Coluche | |
|---|---|
 Coluche in 1986 | |
| Born | Michel Gérard Joseph Colucci (1944-10-28)28 October 1944 Paris, France |
| Died | 19 June 1986(1986-06-19) (aged 41) Opio, Alpes-Maritimes, France |
| Cause of death | Motorcycle crash |
| Occupation(s) | Actor,Comedian |
| Signature | |
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Michel Gérard Joseph Colucci (French:[miʃɛlʒeʁaʁʒozɛfkɔlytʃi],Italian:[koˈluttʃi]; 28 October 1944 – 19 June 1986), better known under hisstage nameColuche (IPA:[kɔlyʃ]), was a French stand-up comedian, film actor, activist[1] and philanthropist.[2] He adoptedColuche as a stage name at age 26, as he began his entertainment career. He became known for his irreverent attitude towards politics and the establishment, and he incorporated this into much of his material.
Coluche was one of the first major comedians to regularly useprofanities as a source of humor on French television. Having become a bankable star of comedy films, he also proved himself a capable dramatic performer by winning theCésar Award for Best Actor for his performance inSo Long, Stooge (1983).
Coluche also founded in 1985 the charity "Les Restaurants du Cœur" which still provides free meals and other products to people in need.
Colucci was born on 28 October 1944 in a hospital in the14th arrondissement of Paris. His mother, Simone Bouyer (called "Monette"), worked as a florist in theBoulevard du Montparnasse. His father, Honorio Colucci, anItalian immigrant fromCasalvieri,Lazio,[3] was a painter and decorator. His father died in 1947 at age 31 frompoliomyelitis; his wife struggled thereafter to raise the young Michel and his sister (Danièle, 18 months older than Michel) on a meagre salary.
Coluche showed little promise at school, and left after completing his primary studies (June 1958). He tried various temporary jobs, and had several run-ins with authorities. During this time his mother bought him a guitar, which he taught himself to play. In 1964 he joined the 60th Infantry Regiment de Lons-le-Saunier, but was imprisoned for insubordination. On his return to civilian life, he worked in his mother's florist shop which she had been able to open on rue d'Aligre, and later in a larger shop which she opened near la Gare de Lyon. He found this work dull, and suddenly quit, which caused a long-lasting breach with his mother.
At the end of the 1960s he tried his luck as a singer in cafes, then turned to comedy.
In 1969, Coluche took part withRomain Bouteille to the founding of theCafé de la Gare, a Parisiancafé-théâtre that would become the meeting place of a group of young comedic actors practically all of whom were to become famous:Patrick Dewaere,Henri Guybet,Miou-Miou,Martin Lamotte, etc. Among the patrons of the Café de la Gare wereGeorges Moustaki,Raymond Devos,Jean Ferrat,Jacques Brel,Leny Escudero,Pierre Perret andJean Yanne. Other actors who performed the Café de la Gare early in their careers includeGérard Lanvin,Renaud,Rufus,Diane Kurys,Coline Serreau,Anémone,Gérard Depardieu,Thierry Lhermitte,Josiane Balasko andGérard Jugnot.
Coluche's firstsketchC'est l'histoire d'un mec (It's the story of a guy) was about the difficulties of telling a funny story. He quickly found success but his alcohol issues led to scuffles with Dewaere and Bouteille and eventually forced him to leave the Café de la Gare, though he later returned to perform there.[4][5]
He went on to found anothertroupe,Le vrai chic parisien (The true Parisian chic), a self-styled "Vulgar Theatre". However, Coluche's behavior caused again the working atmosphere to deteriorate and he eventually left the troupe, as he was looking forward to a solo career.[5]Talent agent Paul Lederman, who had met Coluche in 1974 while he was performing at the Café de la Gare, endeavored to advance his career and introduce him to a more mainstream audience.[6]
It was at this point that Coluche began to dress in his well-known outfit of white tennis shoes, blue stripedoveralls, a bright yellow T-shirt and round glasses. One of his first widely successful routines was a parody of a TV game (Le Schmilblick).[7] In the course of the 1970s, Coluche established himself as a very popularstand-up comedian. In 1976, he co-starred withLouis de Funès in the comedy filmThe Wing or the Thigh, which enjoyed great commercial success. The next year, he made his first film as a director, the historical comedyVous n'aurez pas l'Alsace et la Lorraine, in which he also starred. However, the film failed at the box-office upon release. Coluche was disappointed in his work as a director and did not renew the experience. He then concentrated on his work as a comedian, cementing his popularity in France.[8]
While a famous entertainer, Coluche also remained controversial in France throughout his career due to his use of profanities. In 1979, following audience protests, he was sacked for vulgarity from the radio stationEurope 1 where he had been hired as a conductor. The following year, he was hired atRadio Monte Carlo but was sacked ten days later for making a joke aboutPrincess Caroline's sex life.[9][10] In 1981, he became a conductor onRFM, then a"pirate" radio.[11][12] Coluche was also associated with the satirical magazinesHara-Kiri andCharlie Hebdo. In the latter publication, he had his own column,Les pauvres sont des cons (The poor are idiots) consisting of humorousphoto comics about news topics.[13]
