Jean-Paul Belmondo

Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃pɔl ʃaʁl(ə) bɛlmɔ̃do]; 9 April 1933 – 6 September 2021) was a French actor, producer and distributor. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s thanks to the success of the film Breathless (1960), he also acted in other films that modernized cinema such as Two Women (1960), Le Doulos (1962), That Man from Rio (1964), Greed in the Sun (1964), Weekend at Dunkirk (1964). With the film That Man from Rio, he also became a seasoned stuntman.

In 1971, he became a film producer and distributor. He then steered his acting career towards commercial cinema starting in 1975. An undisputed box-office champion along with Louis de Funès and Alain Delon, Belmondo attracted nearly 160 million viewers over his 50-year career. He notably appeared four times in the most watched french film of the year in France: The Brain (1969), Fear Over the City (1975), Animal (1977), Ace of Aces (1982) only surpassed on this point by Louis de Funès. Having also acted in theatre in his early career, he returned to the scene in Kean (1987) and achieved success. In 1993, he produced his first play, which would become famous: Le Dîner de cons.