Déjà mort is a 1998 film directed by Olivier Dahan. It stars Romain Duris and David Bruce.^[1]

Cast[link]

• Romain Duris as Romain
• Benoît Magimel as David
• Zoé Félix as Laure
• Clément Sibony as Andrea
• Isaac Sharry as Alain

References[link]

External links[link]

• Déjà mort at the Internet Movie Database

Olivier Dahan
Olivier Dahan in 2010
Born	(1967-06-26) June 26, 1967 (age 45) La Ciotat, Bouches-du-Rhône, France
Occupation	Director/Screenwriter
Years active	1994–present

Olivier Dahan (born June 26, 1967) is a French film director and screenwriter. His third directed film, La Vie En Rose, was the first French cinema film ever to win two Academy Awards, including its first acting Oscar in the French language.

Biography[link]

In 1991, Olivier Dahan received a diploma in art at the Art school of Marseille, then shot several short subjects and clips.

In the beginning of 2004, he decided to shoot a film on the life of the French singer Édith Piaf. The film was a success and the actress Marion Cotillard won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Upon accepting the award, she credited Olivier Dahan, for changing her life in whole and as an actress.

In the afterwards of the Academy Award ceremony, Olivier Dahan started to work on an English-language road movie named My Own Love Song due to be released in Spring 2009.^[1]

Selected filmography[link]

• Frères: La roulette rouge (1994)
• Les Fantômes du samedi soir (1997)
• Déjà mort (1998, starring Romain Duris, Benoît Magimel and Zoé Félix)
• Le Petit Poucet (2001, starring Élodie Bouchez, Romane Bohringer and Catherine Deneuve)
• La vie promise (2002, starring Isabelle Huppert and Pascal Greggory)
• Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse (2004, starring Jean Reno, Benoît Magimel and Christopher Lee)
• La Vie En Rose (2007, starring Marion Cotillard, Sylvie Testud and Clotilde Courau)
• My Own Love Song (2009, starring Renée Zellweger and Forest Whitaker)
• Grace of Monaco (2014)

Awards and nominations[link]

Nominations:

• BAFTA - Best Film Not in the English Language for La Vie En Rose (Shared with Alain Goldmen)
• Berlin International Film Festival - Golden Berlin Bear for La Vie En Rose
• César Awards - Best Director, Best Film (Shared with Alain Goldmen), Best Writing for La Vie En Rose
• European Film Awards - Best Film for La Vie En Rose
• San Sebastián International Film Festival - Golden Seashell for La Vie Promise
• Satellite Awards - Best Director for La Vie En Rose

Wins:

• Philadelphia Film Festival - Audience Award - Best Feature Film for La Vie En Rose
• Torino International Festival of Young Cinema - FIPRESCI Prize, Special Mention for Tous les garçons et les filles de leur âge

References[link]

External links[link]

• Olivier Dahan at the Internet Movie Database

This article about a French film director is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Charles Aznavour
Aznavour at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival
Background information
Birth name	Shahnour Vaghenag Aznavourian
Born	(1924-05-22) May 22, 1924 (age 88)
Origin	Paris, France
Genres	Pop Chanson Jazz
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, actor, public activist, diplomat
Years active	1936–present
Labels	EMI MusArm Records
Associated acts	Claude Lombard Katia Aznavour
Website	www.c-aznavour.com

Charles Aznavour, OC (born Shahnour Vaghenag Aznavourian; Armenian: Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրեան; Shahnour Vaghinak Aznavurian;^[1] May 22, 1924) 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 Aznavoor) is known for his unique tenor^[2] 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^[3]), and sold well over 100 million records.^[4]

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.^[5] 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 impresario Levon Sayan.

In 2009 he was appointed ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland, as well as Armenia's permanent delegate to the United Nations at Geneva.^[6] He started his new Aznavour en Toute Intimité tour in 2011.

Life and career[link]

Background[link]

Aznavour was born as Shahnour Vaghenagi Aznavourian in Paris the son of Armenian immigrants Michael Aznavourian (an Armenian^[7][8] from Akhaltsikhe,Georgia) and Knar Baghdasarian (from Izmir, Turkey), ^[9] who survived the Armenian Genocide.^[10] His father spent his youth in Tbilisi Georgia, where his family had moved for work (Charles's grandfather was a personal chef to the Governor General of Tbilisi).^[11] Later, after moving to France, Michael Aznavourian sang in restaurants before establishing his own Caucasian restaurant called Le Caucase. Missak Manouchian, a leader of French Resistance who was executed by the Nazis in 1944, had been a frequent guest at the Aznavourian's home, and Aznavourians had supported Misak and his wife Meliné when they were in hiding. 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.^[12]

