Marcel Aymé (March 29, 1902 – October 14, 1967) was a French novelist, children's writer, humour writer and also a screenwriter and theatre playwright.

Biography

Marcel Aymé was born in Joigny, in the Yonne ''département'' (Bourgogne). He studied in the ''Collège de Dole'', and worked among other as a journalist in Paris. In literature, his first novel was ''Brûlebois'' (1926) and in 1929 ''La Table aux crevés'' won the Prix Renaudot. After the success of his novel ''La Jument verte'' (1933), he concentrated mostly on literature. He published children's stories, novels and collections. In 1935 he also started writing movie scripts. In theater, Marcel Aymé found success with his plays ''Lucienne et le boucher, Clérambard'' (1949), a farce, and ''Tête des autres'' (1952), which criticized the death penalty.

He died in 1967 and was buried in the Cimetière Saint-Vincent in the Montmartre Quarter of Paris.

Work

One of Aymé's most famous short stories is ''Le Passe-Muraille'' or ''The Walker-Through-Walls,'' for which there is a sculpture in Paris that features the story's main character, Dutilleul. At the age of 42, Dutilleul suddenly discovered he "had the remarkable gift of being able to pass through walls with perfect ease." What begins as a novelty that gives him pleasure, ends up pushing Dutilleul toward more sinister pursuits.

Novels and short stories

''Les Jumeaux du diable'' (1928)

''La Table aux crevés'' (1929)

''Brûlebois'' (1930)

''La Rue sans nom'' (1930)

''Le Vaurien'' (1931)

''Le Puits aux images'' (1932)

''La Jument verte'' (1933) novel translated as ''The Green Mare''

''Maison basse'' (1934)

''Le Nain'' (1934)

''Le Moulin de la Sourdine'' (1936) novel translated as ''The Secret Stream''

''Derrière chez Martin'' (1936)

''Silhouette du scandale'' (1938)

''Gustalin'' (1938)

''Le Bœuf clandestin'' (1939)

''La Belle image'' (1941) novel translated as ''The Second Face'' and ''Beautiful Image''

''La Vouivre'' (1941)

''Travelingue'' (1941) novel translated as ''The Miraculous Barber''

''Le Passe-muraille'' (1943) adapted into the musical ''Amour'' by Michel Legrand and a film (1951)

''Le Chemin des écoliers'' (1946) novel translated as ''The Transient Hour''

''Le Vin de Paris'' (1947) adapted into a film (1956)

''Uranus'' (1948) novel translated as ''The Barkeep of Blémont''

''Les Bottes de sept lieues'' (1950)

''En arrière'' (1950)

''Les Contes du chat perché'' (1934-1946) translated as ''The Magic Pictures'' and ''The Wonderful Farm''

''Les Tiroirs de l'inconnu'' (1960)

''Enjambées'' (1967)

''La fille du shérif'' (1987) posthumous collection of short stories, compiled by Michel Lecureur

Theater plays

''Lucienne and the Butcher'' (''Lucienne et le boucher'') (1948)

''Clérambard'' (1950)

''Vogue la galère'' (1951), adapted into a film in 1973

''Other People's Heads'' (''La tête des autres'') (1952)

''Les quatre vérités'' (1954)

''The Salem Witches'' (''Les sorcières de Salem'') (1954), adapted from ''The Crucible'' by Arthur Miller

''The Moon Birds'' (''Les oiseaux de lune'') (1955)

''The Blue Fly'' (''La mouche bleue'') (1957)

''Vu du pont'' (1957)

''Louisiane'' (1961)

''The Maxibules'' (''Les Maxibules'') (1961)

''La consommation'' (1963)

''The Wall Cupboard'' (''Le placard'') (1963)

''The Night of the Iguana'' (''La nuit de l'iguane''), adapted from ''The Night of the Iguana'' by Tennessee Williams (1965)

''The Belzébir Convention'' (''La convention Belzébir'') (1966)

''Le minotaure'' (1967)

Memory

His works have inspired a number of movies, television shows, songs and comic strips.

Visitors to Paris can see a monument in his honor at Place Marcel-Aymé, in the Montmartre Quarter. The statue is based upon his short story ''Le passe-muraille'' (''The Walker through Walls'').

