French 'national treasure' Jean-Paul Belmondo dies aged 88

The face of French New Wave cinema died peacefully at home, his family announced on Monday

In this photo taken on September 13, 1963, French actors Lino Ventura, right, and Jean-Paul Belmondo board a plane for Casablanca, Morocco, to attend the shooting of the film '100 000 dollars au soleil (Greed in the Sun)'. Belmondo has died at the age of 88, it was announced on September 6, 2021. AFP

In this photograph taken on December 7, 1961, actor Jean-Paul Belmondo and his wife Elodie walk through the streets of Val d'Isere in December 1961. After finishing shooting his last film in Spain and the Canary Islands, Belmondo, one of post-war French cinema's biggest stars, has died aged 88. AFP

Jean-Paul Belmondo wears a face mask while waving to the public as he leaves the funeral ceremony for French screenwriter Guy Bedos, in Paris in June 2020. EPA

In this file photo taken on September 9, 2010, Jean-Paul Belmondo smiles in the recreation of his father's studio at the Paul Belmondo museum. AFP

In this photo taken on September 23, 1980, Jean-Paul Belmondo, second left, shakes hands with French actor Alain Delon, left, after being awarded the Legion d'Honneur during a ceremony at the Ministry of Culture in Paris. His mother Madeleine Belmondo looks on. AFP

In this photograph taken on May 1, 1974, Jean-Paul Belmondo, one of France's biggest screen stars and a symbol of 1960s New Wave cinema, poses during the Cannes Film Festival in southern France. AFP

In this photo taken on April 23, 2010 French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo arrives with his partner Barbara Gandolfi at the world premiere of the restored 'A Star is Born' during the opening night gala of the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, California. AFP

Actor Jean-Paul Belmondo reacts on stage as he receives an Honorary Cesar Award at the 42nd Cesar Awards ceremony in Paris, France, on February 24, 2017. Reuters

In this June 8, 2018 photo, a child takes a selfie with Jean-Paul Belmondo during the semifinal match at the French Open tennis tournament between Spain's Rafael Nadal and Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. AP Photo

In this file photograph taken on June 27, 1997, actor Jean-Paul Belmondo and his companion, Natty, pose in Albi, southern France. AFP

In this file photograph taken on February 22, 1987, Jean-Paul Belmondo performs at The Marigny Theatre in Paris, the part of 'Kean', written by French playwright Jean-Paul Sartre, adapted from Alexandre Dumas. AFP

In this file photo taken on August 4, 2017, Jean-Paul Belmondo, right, and Charles Gerard wave as they attend the French football match Monaco vs Toulouse, at the Louis II Stadium in Monaco. AFP

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 on Monday.

Belmondo, who first rose to fame as part of the French New Wave cinema movement with films such as Breathless by Jean-Luc Godard, went on to become a household name, acting in 80 films covering several genres, including comedies and thrillers.

"He had been very tired for some time. He died peacefully," his family's statement sent to AFP said.

Who was Jean-Paul Belmondo?

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.

The actor, who was bad at school but good at boxing, started his career in theatre before embarking on a film career that was to span half a century, with 130 million cinema tickets sold for his films.

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 said: "We all recognised ourselves in him".

'Solar, talented ... and so French'

Former president Francois Hollande said "everybody would have loved to be friends with him", while ex-premier Manuel Valls called Belmondo "magnificent, solar, talented ... and so French".

Fellow 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."

French actor Richard Berry said of Belmondo that "he was everybody's friend" and Michel Boujenah, also a French actor, called him "our very own Eiffel Tower".

Spanish actor Antonio Banderas said that "this is a sad day for culture. A great actor and an icon of French and European cinema has left us".

Many others, including politicians, the French Foreign Legion and film fans the world over, also paid homage to Belmondo on social media.

"It's impossible not to feel that this is the end of an era," tweeted Uruguay's national film library. "The world is mourning a monument of film," wrote Peter Patti, a fan in Italy, on Twitter.

A lasting career and legacy

Apart from Godard, Belmondo also worked with famous French directors Francois Truffaut, Alain Resnais, Louis Malle and Jean-Pierre Melville.

He later turned to film production and returned to his first love, theatre.

Belmondo's acting career was cut short in 2001 when a stroke he suffered while on set left him disabled.

He won France's highest film prize, the Cesar, in 1988 for his role in Itinerary of a Spoiled Child – which he didn't accept – and an honorary Cesar in 2017.

Many of his films became international hits, and Time magazine in 1964 even declared Belmondo the face of modern France.

He won several lifetime achievement awards, in 2010 from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, in 2011 at the Cannes Film Festival and in 2016 at the Venice Film Festival.

"His generosity, both as a man and as an actor, created some of film history's greatest moments," Cannes festival director Thierry Fremaux tweeted on Monday. "Thank you, Jean-Paul."