Pierre Gruneberg (born Peter Grüneberg, 6 March 1931 – 4 June 2023) was a German-born French ski and swimming instructor. He was notably the husband of actress

Silvia Monfort Silvia Monfort (, born Simone Marguerite Favre-Bertin , 6 June 1923 – 30 March 1991) was a French actress and theatre director. She was the daughter of Charles-Maurice Favre-Bertin, a French sculptor, decorator, and medalist, and was the ...

Biography

Born in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

on 6 March 1931, Gruneberg had German Jewish parents. The family fled to France during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Although his father was a lawyer and his mother was a schoolteacher, he followed his passion of sports. He became an instructor at the in 1950 and accompanied the French team as a physiotherapist at the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...

. He then worked as both a ski and swimming instructor. In 1966, Gruneberg introduced the concept of evolutionary skiing to France, in which beginners would use short skis. In the summer, he would work as a lifeguard for the

Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat The Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel is a famous five star luxury resort hotel, in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat on the French Riviera. The hotel obtained the "Palace de France" distinction, granted by the government for its excellence in ...

. At the beginning of the 1960s, he met Silvia Monfort, whom he started dating in 1963. However, the couple did not get married until 24 May 1990. Monfort died on 30 March 1991. In 1996, he founded the Association Prix Silvia Monfort. Pierre Gruneberg died on 4 June 2023, at the age of 92.

Books

*''Ski court, ski long en 10 leçons et tout pour skier de A à Z'' (1972) *''Nager en 10 leçons et tout pour être dans le bain de A à Z'' (1974) *''La Natation'' (1978)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gruneberg, Pierre 1931 births 2023 deaths French skiers German skiers Sportspeople from Cologne French people of German-Jewish descent