See also

List of French writers

Papa, maman, ma femme et moi

External links

PushkinPress.com English editions of works by the author

Le roman selon les romanciers: bibliographie critique de l'Université McGill (French) Inventory and analysis of Marcel Aymé's non-novelistic writings about the novel

Marcel Aymé (Writer - filmography) in IMDb

Link to several short stories by Marcel Ayme including ''The Man Who Could Walk Through Walls'' or ''Le Passe-Muraille''

Marcel Aymé at Find-A-Grave

About Marcel Aymé (personal web site)

Category:1902 births Category:1967 deaths Category:People from Yonne Category:French novelists Category:French children's writers Category:French humorists Category:French fantasy writers Category:Légion d'honneur refusals Category:Prix Blumenthal Category:Prix Renaudot winners

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Coordinates	56°30′″N84°58′″N
name	Jean Gabin
birth name	Jean-Alexis Moncorgé
birth date	17 May 1904
birth place	Paris, France
death date	November 15, 1976
death place	Neuilly-sur-Seine
yearsactive	1928–1976
spouse	Gaby Basset (1925–1930) Suzanne Marguerite Jeanne Mauchain (1933–1939) Dominique Fournier (1949–1976) }}

Jean Gabin (17 May 1904 – 15 November 1976) was a major French actor and war hero.

Biography

Born Jean-Alexis Moncorgé in Paris, he grew up in the village of Mériel in the Seine-et-Oise (now Val-d'Oise) département, about 22 mi (35 km) north of Paris. The son of cabaret entertainers, he worked as a laborer until the age of 19 when he entered show business with a bit part in a Folies Bergères production. He continued performing in a variety of minor roles before going into the military.

After completing his military service, Gabin returned to the entertainment business, working under the stage name of Jean Gabin at whatever was offered in the Parisian music halls and operettas imitating the singing style of Maurice Chevalier which was the rage at the time. He was part of a troupe that toured South America and upon returning to France found work at the Moulin Rouge. His performances started getting noticed and better stage roles came along that led to parts in two silent films in 1928.

Two years later, he easily made the transition to talkies in a 1930 Pathé Frères production titled ''Chacun sa Chance''. Playing secondary roles, Gabin made more than a dozen films over the next four years, including films directed by Maurice and Jacques Tourneur. However, he only gained real recognition for his performance in ''Maria Chapdelaine'', a 1934 production directed by Julien Duvivier. Cast as a romantic hero in a 1936 war drama titled ''La Bandera'', this second Duvivier-directed film established Gabin as a major star. The following year, he teamed up with Duvivier again, this time in the highly successful ''Pépé le Moko'' that became one of the top Grossing Films of 1937 worldwide; its popularity brought Gabin international recognition. That same year, he starred in the Jean Renoir masterpiece ''La Grande Illusion'', an anti-war film that was a huge box office success and given universal critical acclaim, even running at a New York City theatre for an unprecedented six months. This was followed by another one of Renoir's great successes: ''La Bête Humaine'' (''The Human Beast''), a film noir tragedy based on the novel by Émile Zola and starring Gabin and Simone Simon, as well as ''Le Quai Des Brumes'' (''Port of Shadows''), one of director Marcel Carné's most acclaimed films.

Flooded with offers from Hollywood, for a time Gabin turned them all down until the outbreak of World War II. Following the German occupation of France, he joined Jean Renoir and Julien Duvivier in the United States. Divorced from his second wife in 1939, during his time in Hollywood, Gabin began a torrid romance with actress Marlene Dietrich. However, his films in America proved less than successful.

A difficult personality, he did serious damage to his Hollywood career while working for RKO Pictures. Scheduled to star in an RKO film, at the last minute he demanded Dietrich be given the co-starring role. The studio refused. After Gabin remained steadfast in his demand, he was fired, and the film project was shelved.

Undaunted, Jean Gabin joined General Charles de Gaulle's Free French Forces and earned the Médaille militaire and a Croix de guerre for his wartime valor fighting with the Allies in North Africa. Following D-Day, Gabin was part of the military contingent that entered a liberated Paris.

In 1946, Gabin was hired by Marcel Carné to star in the film, ''Les Portes de la Nuit'', but his conduct got him fired again. He then found a French producer and director willing to cast him and Marlene Dietrich together, but their film ''Martin Roumagnac'' was not a success and their personal relationship soon ended. Following another box office failure in 1947, Gabin returned to the stage, but there too, the production was another financial disaster. Nevertheless, he was cast in the lead role of the 1949 René Clément film ''Au-Delà Des Grilles'' that won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Despite this recognition, the film did not do well at the French box office, and the next five years brought little more than repeated box office failures. Gabin's career seemed headed for oblivion. However, he made a comeback in the 1954 film, ''Touchez pas au grisbi'' (''Don't Touch the Loot''). Directed by Jacques Becker, his performance earned him critical acclaim, and the film was a very profitable international success. Later, he worked once again with Jean Renoir in ''French Cancan'', with María Félix and Françoise Arnoul. Over the next twenty years, Gabin made close to 50 more films, most of them very successful commercially and critically, including many for Gafer Films, his production partnership with fellow actor Fernandel.

