Juliette Gréco

Juliette Gréco — Biography

Juliette Gréco was born on 7 February 1927 in Montpellier. During the Second World War her family joined the Resistance; her mother was arrested in 1943, and Gréco and her sister were seized by the Gestapo and held at Fresnes prison. Her mother and sister were deported to Ravensbrück, while Gréco, then sixteen, was released after several months. Afterward she began performing around Saint-Germain-des-Prés, became known in Jean-Paul Sartre's circle, emerged as an emblem of the era's existentialists, and turned to cabaret singing in 1949.

Her repertoire drew on lyrics by Vian, Prévert, Béart, Ferré and Brel, and she is best remembered for "Paris Canaille" and for "La Javanaise" and "Déshabillez-moi," both written for her by Serge Gainsbourg. She closed a stage career of over sixty years with the 2015 farewell tour "Merci," and on screen appeared in films by directors including Cocteau and Melville. She rose to commander in the Legion of Honour. She married, in turn, actor Philippe Lemaire, actor Michel Piccoli and musician Gérard Jouannest; her daughter with Lemaire, Laurence, predeceased her. Gréco died in Ramatuelle on 23 September 2020.