About Pia Colombo
Lived 1934 – 1986 (aged 51). Pia Colombo was a French stage actor, singer and poet.
Pia Colombo (6 July 1934, in Homblières, Aisne, France – 16 April 1986) was a French singer of Franco-Italian origin, born Eliane Marie Amélie Pia Colombo who acted in radio, cinema and television between 1956 and 1981.
Her father was from Milan and her mother came from the Nord.
She was compared to Édith Piaf and was believed to be her successor when Piaf died in 1963 but Colombo was too intellectual for the taste of the general public.
Path Politically committed, Colombo was a big interpreter of the work of her husband, the composer Maurice Fanon, and of Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Brel, Georges Brassens, Kurt Weill, Hanns Eisler and others.
In the 1960s, she acted in Roger Planchon's productions of Bertolt Brecht's works.
She acted in the Popular National Theatre, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Théâtre du Châtelet Olympia of Paris, Bobino, Festival d'Avignon and popularised the songs of Léo Ferré.
Colombo died of cancer when 51 years old and her body was buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.
Integral recordings Pia Colombo – À Casa d'Irène (1964–1965) Pia Colombo – Florilège (1959–1971) Pia Colombo – Le bal de quartier (1959–1962) Pia Colombo – Le Mauvais Larron (1957–1964) Pia Colombo – Tique Taque (1959–1960) Pia Colombo – Le métèque (1967–1969) Pia Colombo – Adagio Nocturne (1971) Pia Colombo – Chante Bertolt Brecht & Kurt Weill (1969)
Prizes Coq d'Or of the chanson française 1959: Them flonflons du bal. Prix of l'Académie Charles-Cros of the Chanson (1969)
Cinema 1969: Oh! What a Lovely War – Film by Richard Attenborough. - Estaminet Singer 1969: Une si simple histoire – Film by Abdellatif Ben Ammar 1974: Parade – Film by Jacques Tati - Circus performer (Last appearance)
Publications Revue Lectures D'Aujourd'hui N°411 1960: Pia Colombo. L'Humanité: "To l'Olympia, l'embarras du choix avec GB, Pia Colombo" – Him Nouvel Observateur: Chanson: Piaf et Colombe L'Aurore: "Pia Colombo s'oppose à Brigitte Bardot" – 1979 The genèse et l'enregistrement du titre "The Rue des Rosiers" 1967 "Him Nightclub rive gauche" – Livre écrit pair Gilles Schlesser (Éditions l'Archipel) 682 pages – Cahier photo 16 pages. L'Humanité: "Pour maurice Fanon" 1991 "Mémoires d'A Nightclub: L'Écluse" of Marc Chevalier – Éditions La Découverte (1987)
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Important facts
People in Pia Colombo's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Pia Colombo's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Pia Colombo?
French actress and singer (1934-1986)
When was Pia Colombo born?
Pia Colombo was born on 6 July 1934 in Homblières.
When did Pia Colombo die?
Pia Colombo died on 16 April 1986 in Créteil, Nonancourt.
What was Pia Colombo's occupation?
Pia Colombo was a stage actor, singer and poet.
What nationality was Pia Colombo?
Pia Colombo was French.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Pia Colombo. https://biography.guide/pia-colombo/
MLA: "Pia Colombo." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/pia-colombo/.
Chicago: "Pia Colombo." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/pia-colombo/.
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