His co-stars included leading figures of post-war cinema such as Brigitte Bardot (''En cas de malheur''), Alain Delon (''Le Clan des Siciliens'', ''Mélodie en sous-sol'' and ''Deux hommes dans la ville''), Jean-Paul Belmondo (''Un singe en hiver'') and Louis de Funès (''Le Tatoué'').

Gabin died of leukaemia at the American Hospital of Paris, in the Parisian suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine. His body was cremated and with full military honours, his ashes were dispersed into the sea from a military ship.

Considered one of the great stars of French cinema, he was made a member of the Légion d'honneur. The Musée Jean Gabin in his native town, Mériel, contains his story and features, his war and film memorabilia.

Selected filmography

1930: ''Ohé! les valises''

1930: ''On demande un dompteur'' or ''Les lions''

1930: ''Méphisto'' (by Henri Debain and Georges Vinter)

1930: ''Chacun sa chance''

1933: ''Du haut en bas''

1934: ''Maria Chapdelaine''

1934: ''Zouzou''

1935: ''Golgotha'' (by Julien Duvivier)

1935: ''La Bandera''

1936: ''The Lower Depths'' (''Les Bas-fonds'')

1936: ''La belle équipe''

1937: ''Pépé le Moko''

1937: ''The Grand Illusion'' (''La Grande illusion'')

1937: ''Le Messager''

1937: ''Gueule d'amour''

1938: ''Le Récif de corail''

1938: ''Port of Shadows'' (''Le quai des brumes'')

1938: ''The Human Beast'' (''La Bête humaine'') (by Jean Renoir)

1939: ''Le Jour se lève'' (''Daybreak'') (by Marcel Carné)

1941: ''Remorques''

1942: ''Moontide''

1946: ''Martin Roumagnac'' (''The Room Upstairs'') (by Georges Lacombe)

1949: ''The Walls of Malapaga'' (''Italian'': ''Le mura di Malapaga'', ''French'': ''Au-delà des grilles'') (by René Clément)

1951: ''His Last Twelve Hours''

1952: ''La Vérité sur Bébé Donge''

1952: ''Le Plaisir'' (by Max Ophüls)

1952: ''La Minute de vérité''

1954: ''Touchez pas au grisbi'' (''Don't Touch the Loot'') (by Jacques Becker)

1954: ''Razzia sur la chnouf'' (''Razzia in Paris'') (by Henri Decoin)

1955: ''French Cancan'' (by Jean Renoir)

1956: ''Des gens sans importance''

1956: ''Voici le temps des assassins'' (by Julien Duvivier)

1956: ''La Traversée de Paris''

1958: ''Maigret Sets a Trap''

1958: ''Les Misérables''

1959: ''Archimède le clochard'' (''The Magnificent Tramp'') (by Gilles Grangier) - won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 9th Berlin International Film Festival

1960: ''Le Président'' (by Henri Verneuil)

1960: '' Le baron de l'écluse (Le baron Jérôme, Napoléon Antoine)'' (by Jean Delannoy)

1961: ''Le cave se rebiffe'' ''(The Counterfeiters of Paris)'' (by Gilles Grangier)

1962: ''Un singe en hiver'' (by Henri Verneuil) with Jean-Paul Belmondo

1962: ''Le Gentleman d'Epsom'' (by Gilles Grangier)

1963: ''Mélodie en sous-sol'' (by Henri Verneuil)

1963: ''Maigret voit rouge'' (by Gilles Grangier)

1964: ''Monsieur'' (by Jean-Paul Le Chanois)

1964: ''L'Âge ingrat'' (by Gilles Grangier)

1965: ''Le Tonnerre de Dieu'' (by Denys de La Patellière)

1965: ''Du rififi à Paname'' (by Denys de La Patellière)

1966: ''Le Jardinier d'Argenteuil'' (by Jean-Paul Le Chanois)

1967: ''Le Soleil des voyous'' (by Jean Delannoy) with Robert Stack

1968: ''Le Pacha'' (by Georges Lautner)

1968: ''Le tatoué'' (by Denys de La Patellière)

1969: ''Sous le signe du taureau'' (by Gilles Grangier)

