Farewell « Bébel »! The ace of cinema and stunts has passed away

Monday, September 6, Jean-Paul Belmondo passed away at the age of 88, at his Parisian home. A national tribute will take place on September 9 at Les Invalides in the presence of the President of the Republic, his family and his friends.

The youth of Jean-Paul Belmondo

Family

Jean-Paul Belmondo was born on April 9, 1933 in Neuilly-sur-Seine (92) in a family of artists. His father, Paul Belmondo (1898-1982), was a renowned sculptor, born in Algiers but of Piedmontese and Sicilian origin. His mother, Sarah Rainaud-Richard (1901-1996) was a painter.

His older brother, Alain, born in 1931, is a film producer. He has 2 children Olivier, director of the school « L’Entrée des Artistes » and Jean-François, doctor in pharmacy and campaign director of the FN in 2013

Her sister, Muriel, born in 1945, is a dancer, like her maternal grandmother and film actress.

The descendants of « Bébel »

Jean-Paul Belmondo has known many women during his life, he has only been married twice. His first wife, Elodie Constantin, gave him 3 children: Patricia, Florence and Paul. The second is Stella’s mother. His children are:

Patricia (1954-1994), script supervisor, deceased.
Florence born in 1960, married to Cris Walters, 3 children (Annabelle (1988) – model for the Karin Models Agency, Christopher (1993) and Nicholas (1997)).
Stella (2003), daughter of actor and ex-coco-girl, Nathalie Tardivel.
Paul (1963), the only boy of the siblings, is the father of 3 children (Alessandro (1991), chef, very present on social networks, followed in his mother Luana’s footsteps. He also played in the film « Envole -me « , by Christophe Barratier, released in 2020; Victor (1993), actor like his grandfather and Giacomo (1998) is passionate about music and plays the drums.

Other women have crossed his life. We note Ursula Andress, Laura Antonelli, Carlos Sotto Matyor and Barbara Gandolfi,

His beginnings in the profession

Not very passionate about studies, he decided in 1950 to become an actor and joined the Conservatory 2 years later. There he meets his friends who will remain so throughout his life: Jean-Pierre Marielle, Claude Rich, Jean Rochefort, Bruno Cremer, Françoise Fabian or Pierre Vernier At the same time, he continues boxing which will always remain his main passion.

The actor made his theater debut in 1953 in classic plays. It turns out that this register is not for him and that the comedy is closer to his personality. His film career began in 1958 in « Sois belle et tais toi » directed by Marc Allégret. He inaugurated the period of the « New wave » and was called up to go to Algeria. Demobilized, he gets married then he shoots « A bout de souffle » by Godard and Claude Sautet.

His revelation makes him a key player for directors in France and abroad. We find him with Claudia Cardinale, Sophia Loren and in « Léon Morin prêtre » by Melville then in a film of cap and sword. He then shares the poster with Jean Gabin in « A monkey in winter ». It is the beginning of a great friendship between the 2 men.

A great and long career

The peak of his success is between 1970 with « Borsalino » in the company of Alain Delon and 1985 with « Hold up » by Alexandre Arcady. In the meantime, many of his films are at the box office including « Stavisky », « Le Marginal », « Flic ou Voyou » or « 

In nearly 60 years of career, the actor has appeared in more than 80 films and leaves behind unforgettable roles: young first in « Breathless », hanged from a helicopter above Venice in « The man de Rio « , without forgetting the waterfalls in » Peur sur la ville or « Le Guignolo » ….

Its partners and directors

Throughout his career, he has met other big names like Jean Gabin, Lino Ventura, Alain Delon, Robert Hossein or his best friend Charles Gérard, who died a short time ago.

Side of female stars: Ursula Andress, Brigitte Bardot, Jaqueline Bisset, Marie Laforêt, Sophie Marceau … and many others.

