoli Films
Most Michel Piccoli 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 Michel Piccoli, check our movies catalogue and browse page.