1969: ''Le Clan des Siciliens'' (by Henri Verneuil) with Alain Delon

1970: ''La Horse'' (by Pierre Granier-Deferre) - Auguste Maroilleur

1971: ''Le Chat'' - Julien Bouin - won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 21st Berlin International Film Festival

1971: ''Le Drapeau noir flotte sur la marmite'' - Victor Ploubaz

1972: ''Le Tueur'' - Commissaire Le Guen

1973: ''L'Affaire Dominici'' - Gaston Dominici

1973: ''Deux hommes dans la ville'' - Germain Cazeneuve

1974: ''Verdict'' - Leguen

1976: ''Échos de plateau''

1976: ''L'Année sainte'' - Max Lambert

Bibliography

''World's Coolest Movie Star: The Complete 95 Films (and Legend) of Jean Gabin'', by Charles Zigman (Allenwood Press 2008). Features introductions by Gabin's co-stars Michele Morgan and Brigitte Bardot, and an 'appreciation' by David Mamet.

References

External links

The Jean Gabin Museum of Mériel

A complete filmography of Jean Gabin

Category:1904 births Category:1976 deaths Category:Cancer deaths in France Category:Deaths from leukemia Category:French film actors Category:French silent film actors Category:Actors from Paris Category:French military personnel of World War II Category:Recipients of the Médaille Militaire

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Coordinates	56°30′″N84°58′″N
name	Charles Aznavour
background	solo_singer
birth name	Shahnour Vaghenag Aznavourian
birth date	May 22, 1924
origin	Paris, France
countries
genre	PopChansonJazz
occupation	Singer-songwriter, actor, public activist, diplomat
years active	1936–present
label	EMIMusArm Records
associated acts	Claude LombardKatia Aznavour
website	www.c-aznavour.com }}

Charles Aznavour, OC (born ''Shahnour Vaghenag Aznavourian'' ''Shahnowr Vaghinak Aznavowrhan'', May 22, 1924, Paris) is an Armenian-French singer, songwriter, actor, public activist and diplomat. Besides being one of France's most popular and enduring singers, he is also one of the best-known singers in the world. Charles Aznavour (pronounced in French as Sharl Aznavour) is known for his very short stature and for his unique tenor voice: clear and ringing in its upper reaches, with gravelly and profound low notes. He has appeared in more than sixty movies, composed about a thousand songs (including 150 at least in English, 100 in Italian, 70 in Spanish, and 50 in German), and sold well over 100 million records.

In 1998, Charles Aznavour was named Entertainer of the Century by CNN and users of ''Time Online'' from around the globe. He was recognized as the century's outstanding performer, with nearly 18% of the total vote, edging out Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. He has sung for presidents, popes, and royalty, as well as at humanitarian events, and is the founder of the charitable organization ''Aznavour for Armenia'' along with his long-time friend and impresario Levon Sayan.

Aznavour started his global farewell tour in late 2006, and will tour France in Fall 2011. In 2009 he was appointed ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland, as well as Armenia's permanent delegate to the United Nations at Geneva.

Biography

Background

Aznavour was born as Shahnour Vaghenag Aznavourian in Paris, the son of Armenian immigrants Michael Aznavourian (from Akhaltsikhe in Georgia) and Knar Baghdasarian (from Turkey). His father, who was half Armenian and half Georgian , spent his youth in Tbilisi, where his family had moved for work (Charles's grandfather was a personal chef to Governor General in Tbilisi). Later, after moving to France, Michael Aznavourian sang in restaurants before establishing his own Georgian restaurant called ''Le Caucase''. Together with his wife, who was an actress, Michael introduced Charles to the world of theatre at an early age. Charles dropped out of school at the age of nine, already aspiring to the life of an artist. He began to perform at this time, and soon took the stage name "Aznavour". His big break came in 1946 when the singer Édith Piaf heard him sing and arranged to take him with her on tour in France and to the United States.

Music

Often described as "France's Frank Sinatra ", Aznavour sings frequently about love. He has written musicals and about a thousand songs, and made more than one hundred records. Aznavour's voice is shaded towards the tenor range, but possesses the low range and coloration more typical of a baritone, contributing to his unique sound. Aznavour speaks and sings in many languages (French, English, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian, Armenian, Portuguese, Neapolitan), which has helped him perform at Carnegie Hall and other major venues around the world. He also recorded at least one song from the 18th century poet Sayat Nova, in Armenian. ''Que C'est Triste Venise'', sung in French, Italian (''Com'è Triste Venezia''), Spanish (''Venecia Sin Ti''), English (''How Sad Venice Can Be''), and German (''Venedig in Grau''), is one of Aznavour's most famous multilingual songs.

