French cinema’s ‘national treasure’ Belmondo dies at 88

French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo in 2010.

Actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, one of post-war French cinema’s biggest stars whose charismatic smile lit up the screen for half a century, has died aged 88 at his Paris home, his family announced yesterday. Belmondo, who first came to fame as part of the French New Wave cinema movement with films like Breathless by Jean-Luc Godard, went on to become a household name, acting in 80 films covering a multitude of genres, including comedies and thrillers. “When an actor is successful, people turn their back on him and say that he has taken the easy way out, that he doesn’t want to make an effort or take any risks,” Belmondo once said. “But if it was so easy to fill cinemas, then the film world would be in much better health than it is.” “I don’t think I would have stayed in the limelight for so long if I was doing any old rubbish,” he added. “People aren’t that stupid.” “He had been very tired for some time. He died peacefully,” the family said in a statement sent to AFP by Belmondo’s lawyer, Michel Godest. Belmondo, who was born on April 9, 1933 in the wealthy Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine, grew up in a family of artists. His father was a well-known sculptor. Belmondo, who was bad at school but good at boxing, started his acting career in theatre before embarking on a film career that was to span half a century, with 130mn cinema tickets to his films sold. Known in France as “Bebel”, Belmondo was also often called “Le Magnifique” (The Magnificent), after a 1970s secret agent satire in which he starred. “He will always be The Magnificent,” President Emmanuel Macron tweeted. Calling Belmondo “a national treasure”, Macron added: “We all recognised ourselves in him”. Former president Francois Hollande said that “everybody would have loved to be friends with him”, while ex-premier Manuel Valls called Belmondo “magnificent, solar, talented ... and so French”. Fellow iconic French actor Alain Delon – both a friend and a rival of Belmondo – said he was “completely crushed” by the news of Belmondo’s death. French director Bertrand Blier said “it was so easy to film with Belmondo. It’s always easy with great actors”.