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Claude François

Claude François

Acting

Biography

Claude Antoine Marie François (1 February 1939 – 11 March 1978), also known by the nickname Cloclo, was a French pop singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, drummer and dancer. François co-wrote the lyrics of "Comme d'habitude" (composed by Jacques Revaux), the original version of "My Way" and composed the music of "Parce que je t'aime mon enfant", the original version of "My Boy". Among his other famous songs are "Le Téléphone Pleure", "Le lundi au soleil", "Magnolias for Ever" and "Alexandrie Alexandra". He also enjoyed considerable success with French-language versions of English-language songs, including "Belles! Belles! Belles!" (The Everly Brothers' "Made to Love"), "Cette année là" ("December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)") and "Je vais à Rio" ("I Go to Rio"). François sold some 35 million records during his career (and after his death) and was about to embark for the United States when he was accidentally electrocuted in March 1978 at age 39. Former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing is quoted as saying Claude François was, to him, "the French equivalent of The Beatles, meaning the great talent of a generation". The son of a French father and a Calabrian mother, Claude Antoine Marie François was born in Egypt, in the city of Ismaïlia, where his father, Aimé François (1908–1961), was working as a senior manager in the Anglo-French Suez canal company on the Suez Canal. In 1951, the job took the family to the city of Port Tewfik (now Suez Port). Claude had an older sister, Josette (born 1934), who wrote her memoirs in 2008. François' mother, Lucia Mazzeï (1910–1992) was very musical and had her son take piano and violin lessons. On his own, the boy learned to play the drums. As a result of the 1956 Suez Crisis, the family returned to live in Monaco. The family's expulsion from Egypt was traumatic. They struggled financially after François' father fell ill and could not work. François found a job as a bank clerk and at night earned extra money playing drums with an orchestra at the luxury hotels along the French Riviera. With a good singing voice, he was offered a chance to sing at a hotel in the fashionable Mediterranean resort town of Juan-les-Pins. His show was well received, and he began to perform at the nightclubs along the Côte d'Azur, including the Monte-Carlo Sporting, where in 1959, he met Janet Woollacott; they wed in 1960. François moved to Paris, where there were many more opportunities to pursue his career. At the time, American rock and roll was taking hold in France and he took a job as part of a singing group to make a living. With the goal of eventually making it as a solo act, he paid the cost to record a 45rpm. Trying to capitalise on the American dance craze "The Twist", he recorded a song titled "Nabout Twist" that proved a resounding failure. Undaunted, in 1962 he recorded a cover version in French of an Everly Brothers song, "Made to Love", aka "Girls, Girls, Girls", under the name "Belles! Belles! Belles!". ... Source: Article "Claude François" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Known For

Champs-Elysées
6.8

No description available.

Champs-Elysées

1982
Midi Première
9.0

Midi Première is a French variety show presented by Danièle Gilbert, directed by Jacques Pierre and broadcast from January 6, 1975 until January 1, 1982 on TF1. The program was generally broadcast between 12:15 p.m. and 12:55 p.m., then giving way to the 1:00 p.m. TV news. However, the broadcast schedule could change, depending on the guests, and the setting where the recording of the program was shot. Certain performances by artists who have become cult like the one where Ringo jostles with a demonstrator in interpretation (1977), that of Dalida with the title There is always a song with the soundtrack that does not start, twice, at the right speed (1978), Claude François and his Clodettes, who, in the provinces, are unable to join "the set" in order to interpret his song, the latter being taken by the crowd of delirious fans (summer 1977) . The group Supertramp performed there with the title "Dreamer" on March 8, 1975.

Midi Première

1975
Sacrée soirée
5.7

No description available.

Sacrée soirée

1987
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
6.0

A talk show presented by Michel Drucker

Les Rendez-vous du dimanche

1975
Numéro un
7.5

A French variety show.

Numéro un

1975
No image
6.0

No description available.

Midi trente

1972
Fan School
7.2

Host Jacques Martin invites different talented children from various backgrounds to showcase their beautiful voices. The participants entertain and wow the audience with their lovely performances.

Fan School

1977
No image
6.0

No description available.

Samedi soir

1971
No image
N/A

No description available.

Système 2

1975
Dim Dam Dom
8.0

No description available.

Dim Dam Dom

1965
Cadet Rousselle
N/A

No description available.

Cadet Rousselle

1971
No image
N/A

No description available.

Night-Club

1968
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
7.2

In May 1974, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing became President of the Republic and wanted to bring about a new era of modernity. One of his first decisions was to break up the ORTF with the creation of three new television channels: TF1, Antenne 2 and FR3. Three new public channels but autonomous and competing. It is a race for the audience which is engaged then, and from now on the channels will make the war! This competition will give birth to a real golden age for television programs, with variety shows in the forefront. The stars of the song are going to invade the living rooms of the French for their biggest pleasure. This unedited documentary tells the story of the metamorphosis of this television of the early 1970s, between freedom of tone, scandals, political intrigues and programs that have become mythical.

La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président

2022
Archives secrètes
N/A

No description available.

Archives secrètes

2021
Si Perrault m'était conté
8.5

No description available.

Si Perrault m'était conté

1966
50 ans de Numéro Un - Les Carpentier
N/A

No description available.

50 ans de Numéro Un - Les Carpentier

2025
Sheila, toutes ces vies-là
7.5

The portrait of a woman who remembers. Sheila tells the story of Sheila, without concessions or evasions. Her childhood, her parents, her beginnings, the rumors, her love affairs, her marriage, her son, her successes, her farewells, her return, her mourning. The journey of an extraordinary popular icon who never stopped fighting. The courage of an artist who never gives up. "Sheila, toutes ces vies-là" is also a journey through time. 60 years of pop music, punctuated by numerous archives, personal films, timeless hits and illustrations by Marc-Antoine Coulon. But also 60 years of fashion, through a legendary wardrobe (her TV show outfits) that Sheila invites us to rediscover.

Sheila, toutes ces vies-là

2022
Claude François comme vous ne l'avez jamais vu
N/A

Three years of research and perseverance enabled the filmmakers to uncover exceptional and completely unseen archive footage of our father in concert. More than 40 years later, it was beyond our wildest dreams! Far from the formulaic image of “Cloclo” on television, we suddenly see a different artist, a showman, an extraordinary dancer giving his heart and soul, sweating, his eyes filled with his music. We realize that at least two generations are unaware of his true artistic dimension. Through these audiovisual treasures, he alone tells us about his career, his influences, and shares his passion for music and his craft. If we had to show our children just one documentary about our father, it would be this one!

Claude François comme vous ne l'avez jamais vu

2024
Ça c'est Claude François
N/A

Claude François, his claudettes, Maurice Ribaud, France Gall... Such is the five-star cast of this original show directed by Jean Christophe Averty. A sort of musical self-portrait, the program looks back on the singer's career. A true showman, he gives a spectacular demonstration of the dances in vogue: twist, madison, hoolie goolie...

Ça c'est Claude François

1967
Claude François, Les Secrets Inavouables
N/A

A true idol of the 1970s throughout the French-speaking world and beyond, Cloclo had one weakness: his relationship with his fans! Most of them were teenage girls who would push him over the edge. After more than a year of investigation into an opaque world bound by a strict code of silence, and following on from a previous report, the makers of this documentary reveal the hidden side of Claude François.

Claude François, Les Secrets Inavouables

2021