In 1974 Aznavour became a major success in the United Kingdom where his song "She" went to Number One in the charts. His other well-known song in the UK was "Dance in the Old Fashioned Way".

Artists who have covered his songs and collaborated with Aznavour include Fred Astaire, Andrea Bocelli, Bing Crosby, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan (he named Aznavour among the greatest live performers he's ever seen), Liza Minnelli, Josh Groban, Shirley Bassey, José Carreras, Laura Pausini, Nana Mouskouri and Julio Iglesias. Fellow French pop legend Mireille Mathieu has sung and recorded with Aznavour on numerous occasions. In 1974, Jack Jones recorded an entire album of Aznavour compositions entitled "Write Me A Love Song, Charlie", re-released on CD in 2006. Aznavour and Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti sang Gounod's aria ''Ave Maria'' together. He performed with famed Russian cellist and friend Mstislav Rostropovich to inaugurate the French presidency of the European Union in 1995. Elvis Costello recorded "She" for the film ''Notting Hill''. One of Aznavour's greatest friends and collaborators from the music industry is legendary Spanish operatic tenor Plácido Domingo, who often performs his hits, most notably a studio recording of "Les bateaux sont partis" in 1985, as well as multiple live renditions Aznavour's "Ave Maria". In 1994, Aznavour performed with Domingo and Norwegian soprano Sissel Kyrkjebø at Domingo's third annual ''Christmas in Vienna'' concert. The three singers performed a variety of carols, medleys, and duets, and the concert was televised throughout the world, as well as released on a CD internationally.

At the start of autumn in 2006, Aznavour initiated his farewell tour, performing in the US and Canada, and earning very positive reviews. Aznavour started 2007 with concerts all over Japan and Asia. The second half of 2007 saw Aznavour return to Paris for over 20 shows at the Palais des Congrès in Paris, followed by more touring in Belgium, the Netherlands, and the rest of France. He has repeatedly stated that this farewell tour, health permitting, will likely last beyond 2010. At 87, Aznavour is in excellent health, although admittedly 60 years on stage have made him "a little hard of hearing". He still sings in multiple languages and without persistent use of teleprompters, but typically sticks to just two or three (French and English being the primary two, with Spanish or Italian being the third) during most concerts. On 30 September 2006, Aznavour performed a major concert in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia to start off the cultural season "Arménie mon amie" in France. Former Armenian president Robert Kocharyan and French president Jacques Chirac, at the time on an official visit to Armenia, were in front-row attendance.

In 2006, 82-year-old Aznavour traveled to Cuba, where he, together with Chucho Valdes, recorded his new album ''Colore Ma Vie'', presented at Aznavour's Moscow concert in April 2007. Later, in July 2007, Aznavour was invited to perform at the Vieilles Charrues Festival.

"Forever Cool" (2007), an album from Capitol/EMI, features Aznavour singing a new duet of "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime" with the voice of the late Dean Martin.

Aznavour finished a tour of Portugal in February 2008. On 18 January 2008 he participated as guest vocalist with the contestants of the French reality show Star Academy and sang his famous ''Emmenez-Moi'' with contestant Jérémy Chapron. Throughout the spring of 2008, Aznavour toured South America, holding a multitude of concerts in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay. Summer saw him in Quebec, and a return to Latin America followed in autumn.

Charles Aznavour's newest album, the highly anticipated international release of ''Duos'', is a collaborative effort featuring Aznavour and his greatest friends and partners from his long career in the music industry, including Celine Dion, Laura Pausini, Josh Groban, Plácido Domingo, and many others. It was released on various dates in December 2008 across the world. His next album, ''Charles Aznavour and The Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra'' (previously known as ''Jazznavour 2''), is a continuation in the same vein as his hit album ''Jazznavour'' released in 1998, involving new arrangements on his classic songs with a jazz orchestra and other guest jazz artists. It was released on November 30, 2009.

Aznavour's current tour, ''Aznavour en liberté'', which started in late April 2009 with a wave of concerts across the United States and Canada, took him across Latin America in the autumn, as well as the USA once again. In 2011 87-years old Aznavour's new international tour is starting with concerts in France (21 concerts in "Olympia"), Switzerland, Italy, Belgium and other countries.

Film

Aznavour has had a long and varied parallel career as an actor, appearing in over 60 films. In 1960 Aznavour starred in François Truffaut's ''Tirez sur le pianiste'', playing a character called Édouard Saroyan. He also put in a critically acclaimed performance in the 1974 movie ''And Then There Were None''. Aznavour had an important supporting role in 1978's ''The Tin Drum'', winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1979. Aznavour starred in the 2002 movie ''Ararat'' playing Edward Saroyan, a movie director.

