Piccoli, (Jacques Daniel) Michel 1925-

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PICCOLI, (Jacques Daniel) Michel 1925-

PERSONAL: Born December 27, 1925, in Paris, France; son of Henri Piccoli; married Eleno Eleonore Hirt (divorced); married Juliette Greco (an actress and singer), 1966 (divorced, 1977); married Ludivine Clerc, 1978; children: (first marriage) Anne-Cordelia.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Gemini Films, 34 Blvd. Sebastopol, 75004 Paris, France.

CAREER: Actor, director, writer, and producer. Film appearances include Sortileges, Mage Films, 1944; Le point du jour, 1949; Le parfum de la dame en noir, Les Films Corona, 1949; Sans laisser d'adresse, Corona, 1951; Terreur en Oklahoma, 1951; Torticola contre Frankensberg, 1952; Saint-Tropez, devoir et vacances, 1952; Chicago Digest, 1952; Interdit de sejour, 1953; Destinees, Arlan, 1953; French Cancan, United Motion Picture Organization, 1955; Tout chante autour de moi, Les Films Marceau, 1955; Ernst Thaelmann—Fuehrer seiner Klasse, 1955; Les mauvaises rencontres, 1955; Marie-Antoinette reine de France, Rizzoli Film, 1955; La mort en ce jardin, Bauer International, 1956; Les sorcieres de Salem, Kingsley International, 1957; Nathalie, Times, 1957; Tabarin, Mayfair, 1957; Rafles sur la ville, Ellis Films, 1958; Les copains du Dimanche, 1958; La bete a l'affut, 1959; La dragee haute, 1959; Le bal des espions, 1960; Le rendez-vous, 1961; Le vergini di Roma, United Artists, 1961; Le doulos, Pathe Contemporary Films, 1961; Le chevelure, 1961; Le jour et l'heure, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1962; Fumee, histoire et fantaisie, 1962; Climats, 1962; Le mepris, Embassy, 1963; Le journal d'une femme de chambre, Rialto, 1964; La chance et l'amour, 1964; Paparazzi, 1964; Bardot et Godard, 1964; Masquerade, United Artists, 1965; Lady L, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1965; Tentazioni proibite, Indipenti Regionali, 1965; Les ruses du diable, 1965; Marie Soleil, 1965; De l'amour, Goldstone Film Enterprises, 1965; Le coup de grace, 1965; Compartiment tueurs, Seven Arts, 1965; Cafe Tabac, 1965; La guerre est finie, Brandon Films, 1966; Les creatures, New Yorker, 1966; Paris brule-t-il?, Paramount, 1966; La voleuse, 1966; La curee, Royal Films International, 1966; Les demoiselles de Rochefort, Miramax, 1967; Belle de jour, Allied Artists, 1967; Un homme de trop, United Artists, 1967; Mon amour, mon amour, Les Films Marceau, 1967; Dom Juan, 1967; Charles, Heartbeat, 1968; Benjamin, 1968; "Invite au vernis-sage," La prisonniere, Avco Embassy, 1968; Dillinger e morto, 1968; Diabolik, Paramount Home Video, 1968; La chamade, Lopert, 1968; La voie lactee, UMC Pictures, 1969; Topaz, Universal, 1969; L'invitata, 1969; Les choses de la vie, Columbia, 1969; L'invasion, 1970; L'udienza, 1971; La poudre d'escampette, Libra Films International, 1971; Max et les ferrailleurs, 1971; Liza, Horizon, 1972; La decade prodigieuse, Levitt/Pickman, 1972; Themroc, Libra, 1972; La femme en bleu, 1972; Cesar et Rosalie, Orion, 1972; Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1972; L'attentat, 1972; La grande bouffe, Abkco Films, 1973; Les Films 13, 1973; Les noces rouges, New Line Cinema, 1973; Grandeur nature, Dimension, 1973; Touche pas a la femme blanche, Video Search of Miami, 1974; Le fantome de la liberte, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1974; Vincent, Francois, Paul . . . et les autres, Joseph Green, 1974; Le trio infernal, New Line Cinema, 1974; Leonor, New Line Cinema, 1975; Sept morts sur ordonnance, Hispano Foxfilm, 1975; Der Dritte Grad, 1975; One Way or Another, 1976; L'ultima donna, Columbia, 1976; Mado, Joseph Green, 1976; Rumson, 1976; Rene la canne, 1976; F comme Fairbanks, 1976; L'imprecateur, 1977; Des enfants gates, Corinth Films, 1977; La part du feu, 1977; L'etat sauvage, Interama Video, 1978; Le sucre, 1978; Strauberg ist da, 1978; La petite fille en velours bleu, 1978; Giallo napoletano, 1978; Le saut dans le vide, 1979; Salto nel vuoto, Summit, 1979; Der Preis fuers Ueberleben, 1979; Le mors aux dents, 1979; Le divorcement, 1979; La citta delle donne, 1980; Atlantic City, Paramount, 1980; La fille prodigue, Gaumont, 1981; Une etrange affaire, 1981; Espion, leve-toi, 1981; Oltre la porta, Orion, 1982; Une chambre en ville, 1982; Que les gros salaires levent le doigt!!!, 1982; Passion, United Artists, 1982; La passante du Sans-Souci, Libra Cinema 5, 1982; Gli occhi, la bocca, Triumph Releasing, 1982; La nuit de Varennes, Triumph Releasing, 1982; Il generale dell'armata morte, 1982; Le prix du danger, Astral Video, 1983; Le matelot 512, 1984; Viva le vie!, Union Generale Cinematographique, 1984; La diagonale du fou, International Spectrafilm, 1984; Success Is the Best Revenge, 1984; Mon beau-frere a tue ma soeur, 1985; Peril en la demeure, Triumph, 1985; Partir, revenir, 1985; Weda'an Bonapart, 1985; La puritaine, 1986; Le Paltoquet, 1986; Mauvais sang, Win-Star Cinema, 1986; Y'a bon les blancs, 1987; La rumba, 1987; L'homme voile, 1987; Maladie d'amour, 1987; Das Weite Land, BetaFilm, 1987; Blanc de Chine, 1987; Los negros tambien comen, 1988; La Revolution Francaise, 1989; The Monkey People, 1989; Milou en Mai, 1989; Martha et Moi, 1990; Labelle noiseuse, MK2 Diffusion, 1991; Le voleur d'enfants, 1991; Les Equilibristes, 1991; Das Schicksal des Freiherrn von Leisenbohg, 1991; Contre l'oubli, 1991; Le bateau de Lu, 1991; Le bal des cassepieds, 1992; From Time to Time, 1992; Le souper, Mainstream, 1992; La vie crevee, 1992; Leonard Wilde, Archipel, 1992; La cavale des fous, 1993; Paul, Rupture, 1993; L'ange noir, 1994; Train de nuit, 1994; Adam, al'Mohager, 1994; Bete de scene, 1994; Les cent et une nuits, Cinema Village, 1995; The Universe of Jacques Demy, 1995; Deux fois cinquante ans de cinema francais, 1995; Beaumarchais, l'insolent, New Yorker, 1996; Party, JMM Invest, 1996; Tykho Moon, 1996; Compagna di viaggio, Atisbador, 1996; The Bunuel Paradox, 1997; Genealogies d'un crime, Strand Releasing, 1997; Simoom: A Passion in the Desert, Fine Line Features, 1998; Rien sur Robert, Rezo Films, 1999; Libero burro, Twentieth Century-Fox Italia, 1999; Paris Tombuctu, Anola Films, 1999; Les acteurs, Bac Films, 2000; A proposito de Bunuel, 2000; Tout va bien, on s'en va, Rezo Films, 2000; Nouvel ordre mondial . . . quelque part en Afrique, 2000; Paris a tout prix, 2001; Yadon ilaheyya, 2001; Ja rentre a la maison, 2001; and La petite Lili, 2003.

