Jean-Paul Belmondo

Overview

Born
April 9, 1933 · Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Died
September 6, 2021 · Paris, France (undisclosed)
Birth name
Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo
Nickname
- Bébel
Height
5′ 9¾″ (1.77 m)

Biography

The son of the renowned French sculptor Paul Belmondo, he studied at Conservatoire National Superieur d'Art Dramatique (CNSAD); after the minor stage performances he made his screen debut in À pied, à cheval et en voiture (1957) but the episodes with his participation were cut before release. However, the breakthrough role in Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless (1960) made him one of the key figures in the French New Wave. Since mid-60s he completely switched to commercial mainstream pictures and became a big comedy and action star in France. Following the example of Alain Delon he founded his own production company Cerito named after his grandmother's maiden name. In 1989 he was awarded Cesar for his performance in Itinerary of a Spoiled Child (1988) . Recently he returned to stage performing in the Théâtre Marigny, Paris, notably as Edmund Kean or Cyrano de Bergerac. He still appears in the movies but not so often as before preferring mostly dramatic roles. The president of France distinguished him with order of Legion of Honour. Belmondo had three children with his first spouse Elodie Constant: Patricia Belmondo ( who died in a fire in 1993), Florence Belmondo and Paul Belmondo. In 2003, he had another daughter, Stella Belmondo, with his second spouse Natty Belmondo. None of his children became actors though you could have seen his son Paul in an episodic role (the same as his father, at an earlier age) in Itinerary of a Spoiled Child (1988).
- IMDb mini biography by: Yuri German<blsidt1@imf.org>

Family

Spouses
Children
Parents
Relatives

Trademarks

Has an inimitable smile
Always performs all the stunts himself
Usually combines action with comic episodes

Trivia

He was awarded the César (French Oscar) for Itinerary of a Spoiled Child (1988) but refused to take the trophy because César Baldaccini, the sculptor who designed the award named after him, had once expressed bad opinions about the work of his father, fellow sculptor Paul Belmondo.
Is the favorite action star of Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-Fat.
Belmondo always performed his own stunts but ceased to do so after an accident during the filming of Hold-Up (1985).
He was the son of Sarah Madeleine Rainaud-Richard and Paul Belmondo, a prominent sculptor. His father was born in Algiers, Algeria, to Italian parents, with roots in Piedmont and Sicily. His mother was French, from a Parisian family.
Belmondo's name was in the headlines in Hollywood in April 1996, when he lashed out at the Hollywood studios and distributors. The actor was furious that his film Desired (1995) was on only 20 screens in France while American films, such as Toy Story (1995), were on 500. He claimed that French theatre chains were "on their knees before Hollywood. When I hear them talk about defending French cinema, I can only laugh." (The American market share of movie ticket sales in France was 54 percent at the time, compared to only 35 percent for French-made product.).

Quotes

"I don't want to be a flying grandpa of the French cinema" (about his further participation in action films).
I had fun doing both types of roles. Both are good. One day you laugh, and the next day you cry. That's how it is.
I would say I've done everything I wanted to.
Charm is the ability to make others forget that you look as you do.
Women over thirty are at their best, but men over thirty are too old to recognize it.