The Resume

(June 15, 1943-December 6, 2017)
Born in Paris, France
Birth name was Jean-Philippe Smet
Had #1 hits in France with the singles ‘Viens danser le twist’ (‘Let’s Twist Again,’ 1961), ‘Retiens la nuit’ (1962), ‘Tous emsemble’ (2002), ‘Marie’ (2002), ‘Mon plus beau Noel’ (2005), ‘La loi du silence’ (2006) and ‘Ca n’finira jamais’ (2008)
Sold 110 million records
Nicknamed ‘the French Elvis’

Why he might be annoying:

Charles De Gaulle denounced him as an agent of ‘American cultural imperialism.’
He was huge in France, but virtually unknown in English-speaking countries.
He attempted suicide twice.
He was married four times, divorced three times.
His second marriage lasted two months and two days.
He fathered a daughter out of wedlock with actress Nathalie Baye.
He moved to Switzerland to avoid French taxes.
He said, ‘For a long time, I couldn’t get out of bed in the morning without cocaine.’
He held a seemingly endless series of ‘farewell’ tours.
As he aged, he looked like Sean Penn.

Why he might not be annoying:

He was abandoned by his parents and raised by an aunt.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience played their first concert as his opening act (October 14, 1966).
Peter Frampton and Bono wrote songs for him.
He appeared on the cover of the magazine ‘Paris Match’ more times than any other celebrity.
He and his fourth wife adopted two daughters from Vietnam.
His concert at the Eiffel Tower was attended by half a million people and watched on TV by 9.5 million viewers – a sixth of the country’s population (2001).
As an actor, he won critical respect with his performances in ‘The Man on the Train’ (2002) and ‘Vengeance’ (2009).
He established a second home in Los Angeles, enjoying his relative anonymity in America.
He was named a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor (1997).

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 67]
• Dalida Covered My Song
• Ed Sullivan Show Guests
• Fear of the Dark - Scotophobic
• I Abused Cocaine
• I Adopted a Child
• I Adopted an Asian Baby
• I am a Citizen of France
• I Attempted Suicide and Screwed it Up
• I Covered an Elvis Song
• I Covered 'House of the Rising Sun'
• I Covered 'My Way'
• I Died in 2017 (Ranked: 74)
• I Fathered Children Out of Wedlock
• I Have Adopted and Biological Children
• I Have Colon Cancer
• I Have Lung Cancer
• I Married and Divorced in the Same Calender Year
• I Married for Less than Two Years
• I Married in 1982
• I Married in 1990
• I Married in 1996
• I Retired, Just Kidding
• I Ride a Harley-Davidson Motorcycle
• I was Involved in a Motorcycle Accident
• Look at Me, I Got a Microphone
• Look at Me, I'm a Man in Shades
• Musicians Who Act
• Olympia Concerts
• Our Marriage Didn't Make It To Our First Anniversary
• People with John or Mary in their Names
• Profiles 42292-42500 (Ranked: 42342)

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 58.33% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 73 Votes: 64.38% Annoying