Michel Gérard Joseph Colucci (, ; 28 October 1944 – 19 June 1986), better known under his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Coluche (), was a French stage comedian and cinema actor. He adopted ''Coluche'' as a stage name at age 26, when 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. He was one of the first major comedians to regularly use profanities as a source of humor on French television. He also founded the charity " Les Restaurants du Cœur" which still provides free meals and other products to people in need.

Early life

Colucci was born on 28 October 1944, just weeks after the

Liberation of Paris The liberation of Paris (french: Libération de Paris) was a military battle that took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the German garrison surrendered the French capital on 25 August 1944. Paris had been occupied by Nazi Ger ...

, in a hospital in the 14th arrondissement of the city. His mother, Simone Bouyer (called "Monette"), worked as a florist in the

Boulevard du Montparnasse The Boulevard du Montparnasse is a two-way boulevard in Montparnasse, in the 6th, 14th and 15th arrondissements in Paris. Situation The boulevard joins the place Léon Paul Fargue and place Camille Jullian. The Tour Montparnasse and place ...

. His father, Honorio Colucci, from Casalvieri in

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, Italy, was a painter and decorator. His father died in 1947 at age 31 from

poliomyelitis Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe sym ...

; 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.

Success

In 1969, with Romain Bouteille he was present at the start of the

Café de la Gare The Café de la Gare is a dinner theater located at 41, rue du Temple in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. It lies in a square hidden between Notre Dame de Paris and the historic Marais district.Patrick Dewaere,

Henri Guybet Henri Guybet (born 21 December 1936) is a French actor. He has appeared in more than one hundred films since 1964. Guybet started his career in dinner theater in the Café de la Gare, alongside Coluche and Miou-Miou in late 1960s. Gérard Oury ...

, Miou-Miou,

Martin Lamotte Martin Lamotte (born 2 June 1947) is a French actor, comedian and director. He participated in several films alongside Le Splendid. He is most known for his role on the TV Series "SoeurThérèse.com" and "Nos chers voisins". Filmography Th ...

, etc. Among the patrons of the Café de la Gare were

Georges Moustaki Georges Moustaki (born Giuseppe Mustacchi; 3 May 1934 – 23 May 2013) was an Egyptian-French singer-songwriter of Jewish Italo-Greek origin. He wrote about 300 songs for some of the most popular singers in France, including Édith Piaf, Dalida, ...

, Raymond Devos, Jean Ferrat,

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...

, Leni Escudero, Pierre Perret and Jean Yanne. Later they were joined by

Gérard Lanvin Gérard Lanvin (; born 21 June 1950) is a César Award-winning French actor. He quit his studies when he was 17 to become an actor. He took on a role in '' Vous n'aurez pas l'Alsace et la Lorraine'' in 1977 on an offer from the actor Coluche. H ...

Renaud Renaud Pierre Manuel Séchan (), known as Renaud (), born 11 May 1952, is a French singer, songwriter and actor. His characteristically 'broken' voice makes for a very distinctive vocal style. Several of his songs are popular classics in F ...

Rufus Rufus is a masculine given name, a surname, an Ancient Roman cognomen and a nickname (from Latin '' rufus'', "red"). Notable people with the name include: Given name Politicians * Rufus Ada George (born 1940), Nigerian politician * Rufus ...

Diane Kurys Diane Kurys (; born 3 December 1948) is a French director, producer, filmmaker and actress. Several of her films as director are semi-autobiographical. Personal life Kurys was born in Lyon, Rhône, France, the younger of two daughters. She is ...

Coline Serreau Coline Serreau (born 29 October 1947) is a French actress, film director and writer. Early life and education She was born in Paris, the daughter of theatre director Jean-Marie Serreau and actress Geneviève Serreau. In Paris, Serreau studie ...

Anémone Anne Bourguignon (; 9 August 1950 – 30 April 2019), known professionally as Anémone (), was a French actress, filmmaker and political activist. She took her stage name in 1968 from the title of her film debut in Philippe Garrel's ''Anémone' ...

Gérard Depardieu Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 al ...

Thierry Lhermitte Thierry Lhermitte (; born 24 November 1952) is a French actor, director, writer and producer, best known for his comedic roles. He was a founder of the comedy troupe '' Le Splendid'' in the 1970s, along with, among others, Christian Clavier, Gé ...

Josiane Balasko Josiane Balasko (born Josiane Balašković; 15 April 1950) is a French actress, writer, and director. She has been nominated seven times for César Awards, and won twice. Career One of Balasko's most recognized roles among English speakers is ...

and Gérard Jugnot. Coluche's first sketch ''C'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 alcohol problems forced him to leave the group. He went on to found another group, ''Le vrai chic parisien'' (The true Parisian chic) and it was then that he met his future wife, Véronique Kantor. They married in 1975 and had two sons, Marius and Romain Colucci. His behaviour and addictions forced him to leave the new group and launch his solo career.

Solo career

It was at this point that he began to dress in his well-known outfit of white tennis shoes, blue striped

overalls Overalls, also called bib-and-brace overalls or dungarees, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers". Overalls were ...

, a bright yellow T-shirt and round glasses. He became famous with his parody of a TV game (Le Schmilblick). He was sacked by the radio stations Europe 1 and

Radio Monte Carlo Radio Monte Carlo (RMC) is the name of radio stations owned and managed by several different entities: * RMC (France) is a French-speaking station, broadcasting in France and Monaco owned by NextRadioTV. **RMC Sport, a French bouquet of paid T ...

for vulgarity.

1980s

Presidential bid

In a 30 October 1980 press conference at the theatre of his one-man show, Coluche announced his candidacy for the

French presidential election Presidential elections in France determine who will serve as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra for the French side for the next five years. Until 2002, the elections were held every seven years. They are always held on a Sunday. Sin ...

. He was not taken seriously until the Sunday newspaper ''

Le Journal du Dimanche ''Le Journal du dimanche'' (English: ''Sunday's newspaper'') is a French weekly newspaper published on Sundays in France. History and profile ''Le Journal du Dimanche'' was created by Pierre Lazareff in 1948. He was managing editor of '' Fran ...

'' published a poll on 14 December 1980 showing Coluche supported by 16% of potential voters. His "campaign" was supported and organized by Parisian publisher

Charlie Hebdo ''Charlie Hebdo'' (; meaning ''Charlie Weekly'') is a French satirical weekly magazine, featuring cartoons, reports, polemics, and jokes. Stridently non-conformist in tone, the publication has been described as anti-racist, sceptical, secular ...

, 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 after pressure from serious politicians - including

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...

who saw him as a menace for his own candidacy - and the murder of his manager René Gorlin.

César

In 1984 Coluche was awarded the

César Award for Best Actor This is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Actor (french: César du meilleur acteur). History Superlatives Winners 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Multiple wins and nominations The following indivi ...

for his role in the film ''

Tchao Pantin ''So Long, Stooge'' (French title: ''Tchao Pantin'') is a 1983 film directed by Claude Berri. It is based on a novel by Alain Page. Coluche, the lead, won the César Award for Best Actor. The film was selected as the French entry for the Best Fo ...

'' (1983) directed by

Claude Berri Claude Berri (; 1 July 1934 – 12 January 2009) was a French film director, writer, producer, actor and distributor. Early life Born Claude Beri Langmann in Paris, Berri was the son of Jewish immigrant parents. His mother, Beila (née Bercu), w ...

, a film that mirrored his chaotic personal life.

Restaurants du Cœur

In September 1985, he launched the "

Restaurants du Cœur The Restaurants du Cœur (literally ''Restaurants of the Heart'' but meaning ''Restaurants of Love''), commonly known as the Restos du Cœur, is a French charity, the main activity of which is to distribute food packages and hot meals to those ...

" (usually called Restos du cœur) charity (40,000 volunteers in almost 2,500 eating establishments, which serve some 600,000 daily beneficiaries) in a speech on the radio station Europe 1. The charity 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 Les Enfoirés (, 'The Tossers' or 'The Bastards') is the name given to the singers and performers in the yearly charity concert for the Restaurants du Cœur The Restaurants du Cœur (literally ''Restaurants of the Heart'' but meaning ''Restau ...