Armenia and abroad

Since the 1988 earthquake in Armenia, Aznavour has been helping the country through his charity, Aznavour for Armenia. Together with his brother in-law and co-author Georges Garvarentz he writes the song "Pour toi Arménie", which was performed by a group of famous French artists and topped the charts for 18 weeks. There is a square named after him in central Yerevan on Abovian Street, and a statue erected in Gyumri, which saw the most lives lost in the earthquake. In 1995 Charles Aznavour was appointed an Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Armenia to UNESCO. Aznavour is a member of the Armenia Fund International Board of Trustees. The organization has rendered more than $150 million in humanitarian aid and infrastructure development assistance to Armenia since 1992. Charles Aznavour was appointed as "Officier" (Officer) of the Légion d'honneur in 1997.

In 2004 Aznavour received the title of "National Hero" of Armenia for his humanitarian work, Armenia's highest award. On December 26, 2008, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan signed a presidential decree for granting citizenship for the Republic of Armenia to Charles Aznavour whom he called a "prominent singer and public figure" and "a hero of the Armenian people".

An admirer of Québec, where he played in Montréal cabarets before becoming famous, he has helped the career of Québécoise singer-songwriter Lynda Lemay in France, and has a house in Montreal. On 5 July 2008, he was invested as an honorary officer of the Order of Canada and performed the following day on the Plains of Abraham as a feature of the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City.

Aznavour and famed Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour, with the collaboration of over 40 of France's most celebrated singers and musicians, recorded a music video band aid in the aftermath of the catastrophic 2010 Haiti earthquake, titled "1 geste pour Haïti chérie".

Personal life and cultural impact

Aznavour married his third wife, Swede Ulla Thorsell, in 1968. He has 5 children - Seda, Katia, Misha, Nicolas and Patrick. He currently resides in Geneva, Switzerland.

His musicality and fame abroad is present in many other areas of pop culture. Aznavour's name was used as the basis for the name of the character Char Aznable by Yoshiyuki Tomino in his anime mecha series, Mobile Suit Gundam. His song "Parce Que Tu Crois" was sampled by Hip Hop producer Dr. Dre for the song "What's the Difference", from his album ''2001''. He is mentioned in The Psychedelic Furs song "Sister Europe" ("The radio upon the floor/ is stupid, it plays Aznavour").

He has often joked about his physicality, the most infamous feature of which is his limited height; he stands only 1m60 (5ft3) tall, and Aznavour has made this a source of self-deprecating humour over the years.

Politics

Charles Aznavour has been increasingly involved in French, Armenian, and international politics as his career has progressed. During the 2002 French presidential elections, when radical right-wing nationalist Jean-Marie Le Pen of the National Front made it into the runoff election, facing incumbent Jacques Chirac, Aznavour signed the "Vive la France" petition, and called on all French to "sing the Marseillaise" in protest. Chirac, a personal friend of Aznavour's, ended up winning in a landslide, carrying over 82% of the vote.

He has written a song about the Armenian Genocide, titled ''Ils sont tombés'' (in English "''They are fallen''").

He has also campaigned fervently for international copyright law reform. In November 2005 he met with President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso on the issue of the review of term of protection for performers and producers in the EU, advocating an extension of the EU's term of protection from the current 50 years to the United States' law allowing 95 years, saying "[o]n term of protection, artists and record companies are of the same mind. Extension of term of protection would be good for European culture, positive for the European economy and would put an end the current discrimination with the U.S." He has also notably butted heads with French politician Christine Boutin over her defense of a "global license" flat-fee authorization for sharing of copyrighted files over the Internet, claiming that the license would eliminate creativity. In May 2009 the French Senate approved one of the strictest internet anti-piracy bills ever with a landslide 189-14 vote. Aznavour was a vocal proponent of the measure and considered it a rousing victory:

"If the youth can't make a living through creative work, they will do something else and the artistic world will be dealt a blow... There will be no more songs, no more books, nothing at all. So we had to fight", said Aznavour.

Along with holding the mostly ceremonial title of French ambassador-at-large to Armenia, Aznavour agreed to hold the position of Ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland on February 12, 2009:

"First I hesitated, as it is not an easy task. Then I thought that what is important for Armenia is important for us. I have accepted the proposal with love, happiness and feeling of deep dignity", said Aznavour.

