Renaud Biography

MARITAL STATUS
Professions Composer , Actor , Performer (songs from the film)
Birth name Renaud Sechan
Nationality French
Birth May 11, 1952 (Paris)

BIOGRAPHY
Renaud is one of the best-known and most popular singers in France. Its committed and critical texts towards society have been its strength for more than thirty years. Using slang extensively, this nice guy was able to make himself appreciated by the public by paying tribute to certain big names, by denouncing racism, whatever its form, or by publicly stating his disgust towards certain organizations. , such as that of the Paris-Dakar rally.

Renaud was born in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, to a worker mother and a father who was a German professor and author of detective novels. Rocked by the music of Georges Brassens , Maurice Chevalier and Edith Piaf since his birth, Renaud decided to learn to play the guitar during his adolescence. Participating very actively in the student demonstrations of May 68, he took the opportunity to skip classes, preferring to flirt with girls, write poems and stroll through the paths of the Luxembourg Gardens.

In 1969, Renaud ended his studies, moved into a maid’s room, and worked odd jobs. Alternately a storekeeper then a salesman at Librairie 73 on Boulevard Saint-Michel, he spends his free time reading Boris Vian , Maupassant and Zola … He also sometimes covers songs by Hugues Aufray or Bob Dylan in public for impress the gallery. After a few months, he frequented the “loulous” gangs of Argenteuil, République and Bastille. Like them, he starts wearing a leather jacket, gets into fights, and gets dragged into small heists without going any further. As he himself will say, Renaud almost fell into delinquency and would never have broken through if he had not met Patrick Dewaere , because it is at his side that his honeymoon with the public will begin.

It all began in 1955. Renaud saw his film career begin very early. He was only three years old when Edmond Séchan , his uncle, brought him, with his twin brother, to the set of a short film by Albert Lamorisse entitled Le Ballon rouge . Renaud and his brother play simple extras. The film won the Palme d’Or for short film at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival as well as the Oscar for best original screenplay. The actor-turned-singer would later define this experience as his first childhood memory.

Renaud then imagines his future in front of the cameras. At the beginning of the 70s, he met Patrick Dewaere: the latter opens the doors of the famous Café de la Gare in Paris. He frequented some key personalities there, such as Miou-Miou , Henri Guybet , Coluche and Romain Bouteille . He also managed to land a few small roles in TV films or series while waiting for his first major role. And yet… Renaud will gradually abandon his status as an actor to take a closer interest in writing and, above all, in singing. He refused several cinematographic offers and immersed himself in music. A profitable shift since today, his musical work is summed up in 23 albums, sold 20 million copies.

At the beginning of the 1980s, Renaud performed the title song of Viens chez moi, j’habite chez une famille by Patrice Leconte , before appearing in She sees dwarves everywhere! . We also owe him the composition of the main theme of the film Marche à l’ombre by Michel Blanc , a big box office success in 1984. 1993 was the year of consecration. We had to wait eleven years to see it again on the big screen. Claude Berri gave him the role of Etienne Lantier in Germinal , a character in the eponymous novel by Emile Zola . After two years of reflection, Renaud, who would have preferred to make only a small appearance, believing that he did not have broad enough shoulders for this title role, finally accepted the filmmaker’s proposal. Impressively accurate, Renaud delivers one of the most beautiful interpretations of French cinema alongside Gérard Depardieu , Miou-Miou and Jean Carmet .

The years that followed were not happy for Renaud. Suffering from deep malaise for several years and affected by the deaths of several of his friends ( Patrick Dewaere , Coluche , Pierre Desproges , Serge Gainsbourg , Jean Carmet …), alcohol and cigarettes fuel his daily life. . A dark period began, seven years long, tinged with nostalgia for the singer-actor who disappeared from circulation.

Encouraged by his musician friends, he was reborn in the musical field in 2001 with a new album, which met with great success, and even found his way back to film sets in 2003 for Wanted by Brad Mirman , where he once again played the role. to his partner in Germinal , Gérard Depardieu , but also to his friendJohnny Hallyday as well as Richard Bohringer and Harvey Keitel .

Since 2008, Renaud has been more discreet on the media scene. He who had tried to stay sober seems to have reconnected with his old demons. His rare public appearances show him to be particularly marked and exhausted.

He pulled himself together again in 2015 and released a new album the following year, simply titled “Renault” , which sold very well. The album once again testifies to his commitments (it notably evokes the attack against Charlie Hebdo) and includes now famous titles such as “Toujours Debout” , “J’ai Kisse un Cop” , “Les Mots” and “Héloïse ” . In 2017, he played his own role in Stars 80, the sequel , but the film did not achieve the same success as the first part.

Kevin Poujoulat