Profile
Gilbert Bécaud
Singer + Actor + Composer
Male
Born
Oct 24, 1927
Hometown
Toulon
Died
Dec 18, 2001
Gilbert Bécaud was a French singer, composer and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-known hits are "Nathalie" and "Et Maintenant", a 1961 release that became an English language hit as "What Now My Love".… Read More
News + Updates
Browse recent news and stories about Gilbert Bécaud.
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Sur Le Divan Avec Gregory Charles CyberpresseGoogle News - Aug 27, 2011
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Marché Provençal D'antibes Juan Les Pins Via FranceGoogle News - Aug 26, 2011
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Teatro Romano, In Bianco E Nero Ma La «vita è In Rosa» L'arenaGoogle News - Aug 25, 2011
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Being Serge Gainsbourg The Jewish WeekGoogle News - Aug 24, 2011
Timeline
Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Gilbert Bécaud.
CHILDHOOD
1927
Birth
Born on October 24, 1927.
TEENAGE
1942
14 Years Old
Born François Silly in Toulon, Bécaud learned to play the piano at a young age, and then went to the Conservatoire de Nice. In 1942, he left school to join the French Resistance during World War II.
TWENTIES
1948
20 Years Old
He began songwriting in 1948, after meeting Maurice Vidalin, who inspired him to write his early compositions.
1950
22 Years Old
He began writing for Marie Bizet; Bizet, Bécaud and Vidalin became a successful trio, and their partnership lasted until 1950.
1953
25 Years Old
While touring with Jacques Pills as a pianist, Bécaud met Édith Piaf, the wife of Jacques Pills at the time. He began singing at her suggestion in 1953, with "Mes Mains" and "Les Croix".
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1954
26 Years Old
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He debuted there in 1954 and headlined in 1955, attracting 6,000 on his first night, three times the capacity.
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1956
28 Years Old
He began acting in the same period, starting with 1956's Le Pays D'où Je Viens.
THIRTIES
1960
32 Years Old
In 1960, he won a Grand Prix du Disque and composed L'enfant à L'étoile, a Christmas cantata.
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1961
33 Years Old
In 1961, Bécaud wrote and recorded Et Maintenant, one of the biggest selling singles in French history.
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1967
39 Years Old
His song "Seul sur son Etoile" became "It Must Be Him" (with English lyrics by Mack David), a hit in 1967 for the US singer, Vikki Carr, and the following year another Bécaud song, L'Important c'est la Rose was given an English lyric (by Norman Newell) and became a hit for the UK singer, Vince Hill under the title "Importance of Your Love".
FORTIES
1968
40 Years Old
On 19 June 1968 the American Broadcasting Company aired a half-hour color special starring Bécaud that had been taped in Saarbrücken.
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1971
43 Years Old
An example was his live performance at the festival The Golden Orpheus on June 1971 in socialistic Bulgaria.
1973
45 Years Old
He followed this with some acting work and at last finally took time off in 1973, citing exhaustion.
FIFTIES
1982
54 Years Old
In 1982, he recorded the duet "L'amour est Mort" with Québécoise singer Martine St. Clair at the start of her career.
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LATE ADULTHOOD
2001
74 Years Old
In December 2001 he died from cancer, aged 74, on his houseboat on the Seine and was interred in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.
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Original Authors of this text are noted on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_Bécaud.
Text is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
Text is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.