Jean-Paul Vignon | |
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| Born | January 30, 1935 Dire-Dawa, Ethiopia |
| Died | March 22, 2024 (aged 89) Beverly Hills, CA |
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| Children | 2, including Marguerite Vignon Gaul and Lucy Brank |
Jean-Paul Vignon (b. Jan. 30, 1935-d. March 22, 2024) was a French-American actor and singer.
Vignon was born to a French father and Italian mother [1] in Dire-Dawa, Ethiopia and was raised in Djibouti, Africa [1] as well as Avignon, France. [2] He briefly studied medicine in Marseille and law at Sorbonne University in Paris. However, he dropped those ventures in pursuit of music. [3] In his early 20s he earned a prestigious cabaret job, per the recommendation of Jacques Brel, that launched his entertainment career. [3]
Performing in a Parisian cabaret led to starring roles in the French films Les Promesses Dangereuses and Asphalte. [2] He also signed to the French music label Disques Vogue, opening for Edith Piaf. [4] When a side-career in the military was not met with success, Vignon moved to the United States where he got his start at New York's Blue Angel nightclub, opening for Woody Allen. [3] [4] Next, he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show eight times, [3] duetting with Liza Minnelli during one of these occasions, from which point he became a regular on The Merv Griffin Show and The Johnny Carson Show . In 1964, he recorded Because I Love You, his U.S. debut album on Columbia Records. In 1967, he made his U.S. film debut in The Devil's Brigade , opposite William Holden and Cliff Robertson. [3] He also appeared in Columbo , Days of Our Lives , The Young and the Restless , The Bold and the Beautiful , The Rockford Files , The French Atlantic Affair , Crazy Like a Fox , Falcon Crest , L.A. Law , Dallas , Murder She Wrote , and Star Trek: The Next Generation . [1]
Later, Vignon appeared on The Gilmore Girls and tried hosting a Canadian television show called The Sensuous Man. He voiced one of Robin Hood’s Merry Men in Shrek , and also provided his voice for a dream sequence in 500 Days of Summer [4] and the French short Le Jeu des Soldats. [1] Other pursuits included founding Côte d’Azur Productions, a lip-sync dubbing company. [4]
Vignon also lent his vocals to recordings by disco group Saint Tropez during the late 1970s. [5]
Vignon died of liver cancer at age 89 in Beverly Hills, CA. [2]