Death

In March 1985 Coluche had set a world speed record (252.087 km/hr; 156.64 mph) on a one-km (1000 yard) track in Italy with a 750cc motorcycle. A little more than a year later, at 16:35 on 19 June 1986, he died after crashing his Honda 1100 VFC into a truck on the "route de Cannes" a road in the commune of

Opio, Alpes-Maritimes Opio (; oc, Opiá) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France situated near Grasse. Population Personalities Coluche died in Opio at the age of 41, when his motorcycle crashed into a lorry. Serbian triple agen ...

in southeastern France. He was 41. This event provoked national grief and inspired the album ''

Putain de camion ''Putain de camion'' is a studio album from French artist Renaud, released in 1988 by Virgin France. The first song, ''Jonathan'', refers to white South African musician Johnny Clegg who became a friend of Renaud. ''Rouge-gorge'' was dedicated ...

'' ("damn truck") by his close friend

. Some

conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * * * * The term has a nega ...

have since surfaced, mainly in the book ''Coluche, l'accident: contre-enquête'', alleging that Coluche might have been murdered. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of his death, from 6 October 2016 to 14 January 2017, an exhibition about Coluche was held in

Hôtel de Ville, Paris The Hôtel de Ville (, ''City Hall'') is the city hall of Paris, France, standing on the Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville – Esplanade de la Libération in the 4th arrondissement. The south wing was originally constructed by François I beginning i ...

. In March 2011, a bronze statue of Coluche, dressed in his trademark striped dungarees, was unveiled in his hometown of

Montrouge Montrouge () is a commune in the southern Parisian suburbs, located from the centre of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe. After a long period of decline, the population has increased again in recent years. ...

(suburb of Paris).

Awards

Coluche won the

César Award Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * Ces ...

for "

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to the ...

" for his role in ''Tchao Pantin'' (''

So Long, Stooge ''So Long, Stooge'' ( French title: ''Tchao Pantin'') is a 1983 film directed by Claude Berri. It is based on a novel by Alain Page. Coluche, the lead, won the César Award for Best Actor. The film was selected as the French entry for the Best Fo ...

'', 1983), one of his few dramatic roles.

Film

The film ''Coluche : l'histoire d'un mec'', directed by

Antoine de Caunes Antoine de Caunes (born 1 December 1953) is a French television presenter, actor, writer and film director. He is the son of two prominent French personalities, television journalist-reporter Georges de Caunes and television announcer Jacqueline ...

and relating the events surrounding Coluche's bid for the French presidency in 1981 was released in France in October 2008. François-Xavier Demaison plays Coluche.

Legacy

Coming from a working-class family and a background of grinding poverty, Coluche fought for the equality of citizens. A law known as the ''Loi Coluche'' was passed in 1988, allowing large tax deductions (up to 75% in some cases) for individuals or businesses that donate to specified aid agencies. The

main-belt The asteroid belt is a torus-shaped region in the Solar System, located roughly between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars. It contains a great many solid, irregularly shaped bodies, of many sizes, but much smaller than planets, called ...

asteroid 170906 Coluche, discovered by Swiss astronomer Michel Ory in 2004, was named after Coluche. There are statues of Coluche in his home quarter of

(suburb of Paris), unveiled in March 2011 (a bronze status of Coluche, dressed with his trademark striped dungaree), and in

Le Vigan, Gard Le Vigan (; oc, Lo Vigan) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Le Vigan is located at the south of the Massif Central and near the Mont Aigoual, in the Arre valley. The ...

in the south of France. Numerous theatres, schools and social spaces bear his name all over France. 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.''Coluche - l'Histoire d'un Mec qui Vaut Bien une Expo'', Le Monde, 6 October 2016
/ref>

Filmography

References

External links

*
Official site of Les restos du cœur (French)Official site of Les Enfoirés in French
an
English
{{Authority control 1944 births 1986 deaths Male actors from Paris French male film actors French comedians French humorists French parodists French people of Italian descent People of Lazian descent Road incident deaths in France Motorcycle road incident deaths 20th-century French male actors French male writers Café de la Gare 20th-century French comedians 20th-century French male writers