Music[link]

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 Armenian poet Sayat Nova, and a popular song, Im Yare^[13] 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 recorded his songs and collaborated with Aznavour include Édith Piaf, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra (Aznavour was one of the rare European singers invited to duet with him^[14]), Andrea Bocelli, Bing Crosby, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan (he named Aznavour among the greatest live performers he's ever seen),^[15][16] Liza Minnelli, Elton John, Dalida, Serge Gainsbourg, Josh Groban, Petula Clark, 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.^[17] 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 solo studio recording of "Les bateaux sont partis" in 1985 and duet versions of the song in French and Spanish in 2008, 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.^[18]

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".^[19] 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.^[20] 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. Armenian president Robert Kocharyan and French president Jacques Chirac, at the time on an official visit to Armenia, were in front-row attendance.^[21]

Charles Aznavour in concert (1988).

In 2006, 82-year-old Aznavour traveled to Cuba, where he, together with Chucho Valdés, 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.

In 2008 an album of duets, Duos, was released. It is a collaborative effort featuring Aznavour and his greatest friends and partners from his long career in the music industry, including Céline Dion, Sting, Laura Pausini, Josh Groban, Paul Anka, Plácido Domingo, and many others.^[22] It was released on various dates in December 2008 across the world.^[23] 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.^[24]

In 2009 Aznavour also toured across America. The tour, named Aznavour en liberté,^[25] 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 August 2011 Aznavour released a new album, Aznavour Toujours, featuring 11 new songs, and Elle, a French re-working of his greatest international hit, She. Following the release of Aznavour Toujours, 87-years old Aznavour began a tour across France and Europe, named Charles Aznavour en Toute Intimité, which started with 21 concerts in the "Olympia" theatre in Paris.^[26] On December 12, 2011 he gave a concert in Moscow State Kremlin Palace that attracted a capacity crowd.^[27] The concert was followed by standing ovation which continued for about 15 minutes.^[28]

In 2012, Aznavour embarks on a new North American leg of his "En toute intimité" tour, visiting Québec, New York and the Gibson Amphitheatre, the third-largest such venue in California, for multiple shows.

Film[link]

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 1979's The Tin Drum, winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1980. Aznavour starred in the 2002 movie Ararat playing Edward Saroyan, a movie director.

Armenia and abroad[link]

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 wrote 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".^[29]

An admirer of Quebec, where he played in Montreal 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.^[30]

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 (clip) in the aftermath of the catastrophic 2010 Haiti earthquake, titled "1 geste pour Haïti chérie".^[31]

Personal life and cultural impact[link]

Charles Aznavour, a photo by Xavier Thomas.

Aznavour married his third wife, Swede Ulla Thorsell, in 1968. He has 5 children - Seda, Katia, Misha, Nicolas and Patrick. In 1990 he offered insights into his life to writer-director Michael Feeney Callan in his series My Riviera, which was filmed at and around Aznavour's home in Port Grimaud, in the South of France. He currently resides in Geneva, Switzerland.^[32]

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" (feat. Eminem & Xzibit), from his album 2001.^[33] 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 160 cm (5 ft 3 in) tall, and Aznavour has made this a source of self-deprecating humour over the years.

Politics[link]

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.^[34] 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 (known in English as "They fell").

He has also campaigned fervently for international copyright law reform. In November 2005 he met with President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso^[35] 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..."^[36]

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"^[37]

Awards and recognition[link]

• 1963, 1971 and 1980 - Edison Awards (three-time awardwinner)^[38]
• 1971 - Golden Lion Honorary Award at the Venice Film Festival for the Italian version of the song Mourir d'aimer
• 1995 - Large Medal of the French Academy
• 1995 - Ambassador of Goodwill and Permanent Delegate of Armenia to UNESCO^[39]
• 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^[40]
• 2006 - Honorary prize at 30th Cairo Film Festival
• 2008 - Honorary Officer of the Order of Canada^[41]
• 2008 - Citizenship of the Republic of Armenia
• 2009 - MIDEM Lifetime Achievement Award^[42]
• 2009 - Grigor Lusavorich award of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic^[43]
• 2009 - Officer of the National Order of Quebec^[44]
• 2010 - Honorary order "For outstanding contribution to strengthening cultural ties between Russia and France"^[45]

Discography[link]

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]

• 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[link]

Video[link]

• 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[link]

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

DVD[link]

• 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[link]