Awards and recognition

1963, 1971 and 1980 - Edison Awards (three-time awardwinner)

1971 - Golden Lion Honorary Award at the Venice Film Festival for the Italian version of the song ''Mourir d'aimer''

1995 - Large Medal of French Academy

1995 - Ambassador of Goodwill and Permanent Delegate of Armenia to UNESCO

1996 - Induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame

1997 - French Victoire award for Male artist of the year

1997 - Honorary César Award

1997 - ''Officier'' (Officer) of the ''Legion d'honneur''

2004 - National Hero of Armenia

2006 - Honorary prize at 30th Cairo Film Festival

2008 - Honorary Officer of the Order of Canada

2008 - Citizenship of the Republic of Armenia

2009 - MIDEM Lifetime Achievement Award 2009 - Grigor Lusavorich award of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic 2009 - Officer of the National Order of Quebec

Discography

Filmography

Actor

''La Guerre des gosses'' (1936) – Extra

''Adieu chérie'' (1946)'' (as Aznavour) – Le duettiste

''Entrez dans la danse'' (1948)

''Une gosse sensass''' (1957) – Le chanteur

''Paris Music Hall'' (1957) – Charles

''La Tête contre les murs'' (1959) – Heurtevent

''Les Dragueurs'' (1959) – Joseph Bouvier

''Pourquoi viens-tu si tard?'' (1959) – Un danseur

''Oh! Qué mambo'' (1959)'' (uncredited) – Un spectateur au cabaret

''Le Testament d'Orphée'' (1960) (uncredited) – The Curious Man

''Un taxi pour Tobrouk'' (1960) – Samuel Goldmann

''Tomorrow Is My Turn'' (''Le Passage du Rhin'') (1960) – Roger

''Tirez sur le pianiste'' (1960) – Charlie Kohler/Édouard Saroyan

''Gosse de Paris'' (1961)

''Les Lions sont lâchés'' (1961) – Charles, un convive de Marie-Laure

''Esame di guida - tempo di Roma'' (1962) – Marcello

''Horace 62'' (1962) – Horace Fabiani

''Le Diable et les dix commandements'' (1962) – Denis Mayeux (episode "Homicide point ne seras")

''Les Quatre vérités'' (1962) – Charles

''Les Vierges'' (1963) – Berthet

''Cherchez l'Idole (1963) – Aznavour

''Le Rat d'Amérique'' (1963) – Charles

''Thomas l'imposteur'' (1964)

''Alta infedeltà'' (1964) – Giulio (segment "Peccato nel Pomeriggio")

''La Métamorphose des cloportes'' (1965) – Edmond

''Le Facteur s'en va-t-en guerre'' (1966) – Thibon

''Paris au mois d'août'' (1966) – Henri Plantin

''Caroline chérie'' (1968) – Postillon

''Candy'' (1968) – Hunchback juggler

''Le Temps des loups'' (1969) – Inspector

''The Adventurers'' (1970) – Marcel Campion

''L'Amour'' (1970) – Le présentateur

''The Games'' (1970) – Pavel Vendek

''The Selfish Giant'' (1971) – Narrator (French version)

''Un beau monstre'' (1971) – Inspector Leroy

''Part des lions'' (1971) – Éric Chambon

''Les Intrus'' (1972) – Charles Bernard

''The Blockhouse'' (1973) – Visconti

''Dix Petits Negres'' (1974) Dir Peter Colinson, Produit par Gerard Thum

''Ein Unbekannter rechnet ab'' (1974) – Michel Raven

''Sky Riders'' (1976) – Insp. Nikolidis

''Folies bourgeoises'' (1976) – Dr. Lartigue

''Die Blechtrommel'' (1979) – Sigismund Markus

''Ciao, les mecs'' (1979) – L'amnésique

''Der Zauberberg'' (1982) – Naphta

''Qu'est-ce qui fait courir David?'' (1982) – Léon, le père de David

''Les Fantômes du chapelier'' (1982) – Kachoudas

''Une jeunesse'' (1983) – Bellun

''Viva la vie!'' (1984) – Édouard Takvorian

''Yiddish Connection'' (1986) – Aaron Rapoport

''Mangeclous'' (1988) – Jérémie

''Il Maestro'' (1989) – Romualdi

''Le chinois'' (1989) – Charles Cotrel

''Charles Aznavour Armenia 1989'' (1989)

''Les Années campagne'' (1992) – Le grand-père/Grandfather

''Pondichéry, dernier comptoir des Indes'' (1997) – Léo Bauman

''Le Comédien'' (1997) – Monsieur Maillard

''Laguna'' (2001)

''Truth About Charlie'' (2002) – Himself

''Ararat'' (2002) – Edward Saroyan

''Le Père Goriot'' (2004) – Jean-Joachim Goriot

''Ennemis publics'' (2005)

''The Colonel'' (2006) – Père Rossi

''Up'' (2009) – Carl Fredricksen (French Voice)

Concerts

Video

1977 ''Großer Unterhaltungsabend – Charles Aznavour'' (Essen, Germany 1977). VHS Nikkatsu Video Films Co., Ltd./Japan

1982 ''An Evening with Charles Aznavour'' (Duke of York's Theatre, London 1982). VIP Videocasette Diffusion, VHS SECAM MU 550

Laserdisc

1982 ''An Evening with Charles Aznavour'' (Duke of York's Theatre, London 1982) [content differs from the video version]

DVD

1999 ''Aznavour Live - Palais des Congrès 97/98'' (EMI)

2001 ''Aznavour Live - Olympia 68/72/78/80'' (EMI)

2001 ''Charles Aznavour au Carnegie Hall'' (New York, June 1996) (EMI)

2001 ''AZNAVOUR – Pour toi Arménie'' (At Erevan Opera, September 1996)

2002 ''Patrick Bruel – Entre-Deux'' (C. Aznavour sings ''Parlez-moi d'amour'' [with Patrick Bruel])

2003 ''AZNAVOUR LIVE – Palais des Congrès 1994'' (EMI)

2004 ''Aznavour – Minelli au Palais des Congrès de Paris'' (EMI)

2004 ''Toronto 1980'' (as a Bonus to the ''Aznavour/Indispensables'' CD Boxset) (EMI)

2004 ''80, Bon Anniversaire Charles – Palais des congrès 2004'' (EMI)

2004 ''Bon anniversaire Charles!'' (TV broadcast concert for Charles Aznavour 80th anniversary, May 22, 2004) (EMI)

2005 ''Charles Aznavour 2000 – Concert intégral'' (EMI)

2006 ''The Royal Opera – Die Fledermaus'' (Covent Garden, London 31-12-1983) (C. Aznavour sings ''She'')

2007 ''Charles Aznavour : En concert à Erevan'' (EMI)

2007 ''Aznavour - Palais des Congrès de Paris (1987)'' [not the same concert as the CD version] (EMI)

2008 ''Charles Aznavour et ses amis au Palais Garnier'' (EMI)

2009 ''Anthologie 1955-1972 - 3 DVD Box Set (PAL Only)'' (INA / EMI)

2010 ''Anthologie volume 2 1973 - 1999 - 3 DVD Box Set (PAL Only)'' (INA / EMI)

FILMS Documentary

''Charles Aznavour - Armenia 1989'', (Armenfilm) 1989 color 10min. 35mm. Director Levon Mkrtchyan. The film is about the humanitarian aid that Charles Aznavour, a famous French singer of Armenian origin, brought to Armenia after the Spitak earthquake in 1988.

''Christmas in Vienna III'', A Christmas gala concert live from Vienna on 22 December 1994 with Aznavour, Plácido Domingo and Sissel Kyrkjebø, featuring the Vienna Symphony conducted by famed Croatian conductor Vjekoslav Šutej.

''Making of "Colore ma vie"'', A making-of featurette released in 2007 coinciding with the release of Aznavour's latest studio album, ''Colore ma vie''. Filmed in Havana and Paris, it shows his collaboration with Chucho Valdez and the thoughts, opinions, and artistry the two put into the album.

Appeared on The Muppet Show Episode 9. Taping Dates: June 29 - July 1, 1976. Original Airdates: January 17, 1977 (New York) and January 22, 1977 (LA)

See also

List of best-selling music artists

Franco-Armenian relations

Ils Sont Tombés

References

External links

Official site

Charles Aznavour on imusic.am

Biography by Radio France International

Live performances

Charles Aznavour - "Ave Maria" performance

Charles Aznavour - "Hier encore" performance

Charles Aznavour - "Paris au mois d'août" performance

Category:1924 births Category:Living people Category:Ambassadors of Armenia Category:Ambassadors to Switzerland Category:English-language singers Category:French Armenians Category:French film actors Category:French-language singers Category:French male singers Category:French songwriters Category:Italian-language singers Category:Officers of the Order of Canada Category:Officers of the National Order of Quebec Category:Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Category:Actors from Paris Category:Permanent Representatives of Armenia to the United Nations Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Category:Spanish-language singers

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