Ivo Livi (13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), better known as Yves Montand, was an Italian-born French actor and singer. He is said to be one of France's greatest 20th-century artists. Montand was born Ivo Livi in Stignano, a small village in the hills of Monsummano Terme, Italy, to Giovanni Livi, a broom manufacturer. Montand's mother Giuseppina Simoni was a devout Catholic. The family left Italy for France in 1923 following fascist Benito Mussolini's rise to power. He grew up in Marseille, where, as a young man, he worked in his sister's beauty salon (Salon de Coiffure), as well as later on the docks. He began a career in show business as a music-hall singer. In 1944, he was discovered by Édith Piaf in Paris; she made him part of her act. Montand achieved international recognition as a singer and actor, starring in many films. He is recognised for crooner style songs, with those about Paris becoming instant classics. He was one of the best known performers at Bruno Coquatrix's Paris Olympia music hall, and toured with musicians including Didi Duprat. In October 1947, he sang "Mais qu'est-ce que j'ai?" (music by Henri Betti and lyrics by Édith Piaf) at the Théâtre de l'Étoile. Betti also asked him to sing "C'est si bon" but Montand refused. Following the success of the recording of this song by the Sœurs Étienne in 1948, he decided to record it. Montand was also very popular in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, where he did a concert tour in 1956-57. During his career, Montand acted in American motion pictures as well as on Broadway. He was nominated for a César Award for Best Actor in 1980 for I comme Icare and again in 1984 for Garçon! In 1986, after his international box-office draw power had fallen off considerably, the 65-year-old Montand gave one of his best remembered performances, as the scheming uncle in Jean de Florette, co-starring Gérard Depardieu, and Manon des Sources (both 1986), co-starring Emmanuelle Béart. The film was a worldwide critical hit and revived Montand's profile in the United States, where he made an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. In 1951, he married Simone Signoret, and they co-starred in several films throughout their careers. The marriage was, by all accounts, fairly harmonious, lasting until her death in 1985, although Montand had a number of well-publicised affairs, notably with American actress Marilyn Monroe, with whom he starred in one of her final films, Let's Make Love. He was the stepfather to Signoret's daughter from her previous marriage, Catherine Allégret. Montand's only child, a son named Valentin, by his second wife, Carole Amiel (b. 1960), was born in 1988. In a paternity suit that caused commotion across France, another woman accused Montand of being the father of her daughter and went to court to obtain a DNA sample from him. Montand refused, but the woman persisted even after his death. In a court ruling that made international headlines, the woman won the right to have Montand exhumed and a sample taken. The results indicated that he was not the girl's biological father. He supported left-wing causes during the 1950s and 1960s, and attended Communist festivals and meetings. ... Source: Article "Yves Montand" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
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Biography from TMDB.
- October 13, 1921
- November 9, 1991 (aged 70)
- Monsummano Terme, Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy
- Actor, also producer
- 39 on MovieCove · 71 credits in all
What are Yves Montand's films like?
Across their 32 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 2 · Wry 2 · Earnest 27
A split, not a type: Light 10 · Serious 5 · Dark 17
A split, not a type: Grounded 13 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 8
Gentle 7 · Charged 13 · Intense 12
Steady 22 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 1
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 19 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 4
Slow burn 19 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 1
Casual 9 · Engaged 15 · Full focus 8
A split, not a type: Easy watch 10 · Affecting 8 · Heavy 14
A split, not a type: Resolved 19 · Open-ended 9 · Ambiguous 4
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 16 of 29 analyzed roles.