• 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.^[46]
• 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[link]

• Charles Aznavour Museum
• List of best-selling music artists
• Franco-Armenian relations
• Ils Sont Tombés

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Charles Aznavour on imusic.am
• "Portrait de S.E. Charles Aznavour" (in French). Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Switzerland. http://www.armenian.ch/index.php?id=ambassador. Retrieved 2010-02-21. 
• Charles Aznavour at the Internet Movie Database
• Charles Aznavour at the Songwriters Hall of Fame
• Biography by Radio France International
• Charles Aznavour - Armenian-Russian Pages

Live performances[link]

• Charles Aznavour - "Ave Maria" performance
• Charles Aznavour - "Hier encore" performance
• Charles Aznavour - "Paris au mois d'août" performance

This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the French Wikipedia. (December 2009) Don't speak French? Click here to read a machine-translated version of the French article. Click [show] on the right to review important translation instructions before translating. Google's machine translation is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. After translating, {{Translated|fr|Johnny Hallyday}} must be added to the talk page to ensure copyright compliance. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Johnny Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday in 2003
Background information
Birth name	Jean-Philippe Smet
Born	(1943-06-15) 15 June 1943 (age 69)
Origin	Cité Malesherbes, Paris, France
Genres	Rock and roll
Occupations	Singer, actor
Years active	1959-Present
Labels	Vogue Philips Warner Universal
Website	http://www.johnnyhallyday.com/

Jean-Philippe Smet better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday (born 15 June 1943, Cité Malesherbes, Paris, France) is a French^[1] singer and actor.^[2] An icon in the French-speaking world since the beginning of his career, he was considered by some^[3] to have been the French Elvis Presley. He was married for 15 years to popular Bulgarian-French singer Sylvie Vartan. They formed the golden couple of the sixties and seventies in Europe. Johnny has completed 100 tours, had 18 platinum albums, and sold more than 110 million records.^[4] Hallyday announced his retirement from performing on 3 December 2007, saying that he will retire in 2009,^[5] after a farewell tour. Hallyday, though, announced in March 2012 that he would perform in Los Angeles on April 24 and in New York City on October 7.

Early life[link]

This section requires expansion.

Hallyday's father, Léon Smet (1908–1989), was Belgian, his mother Huguette Clerc (1920–2007) was French. Hallyday took his stage name from his aunt Desta's husband and dance partner Lee Hallyday, a pseudonym for Lee Ketcham, an expatriate Oklahoman, performer and MC at the Cafe de Paris when Johnny began his singing career. Johnny was raised by Desta and Lee from a very young age, with Lee being his first manager.

Career[link]

Influenced by Elvis Presley and the 1950s rock revolution, Hallyday became famous in the 1960s for singing rock and roll in French. His debut single, "Laisse les filles" was released on the Vogue label in March 1960.^[6] His first album, Hello Johnny, was released in 1960.^[7] In 1961 his cover of "Let's Twist Again" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.^[8] It topped almost every European chart, although the track did not appear in the UK Singles Chart.^[9] He appeared on the American Ed Sullivan Show with American singing star Connie Francis in a show that was taped at the Moulin Rouge nightclub in Paris. He also staged many appearances in the Paris Olympia under the management of the late Bruno Coquatrix. For their first concert, The Jimi Hendrix Experience opened for Johnny Hallyday in Évreux on 13 October 1966. Black and white footage, also from October 1966, exists of Hallyday partying with Hendrix, his manager Chas Chandler and others.

1965

At the end of the 1960s, Hallyday made a string of albums with Mick Jones and Tommy Brown as musical directors, and Big Jim Sullivan, Bobby Graham and Jimmy Page as session musicians. These are Jeune Homme, Rivière... Ouvre ton Lit (aka Je suis né dans la rue) and Vie. On Je suis né dans la rue, Hallyday also hired both Peter Frampton and the Small Faces. Amongst their contributions are the songs "Amen (Bang Bang)", "Reclamation (News Report)" and "Regarde Pour Moi (What You Will)" which are variations of Small Faces and Humble Pie – which was Frampton's band – tracks and they can be heard playing on the album. Often forgotten is Hallyday's non-LP single and EP track "Que Je T'aime" from the same sessions.^[10] By 1969 alone, his sales of records exceeded twelve million.^[8]

