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French actor and vocalist Jean-Paul Vignon has died at the age of 89.
The actor, known for Shrek and 500 Days Of Summer, died on March 22 of liver cancer in Beverly Hills, his family announced.
The artist began his career in France before moving to New York, where he debuted at The Blue Angel club, opening for comedian Woody Allen.
Her star rose with appearances on Ed Sullivan’s CBS variety show, where she performed a memorable duet with a young Liza Minelli.
The actor also became a regular on Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin’s talk shows.
French actor and vocalist Jean-Paul Vignon dies at 89
The actor, known for Shrek and 500 Days of Summer, died on March 22 of liver cancer in Beverly Hills, his family announced (pictured in 1963).
Her American debut album, Because I Love You, was released in 1964 and she appeared on the big screen three years later with a role in the war film The Devil’s Brigade.
She continued her career as a singer performing in the best venues in the United States and also recorded the single You with Charlie’s Angels actress Farrah Fawcett.
In more recent years, Jean-Paul voiced one of the Merry Men in Shrek and also narrated the film 500 Days of Summer, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.
His other notable roles include Andre on Gilmore Girls and Monsieur Lazare on the soap opera Days of Our Lives.
Jean-Paul also tried his hand at hosting and fronted a Canadian television show called The Sensuous Man.
She also posed for Playgirl in 1973 where she wore a sweater previously worn by Marilyn Monroe and little else.
To add another string to his bow, his production company Côte d’Azur Productions offered French audiences translations and overdubs of American films.
In 1994, the Los Angeles Times wrote a profile of the star, saying that he “fulfilled the American image of the French romantic and singer.”
The artist began his career in France before moving to New York, where he debuted at The Blue Angel club, opening for comedian Woody Allen.
In more recent years, Jean-Paul voiced one of the Merry Men in Shrek and also narrated the film 500 Days of Summer, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.
They added: “Ironically, rather than comparing his voice to that of such renowned Gallic singers as Maurice Chevalier and Gilbert Bécaud, Vignon says he has a Bobby Darin-type voice, capable of singing fast and passionate or soft and slow.”
Jean-Paul wrote about his ambition to make it big in America in his 2018 memoir From Ethiopia to Utopia: “My adventurous spirit told me: ‘Marco Polo did not hesitate to go to China, Henry Morton Stanley did not hesitate to explore Central Africa and Finding Dr. Livingston, Christopher Columbus did not hesitate to sail west to discover America… so it’s your turn to discover the United States.’
Jean-Paul is survived by his long-time partner, Suzie Summers, and his daughter Marguerite Vignon Gaul.
He also had another daughter, Lucy Brank, from his marriage to the American actress Brigid Bazlen, who died in 1989. Jean-Paul was the grandfather of Lucy’s two children, Leah and Hannah.