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MONTAND Yves

 
Ivo Livi.

 
Date of birth : October 13, 1921, Monsummano Alto, Italy.

Date of death : November 9, 1991, Senlis, Oise, France.

 

Practise : actor.

 

Story

His father was a peasant from Tuscany, Italy,  and a political dissident. He was fiercely opposed to the fascist "black blouses" and tried, when little Ivo was still a child, to emigrate to the USA.

He finally emigrated with his family in France and settled in Marseille (south of France).

Yves Montand was discovered there at the age of 18 by Edith Piaf, who was the instigator of his singer career.
His love affair with her also allowed him to start in movies.

In 1960, when he arrived in Hollywood with his wife Simone Signoret, for the shooting of "Let's Make Love", the couple was already very close to Marilyn and Arthur Miller, ans shared the same political commitment.

Arthur Miller had met them at the end of 1956 in Paris : they both played a part in Miller's play, "The Crucible", they had played for 2 years.

On September 21, 1959, Marilyn attended the premiere of Montand one man show, "An Evening With Yves Montand", at the Henry Miller Theater in Broadway (New York City); his show had a big success. This evening, Marilyn was accompanied by Montgomery Clift, Arthur Miller working at the last modifications on "The Misfits" : 

 

Marilyn was so delighted with the show that she went back with Miller, and Norman and Hedda Rosten, the following evening. 

Miller as Montand had dealt with the Passport Division of the American government. In 1949 and 1957, Montand didn't pass to the USA and its reservations had been cancelled. This time, he had been allowed to enter the American territory, because he had forcefully denied his belonging to the Communist Party.

Montand's commitment went on and when his lease at the Henry Miller Theater ended, he played at the Longacre.

During their stay, the Millers and the Montands saw one another very often.

The Montands remained in New York enough time to register Simone Signoret's daughter, Catherine, at the French high school in New York City.

Then, leaving Catherine in New York, under the care of friends, the Montands flew to Canada for a commitment there, then to California.

Marilyn suggested to the Fox the name of Montand for "Let's Make Love" and the studio agreed.

 
On January 16, 1960, they held a press conference to announce the beginning of the shooting. 

with Marilyn and Arthur Miller 

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with Marilyn, Miller and Simone Signoret 

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with Marilyn and Simone Signoret 

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with Marilyn and Milton Berle 

                

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with Marilyn

at the table 

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cocktail-party 

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picture session

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with George Cukor  

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with Frankie Vaughan 

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with Dorothy Kilgallen

        

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Marilyn and the reporters

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leaving

                 

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dinner

Shooting

Marilyn's birthday 

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black leotard
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white blouse

        

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raincoat

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bathrobe

                 

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white pull

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black suit    

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with Gene Kelly and Marilyn 

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Publicity pictures

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The couples Signoret-Montand and Marilyn-Miller moved in close bungalows at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Dinner 

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In the kitchen

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Marilyn clearing the table away

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Marilyn with a record of Montand 

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Other pictures

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In the dressing-room at the Fox 

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Show Josephine Baker at the Hartford Theater in Hollywood, April 1960

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At the premiere of "The Apartment" of Billy Wilder, on June 21, 1960

 
End of April 1960 professional duties separated Montand and his wife.

According to Yves Montand, he worried about Marilyn's health, unwell, who had spent the day in bed; he visited her and bent down to kiss her good night; it was at this moment she kissed him and that their love affair began.

It's not very likely that they kept seeing each other, after Montand had given an interview to Hedda Hopper, on September 1, 1960, in which he said about Marilyn that "she is a charming child, a simple girl, without any nastiness".
 

His career went on in Europe with the greatest directors  : Carné with "Gates of the Night" (1946), Clouzot with "The Wages of Fear" (1953); he was also directed by Costa-Gavras, Clément, Melville, Godard, Sautet, Resnais, Minnelli, Rappeneau, Corneau, Losey, Verneuil, Demy and Berry " Jean de Florette" and "Manon of the Spring" (1986).

Bibliography 

"Nostalgia Isn't What It Used To Be", Simone Signoret, Paris, Seuil Publishers, 1976.

"You See I Haven't Forgotten", Hervé Hamon et Patrick Rotman, Paris, Seuil-Fayard Publishers, 1990.

Website

Wikipedia

 

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