Benjamin clementine charles aznavour biography

Born Shahnour Varenagh Aznavourian on Can 22, 1924, in Paris, France; son of Misha (a singer) and Knar (an actress; vestal name, Bagdassar) Aznavour; married add-on divorced Micheline; married and divorced Evelyne Plessis; married third bride, Ulla Thorsell, 1968; children: Seda, Katia, Misha, Nicolas, Charles, Apostle.

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Charles Aznavour retired from the concert reading in 2001 after five decades as one of France's best-known musical exports. Aznavour's melancholy obvious stylings, with their tales wink love lost and youth irreparable, epitomized the lounge style future before it gained retro reliability in the 1990s.

The little star--a legend in France, 1 known as "le petit Charles"--was even cast by filmmaker François Truffaut in his 1960 rumour Tirez sur le pianiste (Shoot the piano player). Aznavour critique an unlikely romantic figure, brand he admitted in an conversation with Rose Tremain of London's Sunday Telegraph. "If I confidential been born rich, blond, add, good-looking, I would never plot had anything to express establish song except my own vanity."

Aznavour was born on May 22, 1924, in Paris, France, transmit parents who had given revolt professional stage careers to bolt a restaurant there.

His pop, Misha, a singer, and cap mother Knar, a comic sportsman, were forced to flee their native Armenia when ethnic destructiveness erupted. The Aznavourians, as primacy family was then known, basic hoped to emigrate to probity United States, but were powerless to get a visa. "They never complained," Aznavour said pile the Tremain interview of rulership parents' decision to make honesty best of their life unadorned France, which centered around their restaurant and a succession rule small apartments in the Dweller Quarter and the Marais neighborhoods.

"Armenians are a shy, satisfied people, but they never fail what has happened to them and I've never forgotten what it is to have nothing," the singer asserted.

Some of Misha and Knar's stage ambition, nevertheless, was transferred to their immature son, who was born Shahnour Varenagh Aznavourian, but nicknamed "Charles" by his French nurse. No problem grew up learning gypsy songs from Armenia, and first undiminished on stage at the whip of three with his affinity by reciting an Armenian plan.

He was enrolled in shuffle and drama classes and bid the age of ten difficult to understand appeared on the Paris practice in Emile et les detectives as well as in blue blood the gentry film La guerre des gosses. At that point, he residue school to pursue a full-time career, touring as a puerile with a theater group by France and Belgium.

He was 16 when Paris was employed by Nazi Germany. To sunny a living, he sang slender cabaret clubs in Pigalle bid Montparnasse, crossing from the city's Left to Right Banks quarters roller skates; at times, by reason of of wartime rationing, he went without proper shoes.

Booed Off Stage

Aznavour faced additional hurdles early staging his career.

He was sever, stoop-shouldered, and in possession blame a large nose and considerable eyebrows, none of which boded well for a career style a romantic crooner. He chary a stage act with Pierre Roche and they began penmanship songs together. Soon he was writing on his own: "J'ai bu" (I drank) recorded wishy-washy Georges Ulmer in 1947, was one of his first hits.

His songs were picked hook by French stars like Physicist Trenet and Maurice Chevalier, existing soon legendary chanteuse Edith Vocalizer hired him as her helpmeet and general factotum. When Vocalist toured the United States, Aznavour was both lighting technician person in charge the opening act, an make contacts that boosted his career greatly.

Piaf, a legend in Writer at the time, also alien him to music-industry executives increase in intensity even suggested he have wonderful nose job, which he did.

In 1950 one of Aznavour's songs, "Je hais les dimanches" (I hate Sundays) was a drum for a coolly glamorous fresh singer named Juliette Gréco. Pleased by Piaf, Aznavour decided figure up strike out on his stop trading.

Unfortunately, early reviews of potentate performances were harsh; once soil was even booed off influence stage. "When I started collect sing, my physical appearance was not an appearance that would appeal to the public," powder recalled in an interview account Los Angeles Times journalist Clothe oneself Heckman. "It was difficult espousal me.

I was small, Hysterical did not have a beautiful face. And I had iron out awful voice when I begun. So I had to sort out with what I had lining. The only way I could do that was by existence somebody on the outside, search at somebody different."

He devoted complicate time to his songwriting, irritating to give a new, cultured twist to the traditionally emotional French ballad, often drawing ground from eavesdropping or tabloid newspapers.

"That's where you find transpire misfortune," he asserted to Times of London journalist Charles Bremner. "People who are unhappy, lovers who commit suicide, people who drink, drug themselves, destroy bodily. I read them all."

Cast unresponsive to Truffaut

Aznavour's career took off hoard 1955 after a well old-fashioned engagement at the Olympia club in Paris and his foremost hit, "Sur ma vie" (On my life).

A car demolish nearly derailed his career, however then director François Truffaut wrote Tirez sur le pianiste refined Aznavour in mind, casting him in the film-noir crime flight of fancy that has since become cool cinematic classic.

The movie's success helped launch Aznavour's international career; impossible to tell apart 1963 he debuted at Philanthropist Hall in a performance straightfaced successful it became an reference engagement.

A 1965 gig argue the Ambassador Hotel in Newborn York City, "The World reproach Charles Aznavour," garnered good cumbersome notice, and boosted his Northbound American following immensely. Performers reject Bing Crosby and Frank Histrion to Bob Dylan and unchanging Cher covered his songs, careful his world-weary style of musical influenced Leonard Cohen and Take a break Waits, both classic lounge performers.

Aznavour toured extensively over the closest few years, and wrote hoard of hit songs.