Show the 29 rolesHide the roles
- Heroas Mario Livi in The Wages of Fear (1953)
- Shadowas M. Léon in Marguerite de la nuit (1955)
- Heroas John Proctor in The Crucible (1957)
- Heroas Jean-Marc Clément / 'Alex' Dumas in Let's Make Love (1960)
- Shadowas Roger Demarest in Goodbye Again (1961)
- Threshold guardianas Paul Robaix in My Geisha (1962)
- Heroas Diego Mora in The War Is Over (1966)
- Heroas Robert Colomb in Live for Life (1967)
- Heroas Cesar in The Devil by the Tail (1969)
- Heroas Gérard in The Confession (1970)
- Allyas Jansen in The Red Circle (1970)
- Mentoras Dr. Marc Chabot in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)
- Heroas Blaze in Delusions of Grandeur (1971)
- Shapeshifteras César in Cesar & Rosalie (1972)
- Shapeshifteras Jacques in All's Well (1972)
- Shadowas Philip Michael Santore in State of Siege (1972)
- Heroas Vincent in Vincent, François, Paul and the Others (1974)
- Heroas Martin in Le sauvage (1975)
- Heroas Marc Ferrot in Police Python 357 (1976)
- Heroas Henri Savin in La Menace (1977)
- Tricksteras Henri Savin in La Menace (1977)
- Shadowas Jean Larréa in Roads to the South (1978)
- Heroas Michel Follin in Womanlight (1979)
- Heroas Le procureur Henri Volney in I... For Icarus (1979)
- Heroas Noel Durieux in Choice of Arms (1981)
- Shadowas Cesar Soubeyran dit 'Le Papet' in Jean de Florette (1986)
- Shadowas Cesar Soubeyran in Manon of the Spring (1986)
- Heroas Yves Montand in Three Seats for the 26th (1988)
- Mentoras Leon Marcel in IP5: The Island of Pachyderms (1992)
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet16
- Tragic6
- Ambiguous6
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Yves Montand's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 39 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (6).
Subscription and free streaming for Yves Montand's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
71 credits, 39 with a MovieCove page; 55 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Romy, A Free Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Marilyn, a woman of today (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Morceaux de Cannes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Marilyn Monroe: In The Movies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Hollywood Invasion(2011)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Netchayev is Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Three Seats for the 26th(1988)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Manon of the Spring(1986)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Jean de Florette(1986)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Waiter! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
All Fired Up(1982)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Choice of Arms(1981)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
I... For Icarus(1979)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Womanlight(1979)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Roads to the South(1978)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
A Grin Without a Cat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
La Menace(1977)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
The Big Operator (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Police Python 357(1976)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
A Butterfly in the Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Le sauvage(1975)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Special Section(1975)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Chance and Violence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
The Son (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
State of Siege(1972)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Cesar & Rosalie(1972)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
All's Well(1972)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Delusions of Grandeur(1971)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
The Red Circle(1970)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
The Confession(1970)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Z(1969)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
The Devil by the Tail(1969)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Mr. Freedom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
One Night... a Train (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Live for Life(1967)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Grand Prix(1966)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Is Paris Burning?(1966)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
The War Is Over(1966)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Rotterdam-Europoort (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
The Sleeping Car Murders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
The Lovely Month of May (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
My Geisha(1962)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Goodbye Again(1961)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Sanctuary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Let's Make Love(1960)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
The Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Premier mai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
The Wide Blue Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
The Crucible(1957)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
The Wind Rose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Men and Wolves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Django Reinhardt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Un matin comme les autres (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Marguerite de la nuit(1955)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Heroes and Sinners (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Napoleon(1955)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Air of Paris(1954)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
The Anatomy of Love(1954)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
The Wages of Fear(1953)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Parigi è sempre Parigi(1951)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
The Red Inn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Lost Souvenirs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
The Idol (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
Gates of the Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Star Without Light (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
la loi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 71 titles, 70 of them dated from 1946 to 2022; peak year 1971.
Biggest box office
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)
Highest rated
The Red Circle (1970)
Most popular right now
Let's Make Love (1960)
Film career
Peak 1971 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 10 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1946Screen debut· Gates of the Night
- 1953First top-billed film· The Wages of Fear
- 1953Breakout· The Wages of Fear
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
How do Yves Montand's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 76th percentile, the median of the 37 of 39 with a score; across their 32 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 79th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up19
- 50th to 74th13
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
None of their 37 titles divides audiences: 22 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved9
- Crowd Pleaser22
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the acting 77/100 in their films, across 30 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 47. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Yves Montand's work okay for kids?
Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, 4 of the 5 categories sit near the median of all films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Yves Montand work with?
People who share at least 2 of Yves Montand's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Costa-Gavras shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Costa-GavrasShared titles: Womanlight (1979), State of Siege (1972), The Confession (1970), Z (1969)See all 4 shared titles with Costa-Gavras
- Alain CorneauShared titles: Choice of Arms (1981), La Menace (1977), Police Python 357 (1976)See all 3 shared titles with Alain Corneau
- Claude BerriShared titles: Three Seats for the 26th (1988), Jean de Florette (1986), Manon of the Spring (1986)See all 3 shared titles with Claude Berri
- Claude SautetShared titles: Vincent, François, Paul and the Others (1974), Cesar & Rosalie (1972), The Devil by the Tail (1969)See all 3 shared titles with Claude Sautet
Writers
- Jorge SemprúnShared titles: Roads to the South (1978), The Confession (1970), Z (1969), The War Is Over (1966)See all 4 shared titles with Jorge Semprún
- Daniel BoulangerShared titles: La Menace (1977), Police Python 357 (1976), The Devil by the Tail (1969)See all 3 shared titles with Daniel Boulanger
- Jean-Loup DabadieShared titles: Le sauvage (1975), Vincent, François, Paul and the Others (1974), Cesar & Rosalie (1972)See all 3 shared titles with Jean-Loup Dabadie
- Gérard BrachShared titles: Jean de Florette (1986), Manon of the Spring (1986)See all 2 shared titles with Gérard Brach
Actors
- Gérard DepardieuShared titles: Jean de Florette (1986), Choice of Arms (1981), Vincent, François, Paul and the Others (1974)See all 3 shared titles with Gérard Depardieu
- François PérierShared titles: Police Python 357 (1976), The Red Circle (1970), Z (1969)See all 3 shared titles with François Périer
- Simone SignoretShared titles: Police Python 357 (1976), The Confession (1970), The Crucible (1957)See all 3 shared titles with Simone Signoret
- Jacques PerrinShared titles: Trintignant par Trintignant (2021), State of Siege (1972), Z (1969)See all 3 shared titles with Jacques Perrin
Composers and editors
- Françoise BonnotShared titles: Womanlight (1979), State of Siege (1972), The Confession (1970), Z (1969)See all 4 shared titles with Françoise Bonnot
- Michel LegrandShared titles: Three Seats for the 26th (1988), Roads to the South (1978), Le sauvage (1975)See all 3 shared titles with Michel Legrand
- Marie-Josèphe YoyotteShared titles: All Fired Up (1982), Police Python 357 (1976), Le sauvage (1975)See all 3 shared titles with Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte
- Philippe SardeShared titles: Choice of Arms (1981), Vincent, François, Paul and the Others (1974), Cesar & Rosalie (1972)See all 3 shared titles with Philippe Sarde
Producers
- Alain PoiréShared titles: Jean de Florette (1986), Manon of the Spring (1986), Delusions of Grandeur (1971), Marguerite de la nuit (1955)See all 4 shared titles with Alain Poiré
- Pierre GrunsteinShared titles: Jean de Florette (1986), Manon of the Spring (1986)See all 2 shared titles with Pierre Grunstein
- Raymond DanonShared titles: Le sauvage (1975), Vincent, François, Paul and the Others (1974)See all 2 shared titles with Raymond Danon
- Jacques DorfmannShared titles: All's Well (1972), The Red Circle (1970)See all 2 shared titles with Jacques Dorfmann
Mixed roles
- Claude LelouchShared titles: Trintignant par Trintignant (2021), Live for Life (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Claude Lelouch