Many^[who?] consider Hallyday to have developed well and become a greater performer in his later years. One of his concerts, 100% Johnny: Live à La Tour Eiffel in 2000, attracted an audience of 500,000 and 9.5 million television viewers (the show was broadcast live on French TV).^[11] In December 2005, Hallyday had his third number-one single in France, "Mon Plus Beau Noël" (after "Tous ensemble" and "Marie"), dedicated to his adopted daughter Jade. Shortly before announcing his retirement from touring, he released a blues-flavored album, Le Cœur d'un homme, on 12 November 2007. The album hit #1 in both France and French-speaking Belgium. In addition to the lead single "Always", Le Cœur d'un homme features "T'aimer si mal", a duet with bluesman Taj Mahal and "I Am the Blues", an English-language song written for Hallyday by U2 frontman Bono. His next album, Ça ne finira jamais, released in 2008, another #1 on the French album chart, and its lead single, "Ça n'finira jamais", also reached #1. In 2008 he recorded a series of acoustic songs with French musician Drexl Jonez. Hallyday's most recent album, also a #1 hit in France, is Tour 66: Stade de France 2009, a live set recorded at Stade de France during his farewell tour with appearances by Drexl Jonez on the guitar.

Hallyday remains largely unknown outside of France, thus earning the nickname "the biggest rock star you've never heard of" in English-speaking countries.^[12][13][4] He was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur in 1997.^[14]

French movie producers Michèle and Laurent Pétin introduced Johnny Hallyday to Hong Kong film director Johnny To. Hallyday was cast as the main role of To's Vengeance after meeting with the director in early 2008. The shooting began in November 2008 and concluded in February 2009. The filming took place on location in Hong Kong and Macau, with a crew mainly based in Hong Kong.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life[link]

In November 2005, Hallyday started a procedure to obtain Belgian citizenship but his request was turned down in 2006 because he failed to fulfill the residence requirements. In late 2006, Hallyday announced that he would move his permanent residency to Gstaad, Switzerland to escape the high tax rate imposed by the French government. Swiss law allows wealthy individuals to claim residency if they live six months and one day in the country and then pay a fixed tax based on expenses, such as rent or assets in Switzerland, rather than a percentage of their income. Hallyday has said that he would move his residency back to France if it changes its tax laws.^[15]

He maintains a second home in Los Angeles, where he has been spending increasing amounts of time in recent years, enjoying his relative anonymity in the U.S. One of his favorite leisure activities is riding his Harley-Davidson on long trips through the California desert, staying in small motels along the way.^[4]

Hallyday married Bulgarian-French singer Sylvie Vartan on 12 April 1965. Their son David was born on 14 August 1966. Hallyday and Vartan divorced in 1980. He was then briefly married to Babeth Étienne; the marriage lasted less than three months, ending in February 1982. A four-year relationship with French actress Nathalie Baye followed; their daughter Laura Smet was born on 15 November 1983. He was married to his third wife Adeline Blondieau for two years, divorcing her in 1992. He has been married to Laeticia Boudou since 25 March 1996. The couple have adopted two girls from Vietnam: Jade Odette Désirée, born 3 August 2004 (formerly Bui Thi Hoa), in November 2004,^[16] and Joy (Maï-Huong), born 27 July 2008, in December 2008. From all those relationships, the one with SYLVIE VARTAN is the most popular and symbolic for the french audience. Not one article is written without mentioning Sylvie Vartan who remains the number one french female selling artist of all time and the queen of rock and pop in Europe.

Hallyday supported Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2007 French presidential election. The Masked Avengers referenced this in their prank call to American vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin when an Avenger impersonating Sarkozy named Hallyday as his "Special American Advisor".

In July 2009, Hallyday was diagnosed with colon cancer,^[17] for which he was operated on. On 26 November 2009^[18] Hallyday underwent surgery in Paris to repair a herniated disc. He suffered complications and was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. It was announced that Hallyday had been put into a medically induced coma in order to repair lesions that had formed as a result of the surgery and to relieve his pain. On 17 December, it was announced that Hallyday and his wife had started legal proceedings against Dr. Stephane Delajoux, who had performed the original surgery.^[19]

Albums[link]

The embedded lists in this section may contain items that are not encyclopedic. Please help out by removing such elements and incorporating appropriate items into the main body of the article. (August 2011)

Studio albums[link]

