The star of the iconic French New Wave film "Breathless'' was one of France's most recognizable leading men and among the country's most beloved actors of his generation.
President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter that France had lost "a national treasure."
Belmondo first took the world of auteur cinema by storm in 1960, starring as the young criminal Michel in Jean-Luc Godard's New Wave masterpiece Breathless.
Another one of his most well-known roles came four years later, when he starred in The Man from Rio, a send-up of James Bond-type spy thrillers whose plot heavily inspired the Steven Spielberg blockbuster Raiders of the Lost Ark and its protagonist, Indiana Jones.
He later transitioned to more mainstream comedies and action films, though never lost touch with his art house roots.
From petty gangster to war hero: Jean-Paul Belmondo's best films
As one of the icons of the French New Wave and Film Noir turns 85, we select the best entries from Jean-Paul Belmondo's filmography. His oeuvre contains something for everyone.
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The breakthrough: 'Breathless' (1960)
Jean-Luc Godard's cult movie was not Belmondo's debut, but it turned the 26-year-old actor into a star. In "Breathless," Belmondo portrays petty criminal Michel who kills a policeman after having stolen a car. He plans to escape to Italy with his girlfriend, aspiring American journalist Patricia, but she starts questioning her love for him once she learns he is being investigated for murder.
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More than a gangster: 'Léon Morin, Priest' (1961)
When communist Barny (Emmanuelle Riva) meets good-looking priest Léon Morin (Belmondo), they get into a heated debate about God. They begin regularly seeing each other for intellectual conversations, and eventually Barny falls in love with the priest. Critics praised the movie as it shows Belmondo and director Jean-Pierre Melville departing from the gangster films they were known for.
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A tribute to Film Noir: 'Pierrot le Fou' (1965)
Bored to death with his family and the bourgeois lifestyle, Belmondo as Ferdinand Griffon runs away with his ex-girlfriend, Marianne. They embark on a crime spree through the French countryside, and the journey has a deadly end for Ferdinand after he realizes Marianne has been using him. Jean-Luc Godard's film's title comes from the nickname "Pierrot," or "sad clown," Marianne gives to Ferdinand.
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Slapstick humor: 'Up to His Ears' (1965)
Don't hire an assassin to kill you when you're not really sure if you really want to die. That's the moral of "Up to His Ears," directed by Philippe de Broca and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and former Bond girl Ursula Andress. The slapstick comedy tells the story of a bored millionaire who, after his 10th failed suicide attempt, hires a man to finish the job.
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Inspired by Al Capone: 'Borsalino' (1970)
When Siffredi, played by Alain Delon, and Capella, portrayed by Belmondo, meet for the first time in the 1930s Marseille, they fight over a mutual love interest. But the two quickly become friends doing jobs for local mob bosses. In the end, they decide to become masters of the underworld themselves. The film was a huge success in most of Europe.
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The police officer: 'Fear Over the City' (1975)
Terror paralyzes Paris when several young women are murdered in a city. As police officer Jean Letellier, Jean-Paul Belmondo is on the killer's track, but also has to deal with infamous gangster Marcucci. If you enjoy a thriller filled with explosions, wild stunts and fast cars, this is the right Belmondo flick for you.
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In the secret service: 'The Professional' (1981)
The story of secret agent Beaumont is one of the most sinister of Belmondo's career. After he is ordered to murder an African despot, the French intelligence service changes its mind and hands him over to a detention center in a fictional African country. He flees after two agonizing years and decides to carry out his original mission, and also take revenge on his ex-superiors.
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Typical Belmondo flick: 'Le Marginal' (1983)
Belmondo's appearances in many gangster movies earned him a reputation of a macho man who does not think twice before he acts. It is no surprise that the role of agent Jordan in "Le Marginal" was written especially for him: Jordan is pursuing drug lords in Marseilles when he is transferred to Paris after an accident. That does not prevent him from chasing the original gangsters, however.
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Patriotic action: 'The Vultures' (1984)
During the WWII, foreign legionnaire Augagneur and his company are tasked with salvaging gold bars from a deserted Tunisian town and taking them to France. However, the squad is ambushed by the German army, leaving Augagneur and his three comrades as the sole survivors. When the Germans leave, the team must decide what to do with the gold.
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Cult actors: 'One Hundred and One Nights' (1995)
Marcello Mastroianni, Alain Delon, Jeanne Moreau, Hanna Schygulla, Harrison Ford, Robert De Niro, Gina Lollobrigida and, of course, Jean-Paul Belmondo are among the many stars of Agnes Varda's "One Hundred and One Nights." The quirky comedy, in which Monsieur Cinema reflects on film history, is an homage to 100 years of cinema.
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An artistic background
Jean-Paul Belmondo was born on April 9, 1933 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a wealthy suburb of Paris. His mother was a dancer; his father, who came to Paris from Sicily as a teenager, was a famous sculptor. Well-known writers and artists such as Albert Camus were regular guests at the Belmondos.
His father passed on his enthusiasm for the arts to his son. After playing in amateur productions as a teenager, Belmondo decided to become an actor at the age of 16. Despite an unfavorable opinion from a member of the renowned Comedie-Francaise, he went on to study at the National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Paris. "Acting is not too difficult, but you have to learn it," Belmondo later said.
At the beginning of his career, he was defined as an actor by his "thankless features" — until Breathless turned him into a "seducer with a coarse physique," as he recalled in his 2016 autobiography.
In 1959, Belmondo married the dancer Renee Constant. They had three children before divorcing in 1965. From 1966 to 1974, he lived with the Swiss actress Ursula Andress, who became famous as the first Bond girl in Dr. No (1962). Belmondo married again in 2002 — this time to Nathalie Tardivel — with whom he had another daughter; this second marriage lasted six years.
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From art house to action
Over the course of his prolific career, Belmondo appeared in over 80 movies, half of which were shot in the 1960s. Even though he often portrayed gangsters or cops in crime and thriller movies, he also starred in melodramas with actors such as Romy Schneider and Alain Delon.
Affectionately nicknamed "Bebel" by his fans, he became one of the most popular French actors of his generation. His distinctive features and typically macho attitude made him shine in many films of the 1970s and '80s.
During those decades, he starred in his most popular titles, including the secret agent thriller The Professional (1981), whose theme song by Ennio Morricone also became an international hit. Belmondo was also known for doing spectacular and dangerous stunts in his action films.
At the end of the 1980s, he made fewer films and returned to his theatrical roots by performing in classical stage productions.
International honors
Belmondo's health took a turn in 2001 when he was admitted to a Paris hospital after suffering a stroke. The actor had to laboriously learn to speak and walk again, but he returned to acting as soon as he could.
His return to cinema came with the 2008 film A Man and His Dog. It was a flop, and Belmondo later apologized for the work, but acknowledged that the film had helped him overcome the effects of his stroke.
In 2010, Belmondo was honored by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association for his life's work. A year later, he received the honorary Golden Palm in Cannes. Venice also paid tribute to the actor in 2016 with a Golden Lion, and in 2017 his career was honored with a Cesar award in Paris. In 2019, he was recognized with the Legion of Honor, France's highest order of merit.
Years after he retired from acting, Belmondo remained celebrated as a superstar in France. And, as the title of his memoir emphasized, Mille vies valent mieux qu'une (1,000 Lives are Better than One), he always cherished the fact that his career had allowed him to live his own to the fullest.
Silke Wünsch and Nikolas Fischer contributed to this report