Coluche - Iconic portraits, 1981

Arnaud Baumann   Famous Artists

Founder of Restos du cœur, comedian and humorist, Coluche was born in Paris on October 28, 1944.

After obtaining his school-leaving certificate, Michel Gérard Joseph Colucci took the pseudonym Coluche and set up Le Café de la gare with friends. He went on to form the troupe Au vrai chic parisien. In 1974, Coluche donned the overalls that quickly made him famous, and took to the stage to perform his first one-man show. Numerous sketches soon became popular, such as C'est l'histoire d'un mec. As success came, so did love. The comedian married Véronique Kantor in 1975. But the couple divorced a few years later, in 1981. After the stage, Coluche tried his hand at cinema. He starred alongside Louis de Funès in L'Aile ou la Cuisse, then in Tchao Pantin! for which he was awarded the César for Best Actor in 1984.

As well as his passion for comedy, Coluche was also a great motorcycle fan. In 1985, he broke the world speed record on a circuit in Italy. That same year, he set up Restos du cœur, a foundation dedicated to the underprivileged.

On June 19, 1986, the actor tragically lost his life in a motorcycle accident in Opio in the Alpes-Maritimes.

Coluche had two sons, Romain (1972) and Marius (1976), from his marriage with Véronique.