• Hello Johnny (1960, Vogue)
• Nous les Gars, Nous les Filles (1961, Vogue)
• Tête à Tête avec Johnny (1961, Vogue)
• Salut les Copains! (1961, Philips)
• Johnny Hallyday sings America's Rockin' Hits (1962, Philips)
• Les Bras en Croix (1963, Philips)
• Les Rocks les Plus Terribles (1964, Philips)
• Halleluyah (1965, Philips)
• Johnny Chante Hallyday (1965, Philips)
• La Génération Perdue (1966, Philips)
• Johnny 67 (1967, Philips)
• Jeune Homme (1968, Philips)
• Rêve et Amour (1968, Philips)
• Rivière... Ouvre ton Lit (aka Je suis né dans la rue) (1969, Philips)
• Vie (1970, Philips)
• Flagrant Délit (1971, Philips)
• Pleins Feux Sur... (1971, Philips)
• Country-Folk-Rock (1972, Philips)
• Insolitudes (1973, Philips)
• Je t'Aime, Je t'Aime, Je t'Aime (1974, Philips)
• Rock'n Slow (1974, Philips)
• Rock à Memphis (1975, Philips)
• La Terre Promise (1975, Philips)
• Derrière l'Amour (1976, Philips)
• Hamlet (1976, Philips)
• C'est la Vie (1977, Philips)
• Solitudes à Deux (1978, Philips)
• Hollywood (1979, Philips)
• À Partir de Maintenant... (1980, Philips)
• En Pièces Détachées (1981, Philips)
• Pas Facile (1981, Philips)
• Quelque Part un Aigle (1982, Philips)
• La Peur (1982, Philips)
• Entre Violence et Violon (1983, Philips)
• Hallyday 84: Nashville en Direct (1984, Philips)
• En V.O. (1984, Philips)
• Rock'n'Roll Attitude (1985, Philips)
• Gang (1986, Philips)
• Cadillac (1989, Philips)
• Ça ne change pas un homme (1991, Philips)
• Rough Town (1994, Philips)
• Lorada (1995, Philips)
• Ce que je sais (1998, Philips)
• Sang pour sang (1999, Philips)
• À la vie, à la mort ! (2002, Mercury)
• Ma Vérité (2005, Mercury)
• Le Cœur d'un homme (2007, Warner Music France)
• Ça ne finira jamais (2008, Warner Music France)
• Jamais seul (2011, Warner Music France)

Live albums[link]

• Johnny et Ses Fans au Festival de Rock'n'Roll (1961, Vogue)
• À l'Olympia (1962, Philips)
• Olympia 64 (1964, Philips)
• Olympia 67 (1967, Philips)
• Au Palais des Sports (1967, Philips)
• Que Je t'Aime (1969, Philips)
• Live at the Palais des Sports (1971, Philips)
• Palais des Sports (1976, Philips)
• Pavillon de Paris (1979, Philips)
• Live (1981, Universal Music)
• Palais des Sports 1982 (1982, Universal Music)
• Au Zénith (1984, Universal Music)
• À Bercy (1987, Universal Music)
• Dans la Chaleur de Bercy (1990, Universal Music)
• Bercy 92 (1992, Universal Music)
• Parc des Princes (1993, Universal Music)
• À La Cigale (1994, Universal Music)
• Lorada Tour (1995, Universal Music)
• Destination Vegas (1996, Universal Music)
• Johnny Allume le Feu: Stade de France 98 (1998, Universal Music)
• 100% Johnny: Live à La Tour Eiffel (2000, Universal Music)
• Olympia 2000 (2000, Universal Music)
• Parc des Princes 2003 (2003, Universal Music)
• Flashback Tour Live (2006, Warner Music)
• La Cigale (2007, Warner Music)
• Tour 66: Stade de France 2009 (2009, Warner Music)

Films[link]

• Cherchez l'idole (1963) as himself
• Le Spécialiste (1969) as Hud / Brad
• L'aventure c'est l'aventure (1974) as himself
• L'Animal (1974) as The Male Star
• The Case of the Missing Bottle (1983) as Monsieur Waitor
• Détective (1985) directed by Jean-Luc Godard
• Terminus (1987) as Stump
• The Iron Triangle (1989) as Jacques
• Why Not Me? (1999) as José
• Love Me (2000) as Lennox
• L'homme du train (The Man on the Train) (aka Man on the Train in the US) (2002) as Milan
• Crime Spree (2003) as Marcel Burot
• Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse (2004) as L'ermite borgne
• Quartier V.I.P. (2005) as Alex
• Jean-Philippe (2006) as Jean-Philippe
• Vengeance (2009) as Francis Costello
• The Pink Panther 2 (2009) as Laurence Millikin

See also[link]

• List of best-selling music artists

References[link]

External links[link]

• (French) Official site
• (French) A blog about Johnny Hallyday
• Biography of Johnny Hallyday, from Radio France Internationale
• Johnny Hallyday at the Internet Movie Database