Franck Fernandel(1935-2011)

Franck Fernandel's career began in the early 1960's with his first role in a film, alongside his father, the iconic French actor Fernandel. Franck's performance piqued the interest of playwright M.G. Sauvajon, who offered him the lead role in the play "Bienheureuse Anaïs". He was such a success that the Philips record label, seeing his potential as a singer, immediately signed him up for an exclusive recording contract. With rock n' roll sweeping through France, Franck Fernandel's velvety crooner's voice was nevertheless a sensation, and he began touring all over France, and then Canada, where he was top of the hit-parade in 1968 with "Les yeux d'un ange". Rewarded by the acclaim from his fans, he went on to record a large number of highly successful records, such as "L'amour interdit", an outspoken song on the problems of adultery which sold over 400,000 copies in the 1980's. Amongst his leading hits are songs such as "C'est comme ça Marseille", "Bilan Positif", "Les enfants c'est comme les oiseaux", or "César, Fanny, Vincent et Fernand". Franck Fernandel also became a broadcaster, hosting programmes on France's leading private radios Europe 1, then RMC, and had regular acting roles in the theatre as well as on TV. A true lover of Southern France, he would often shy away from dates with the Parisian show-biz, preferring to sing for the legions of fans that remained faithful to him over the years. He passed away under the sun of Marseille in 2011, at the age of 75. Since 2021, Franck Fernandel is legally represented by his son, Vincent Fernandel, CEO of Vincent Fernandel Production, production and music publishing company.