Coluche returned to film in 1980, starring in the comedyInspecteur la Bavure (Inspector Blunder) directed byClaude Zidi, which enjoyed great commercial success and reestablished him as a bankable film star.[8] His next box-office hits were the comedyLe Maître d'école (1981), the historical parodyDeux heures moins le quart avant Jésus-Christ (Quarter To Two B.C., 1982) and the comedyBanzaï (1983). Also in 1983, he starred in the filmSo Long, Stooge (Tchao Pantin) directed byClaude Berri, where he played his first dramatic role. His performance in that film, which mirrored his chaotic personal life, earned him theCésar Award for Best Actor in 1984.[14]
Not taking his Award very seriously, Coluche did not capitalize on his newfound credibility as a dramatic actor. He next starred in comedies which he saw as purely commercial affairs, includingGood King Dagobert (1984), directed byDino Risi, which was a box-office failure.[8]
Claude Berri considered casting him in a new dramatic role, that of Ugolin inJean de Florette andManon of the Spring, but Coluche's screen tests proved unconvincing; Coluche later said that he didn't feel the character.[8] Being uncomfortable with the idea of doing a fake Southern accent, he requested an excessive salary for the film in order to ensure that Berri would not hire him.[15] Coluche's final film role,Madman at War (1985), an Italian-French dark comedy also directed by Dino Risi, allowed him to show again greater depth in a semi-dramatic role.[16]
From October 1985 to February 1986, Coluche conducted onCanal+ the daily showColuche 1 faux, which included jokes and parodies of TV news.[17][18] Also in 1985, he returned onEurope 1 where he became the conductor of a daily show,Y'en aura pour tout le monde ('There's something in it for everyone").[19][20]
Coluche's comedy skits mixedjokes, social and politicalsatire,observational comedy,ribaldry,dark humor and occasionnallytoilet humor.[21][22][23][24] His material, which specialized in ridiculing authorities and institutions, was regarded as subversive.[10]
In his skits, Coluche often portrayed stupid, prejudiced people, in order to mock their narrow-minded views.[10][25] He regularly used profanities, though he insisted that he was "always rude, never vulgar".[7][26] He helped popularize in France the type ofgross out, anarchic brand of humor associated with the magazinesHara-Kiri andCharlie Hebdo, to which he collaborated.[13]
In a 30 October 1980 press conference at the theatre of his one-man show, Coluche announced his candidacy to theupcoming presidential election. He was not taken seriously until the Sunday newspaperLe Journal du Dimanche published a poll on 14 December 1980 showing Coluche supported by 16% of potential voters.[27] His "campaign" was supported and organized byCharlie Hebdo, with slogans such as "Before me, France was divided in two; now it will be folded in four" (more idiomatically "être plié en quatre" could be translated as "doubled over laughing"), and "Coluche - the only candidate who has no reason to lie". However, he withdrew following pressure from serious politicians - includingFrançois Mitterrand who saw him as a menace for his own candidacy -death threats, and the murder of his stage manager René Gorlin (though that murder later proved to be unconnected with Coluche's candidacy).[28]
In September 1985, Coluche used his show onEurope 1 to launch an initiative to collect food for people in need. His idea developed into the "Restaurants du Cœur" (usually calledRestos du cœur) charity. The charity (40,000 volunteers in almost 2,500 eating establishments, which serve some 600,000 daily beneficiaries) collects food, money and clothes for the needy and the homeless. Each year, a fundraising concert series is presented by singers and celebrities collectively known as "Les Enfoirés" (named after a profanity frequently used by Coluche).[20][29]
At the beginning of his career, Coluche datedMiou-Miou for a time. It was him who found her stage name, which he had invented as a nickname for her.[30] In 1969, he met Véronique Kantor, who became his girlfriend[31] and whom he married in 1975. They had two sons, Romain (b. 1972) and Marius (b. 1976). The couple divorced in 1981.[32] Following his separation with Véronique, Coluche, who already had problems with alcohol, developed adrug addiction.[33]
In 1982, Coluche began a relationship with Elsa Chalier, who left his friendPatrick Dewaere for him. Dewaere then committed suicide, using a shotgun that Coluche had offered him.[34][35] The remorse over Dewaere's death caused Coluche to suffer fromdepression. He later used the pain and sorrow he was experiencing as a basis for his performance inSo Long, Stooge.[19][36][37]
