Michel Portal
Biography
Michel Portal (born 27 November 1935) is a French composer, saxophonist, and clarinetist. He plays both jazz and classical music and is considered to be "one of the architects of modern European jazz". Portal was born in Bayonne on 27 November 1935. His family was musical and there were several instruments in his house when he was growing up. His interest in jazz began after hearing it on the radio after World War II. He studied clarinet at the Conservatoire de Paris and conducting with Pierre Dervaux. Portal "gained experience in light music with the bandleaders Henri Rossotti and (in Spain in 1958) Perez Prado, as well as with the drummer Benny Bennett (1960), Raymond Fonsèque (1963), Aimé Barelli, and, for many years, the singer Claude Nougaro". Portal co-founded the free improvisation group New Phonic Art. During 1969, Portal played on a recording of Karlheinz Stockhausen's Aus den sieben Tagen. Portal began scoring music for films in the 1980s. He has won the César Award for Best Music Written for a Film three times. Source: Article "Michel Portal" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Known For & Full Filmography6 Titles
Drama Series - 1982, 16 episodes • as Self
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Drama Series - 1972, 16 episodes • as Self
Le Grand Échiquier is a French variety television program created and presented by Jacques Chancel. It aired at 8:30 pm on the first channel of the ORTF from January 12, 1972 to July 12, 1972, then on the second color channel of the ORTF from September 1972 to December 1974, and finally on Antenne 2 from January 1975 to December 21, 1989. The program returned to France 2 on December 20, 2018 and is hosted by Anne-Sophie Lapix.
Movie - 1961, 2h 15m • as Musician (uncredited)
During the 1960s, two American jazz musicians living in Paris meet and fall in love with two American tourist girls and must decide between music and love.
Movie - 2024, 2h 15m • as Lui-même
In a setting cleared of all stage artifice, multi-instrumentalist composer and performer Michel Portal invents, listens, writes and plays in his only language : music.
Movie - 2021, 2h 15m • Main Cast Role
ARTE pays tribute to the memory of the unforgettable Michel Portal, who passed away on February 12, 2026. Invited in 2021 by the Nancy Jazz Pulsations festival to perform in the historic setting of the Salle Poirel, the French jazz legend led a high-profile quintet and performed his latest album with the minimalist title MP85—the very essence of creativity. He was accompanied by Bojan Z, Bruno Chevillon, Lander Gyselinck, and Samuel Blaser.
Movie - 1997, 2h 15m • as Himself
Based on an idea by the writer Francis Marmande, Michel Portal, jazz clarinetist, leads young virtuoso musicians for this concerto.