Great French and foreign directors have offered roles to Jean-Paul Belmondo. He has toured under the direction of French such Alain Resnais, Louis Malle, Philippe de Broca, Henri Verneuil, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol, François Truffaut, Claude Sautet, Jean-Pierre Melville, Claude Lelouch, Jean-Paul Rappeneau, Georges Lautner, Gérard Oury or Alexandre Arcady Among the foreigners, one counts Vittorio De Sica, Mauro Bolognini or Peter Brook.

In 2011, the Cannes Film Festival paid tribute to Jean-Paul Belmondo.

Despite a stroke in 2001, « Bébel » received a lot of filming proposals.

Jean-Paul Belmondo and the theater

In 1987, the year of his film, « Le Solitaire », Robert Hossein asked him to come back on stage. Belmondo returns to the scene he had left 30 years earlier. He performed « Kean » by Jean-Paul Sartre after Alexandre Dumas, at the Théâtre Marigny, from February to June 1987. In September, he resumed performances for two and a half months, « delighted to have found his original vocation. « .

In 1990, Robert Hossein offered a second challenge to « Bébel » with « Cyrano de Bergerac ». There will be 278 performances in Marigny.

Creation of a prize and then a museum

He created the Paul Belmondo Prize to reward a contemporary sculptor for the quality of his work. In 1989 the winner was Cyril de La Patellière.

Since 2010, the Paul Belmondo museum has housed at Château Buchillot in Boulogne-Billancourt, collections of sculptures, medals and drawings by the last of the great classical French sculptors. There are original models in plaster, preparatory works and works in marble or bronze. Unique collection in France, it results from the donation of the sculptor’s children (Muriel, Alain and Jean-Paul) to the city of Boulogne-Billancourt. It consists of 263 sculptures and sculpture molds, 452 medals and preparatory works, 966 drawings and a workshop collection made up of sketches, sketchbooks, tools and furniture.

His rewards
1989: César for best actor for his role in « Itinerary of a spoiled child » by Claude Lellouch
1998: Golden Camera for Lifetime Achievement
2001: Gold Bidet in Amazone during the first edition.
2011: Palme d’Or at Cannes for his entire career
2016: Lion d’Or for his career
Reactions of politicians and personalities

The world of culture has lost a pillar of French cinema. Jean-Paul Belmondo left his mark on the big screen. An actor of all generations, he could take on all roles. For a long time a « thug », he became a « cop » in many films.

Personalities

Philippe Durant, biographer of Belmondo expressed his emotion. « I’m totally in shock. There are no words. When a legend crumbles like that, it shakes the world. It will shake the world of cinema. »

His friend Alain Delon is « devastated »: « It’s a part of my life, we started together 60 years ago ». Claude Lelouch, he hailed « a hero both in front of and behind the camera » who « was in life as in his films ».

Brigitte Bardot felt a lot of pain. « I have a great sorrow, like his dog Chipie who was his last and so faithful companion. I think of him, I loved him. I miss him and I no longer want to talk about him, the great pains are dumb. « 

Policies

Political figures have also reacted, starting with the President of the Republic: « He will forever remain ‘The Magnificent’. Jean-Paul Belmondo was a national treasure ».

For Marine Le Pen, president of the RN, « He was an inimitable mouth and banter, a legendary actor and stuntman »

Olivier Faure, first secretary of the PS, added: « Want to stop for a few days and watch all these films where I dreamed, laughed, trembled, with this giant who has given flesh to so many characters ».

Roselyne Bachelot, Minister of Culture has announced that a tribute will be paid to this sacred monster of cinema on Thursday, September 9, at 4.30 p.m. at Les Invalides.

Thierry Frémaux, director of the Lumière Institute in Lyon, general delegate of the Cannes Film Festival. « I believe that the homage paid to Johnny Hallyday was very beautiful, very strong, and Jean-Paul Belmondo does not deserve less, differently, something else, but the President of the Republic will know how to find »,

Director Claude Lellouch, who shot 3 films with Belmondo said: « He was a hero both in front of the camera and behind ».

Jean Becker, director and lifelong friend relates: « I have a lot of pain, he was a wonderful man ».

Françoise Fabian, friend since the Conservatory, believes that he « deserves a statue.

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