Coluche's girlfriend during the early eighties was Frédérique "Fred" Romano, asex shop manager. Both struggled with drug addiction during their relationship. The lead female role ofSo Long, Stooge, played byAgnès Soral, was partially based on her.[30] In 1985, Coluche endeavored to get his life back on track.[19] At the time of his death, he was in a relationship with Frédérique Fayles-Bernstein, who later married television executivePierre Lescure.[30]
Amotorsports enthusiast, Coluche was a skilled practitioner ofmotorcycle racing. In March 1985, he set a world speed record (252.087 km/h; 156.64 mph) on a one-km (1000 yard) track in Italy with a 750cc motorcycle.[38]
At 16:35 on 19 June 1986, Coluche died after crashing his Honda 1100 VFC into a truck on the "route de Cannes", a road in the commune ofOpio, Alpes-Maritimes in southeastern France. He was 41. This event provoked national grief and inspired the albumPutain de camion ("fucking truck") by his close friendRenaud. Someconspiracy theories have since surfaced, mainly in the bookColuche, l'accident: contre-enquête,[39] alleging that Coluche might have been murdered.[40]
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of his death, from 6 October 2016 to 14 January 2017, an exhibition about Coluche was held atParis City Hall.[41]
In March 2011, a bronze statue of Coluche, dressed in his trademark striped dungarees, was unveiled in his hometown ofMontrouge (suburb of Paris).[14]
Coming from a working-class family and a background of grinding poverty, Coluche fought for equality between citizens. A law known as theLoi Coluche (Coluche law) was passed in 1988, allowing large tax deductions (up to 75% in some cases) for individuals or businesses that donate to specified aid agencies.[42]
TheRestaurants du Cœur remain a particularly active charity in France. Coluche's ex-wife Véronique, who had remained close to him following their divorce,[33] became the charity's manager after his death and remained involved with it until her own death in 2018.[32][43]
Themain-belt asteroid170906 Coluche, discovered by Swiss astronomerMichel Ory in 2004, was named after Coluche.
In 2008,Antoine de Caunes directed the biographical filmColuche : l'histoire d'un mec, relating the events surrounding Coluche's bid for the French presidency in 1981 and starringFrançois-Xavier Demaison as Coluche.[44]
There are statues of Coluche in his home quarter ofMontrouge (suburb of Paris), unveiled in March 2011 (a bronze statue of Coluche, dressed with his trademark striped dungaree),[14] and inLe Vigan, Gard in the south of France. Numerous theatres, schools and social spaces bear his name all over France.[45] APlace Coluche (Coluche Square) was inaugurated in 2006 in Paris'14th arrondissement, close to his former home.[46]
In October 2016, the Hôtel de ville de Paris (5, rue de Lobau) opened an exhibition marking the 30th anniversary of his death. It focuses on his radio and movie career up to his announcement of his presidential candidacy. It ran through 7 January 2017.[47]
Coluche, who was a poor manager of his own finances, left 6,1 million francs in debt at the time of his death. His ex-wife Véronique refused the succession and sold the rights to his most famous comedy sketches, which she had obtained upon divorce, to Coluche's former agent Paul Lederman for 1,5 million. As Coluche's sons Romain and Marius reached adulthood, they accused Lederman of misappropriating the rights to their father's work and of falsifying documents. In 1991, they sued him over the rights, engaging in a protracted legal battle.[48] Romain and Marius Colucci eventually prevailed in court in 2019, following 28 years of dispute.[6]
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Le Pistonné | Marquand | Claude Berri | |
| Donkey Skin | Insulting peasant | Jacques Demy | Uncredited | |
| 1971 | Laisse aller... c'est une valse | Bar owner | Georges Lautner | |
| 1973 | Elle court, elle court la banlieue | Bouboule | Gérard Pirès | |
| L'An 01 | Chief | Jacques Doillon Alain Resnais Jean Rouch | ||
| Themroc | Male neighbour | Claude Faraldo | ||
| Le grand bazar | Man visiting the apartement | Claude Zidi | ||
| 1976 | Les vécés étaient fermés de l'intérieur | Inspector Charbonnier | Patrice Leconte | |
| L'aile ou la cuisse | Gérard Duchemin | Claude Zidi | ||
| 1977 | Drôles de zèbres | The chef | Guy Lux | Cameo |
| Vous n'aurez pas l'Alsace et la Lorraine | King Gros Pif I | Coluche Marc Monnet | ||
| 1980 | Inspector Blunder | Michel Clément | Claude Zidi | |
| 1981 | Signé Furax | Double agent 098 / 099 | Marc Simenon | Cameo |
| Le Maître d'école | Gérard Barbier | Claude Berri | ||
| 1982 | Elle voit des nains partout! | Halberdier | Jean-Claude Sussfeld | Cameo |
| Deux heures moins le quart avant Jésus-Christ | Ben-Hur Marcel | Jean Yanne | ||
| 1983 | Banzaï | Michel Bernardin | Claude Zidi | |
| My Best Friend's Girl | Micky | Bertrand Blier | ||
| So Long, Stooge | Lambert | Claude Berri | ||
| 1984 | Good King Dagobert | King Dagobert | Dino Risi | |
| La vengeance du serpent à plumes | Loulou Dupin | Gérard Oury | ||
| 1985 | Les Rois du gag | Georges | Claude Zidi | |
| Sac de noeuds | Coyotte | Josiane Balasko | ||
| Madman at War | Oscar Pilli | Dino Risi | (final film role) |
