Étienne Roda-Gil was a prolific songwriter and screenwriter, born on August 1, 1941, in the Septfonds internment camp in Tarn-et-Garonne, France, to refugees who had fled Francoism at the end of the Spanish Civil War.
His father, Antonio Roda Vallès, was a militant with the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) and a member of the Durruti column. In the early 1950s, the family relocated to Antony, a suburb of Paris, where Roda-Gil attended the prestigious Lycée Henri IV.
In 1959, when he was called to serve in the military in Algeria, Roda-Gil instead fled to London, where he became involved in anarchist and rock-and-roll circles. He eventually returned to France after receiving a reprieve.
Roda-Gil was an active participant in various organizations, including the Iberian Federation of Libertarian Youth and the Situationist International. He was also a key figure in the events of May 1968.
In 1968, he met singer Julien Clerc in a Parisian café and became his songwriter. Roda-Gil's extensive songwriting credits include works for notable artists such as Mort Shuman, Angelo Branduardi, Barbara, Vanessa Paradis, Johnny Hallyday, Claude François, Juliette Gréco, and Malicorne.
Throughout his career, Roda-Gil received numerous accolades, including the grand prix of songwriting from SACEM (La Société des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs de musique) in 1989 and SACEM's Prix Vincent-Scotto in 1993.
Roda-Gil passed away on May 31, 2004, in Paris. He was married to painter Nadine Delahaye from 1965 until her death in 1990.