Film work includes (coproducer) Themroc, Libra, 1972; (coproducer) Der Dritte Grad, 1975; (producer) L'etat sauvage, Interama Video, 1978; (producer) Il generale dell'armata morte, 1982; (director) Contre l'oubli, 1991; (director) Train de nuit, 1994; (director) Alors voila, Rezo Films, 1997; (and director) La plage noire, Gemini Films, 2001.

Appearances on episodic television include "Louis-Charles, mon amour," Sueurs froides. Other television appearances include Michel Piccoli lit Andre de Richaud, 1977; Lecture, 1978; La confusion des sentiments, 1979; La fausse suivante, 1985; La ruelle au clair de lune, 1987; Le conte d'hiver, 1988; Les grandes familles, 1989; and Toedliches Geld, 1995. Stage appearances include Phedre, Theatre Nationale Populaire.

AWARDS, HONORS: Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award, 1980, for Salto nel vuoto; Berlin International Film Festival Silver Berlin Bear, 1982, for Une etrange affaire; German Gold Film Award, 1988, for Das Weite Land; Shanghai International Film Festival Golden Goblet, 1997, for Compagna di viaggio; Venice Film Festival Bastone Bianco Award, 1997, for Alor voila.

WRITINGS:

(With Alain Lacombe) Dialogues egoistes (autobiography), O. Orban (Paris, Frane), 1976.

SCREENPLAYS

Il generale dell'armata morte (also known as General of the Dead Army), Radiotelevisione Italiana, 1982.

Train de nuit, PRV, 1994.

Alors voila, Rezo Films, 1997.

(With Ludivine Clerc) La plage noire (also known as The Black Beach), Gemini Films, 2001.

SIDELIGHTS: A veteran actor with more than 150 films to his credit, Michel Piccoli has also written several screenplays and a book. His screenplays include explorations of totalitarianism, repression, and democratization—or at least the patina thereof—in central and eastern Europe. This interest on Piccoli's part long predates the end of communist rule in eastern Europe, as a look at 1982's Il generale dell'armata morte reveals. The story is based on a novel by Albanian writer Ismael Kadare that places the brutality of Albania's Stalinist regime in stark relief. In the film, an Italian general combs the barren, cold mountains in the north of Albania looking for the bodies of soldiers killed in a past war.

A similar air of unreality pervades La plage noire, made nearly two decades later. Set in what Lisa Nesselson of Variety called "an unspecified but creepy land," the story seems to suggest that the end of totalitarian rule in countries long used to the grip of an iron hand results not in true freedom, but in an even deeper repression. In the film, a character named A—another touch of unreality, this one recalling that great prophet of totalitarianism, Franz Kafka—remains in his homeland after the nation's dictatorship is overthrown. His French wife, Sylvie, returns to Paris, leaving A and their daughter Joyce ultimately stranded in a country that in actuality is being convulsed by a new reign of terror. The plage noire, or "black beach," of the title is an actual location, A's childhood home, but also serves as an apt metaphor for a world in which things that are supposed to be pleasant turn out instead to be hellish.