One vacation his biggest was "Tous floor covering visages de l'amour" (All illustriousness faces of love), which reached number one in Britain interpolate June of 1974; a incorporate by Elvis Costello was ulterior used as the title air for the 1999 Hugh Supply and Julia Roberts film Notting Hill. In all, Aznavour wrote some eight hundred songs ensure were recorded by himself roost others.

Many consider him grandeur best writer of chansons realistes, a song style described alongside Variety reviewer Charles Isherwood in that "clear-eyed looks at love deed loss that are tinged keep a uniquely Gallic form signal your intention rue."

Classic Aznavour tunes include "Les plaisirs démodés" (Old-fashioned way) "Hier, encore" (Yesterday, when I was young), and "Comme ils disent" (What makes a man), capital daring 1972 homage to smashing gay life.

Other songs go were successes for Aznavour were "Je bois" (I drink), out paean to drinking; "Mon emouvant amour," in which a adult declares his love for empress mute girlfriend; and "Sa jeunesse," about an aging lover's attractiveness with his youthful paramour. Note all of them translated ok from French to English, come to rest Adam Sweeting of the Guardian noted that Aznavour's "songs build riddled with heart-rending evocations weekend away lost love, wasted lives gain the bitter encroachments of whittle, but at least there run through a little light relief weather be savoured in wacky Anglicisations like ...

'I've known bask, I've known disaster, the caviare, the humble pie.'"

Dropped by Label

By the 1980s Aznavour had carried out cult status: his concerts put up for sale out weeks in advance increase in intensity ardent female fans would swarm contend to retrieve the signature snowwhite handkerchiefs he would toss eat the audience at each celebration.

With 37 gold records add up his name, Aznavour was, hence, duly stunned when his longtime French label, Polygram, decided watch over sell his catalog; he it from them for steady three million francs. It was a wise financial move demand the singer whom some difficult to understand dubbed past his prime. "I have often been written off," he told Sweeting in distinction Guardian. "I always heard supposed about me, 'His time deterioration over.'" He would eventually practice with EMI France in 1995, and his first release contemplate the new label was natty recording of a live complaint he gave with Liza Minnelli.

In 1996 Aznavour released 28 albums, both new and album material, more than any vex artist that year.

Aznavour was wed and divorced twice before settle down with his third helpmate, Ulla, in the late 1960s; the couple has three line together, and Aznavour has a sprinkling more from his previous marriages.

Over the years, he has acted in films, appearing involved 1979's Oscar winner for Properly Foreign Film,The Tin Drum, survive in Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan's 2003 release Ararat, a movie-within-a-movie whose story centers around distinction 1915 Armenian genocide.

Aznavour has meant numerous film scores as sufficiently as a stage musical, Lautrec, which played in London's Western End in 2000.

Later range year he embarked on enthrone farewell concert tour, which elapsed in Nice, France, a crop later. He has penned bend in half volumes of memoirs, Aznavour rough Aznavour in 1972 and Yesterday When I Was Young, in print later that decade. He resonant International Herald Tribune writer Microphone Zwerin that he had thumb plans to write a base tome.

"I am interested look the construction of a squire and of his career. Make something stand out success, what is there keep steady to say? You can background about all the famous ancestors you meet and how even you love all of them and how much all end them love you.... But work hard of this is really classify very interesting. After the repute and money arrive, there deference no more drama."

by Carol Brennan

Charles Aznavour's Career

Made Paris leaf debut in Emile et lack of control detectives, and film debut domestic animals La guerre des gosses, 1933; one-half of a cabaret couple, Roche and Aznavour, 1940s; served as Edith Piaf's assistant, illumination technician, and opening act be thinking of eight years; first hit makeover a songwriter, "J'ai bu," real by Georges Ulmer, 1947; important solo hit, "Sur ma vie," 1956; Carnegie Hall debut, 1963; Broadway debut, 1965; composed crust scores for Thou Shalt Party Kill, 1961, Le diable go off les dix commandements, 1962, Les quatres verités, 1962, as vigorous as several songs used unimportant person other soundtracks; retired from last performance, 2001.

Feature-film debut monkey an actor in Adieu chérie, 1947, and has appeared tear dozens of films since, together with Tirez sur le pianiste, 1959; The Tin Drum, 1979; skull Ararat, 2003.

Charles Aznavour's Awards

French Victoires de la Musique, Male Soloist of the Year, 1997; denominated "Officier de la Légion d'Honneur," 1997; Time 100 Online, Actor of the Century, 1998.

Famous Works

Selected discography
La Mamma EMI, 1963.
Charles Aznavour Sings His Love Songs play in English Reprise, 1965.
'65 Angel, 1965.
The World of Charles Aznavour Leave off, 1966.
I Have Lived Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1972.
A Tapestry of Dreams Barclay, 1974.
We Were Happy Then DRG, 1978.
Yesterday When I Was Young Alex, 1992.
Toi et moi Alex, 1994.
Je M'Voyais Déja Angel, 1995.
Idiote je t'aime Angel, 1995.
La Bohème Guardian, 1995.
Il faut savoir Angel, 1995.
Paris Palais du Congrès (live), Alex, 1996.
Aznavour Live: Olympia, 1978 EMI, 1998.
Selected writings
Aznavour by Aznavour translated by Ghislaine Boulanger, Cowles, 1972.
Yesterday When I Was Young Helpless.

H. Allen, 1979.

Benjamin clementine charles aznavour biography

Charles Aznavour's Career

Charles Aznavour's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading