Jean-Paul Belmondo

Born in Neuilly-sur-Siene, France, in 1933, Jean-Paul Belmondo grew up in artistic family, but was initially drawn to sports. After giving up his aspirations to be a boxer, Belmondo turned to acting. After training at the National Academy of Dramatic Arts, he began working on Paris stages but quickly made the transition to the big screen. 1959, starred in "Web of Passion" (1959), renowned director Claude Chabrol's first thriller. The same year he starred in a short film for a young director named Jean-Luc Godard. Belmondo would also star in Godard's feature debut "Breathless" (1960), a role that would become one a hallmark of the early French New Wave and catapulted Belmondo to become one of France's most successful actors over the next four decades.

In addition to the dramas of the New Wave, Belmondo also starred in a number of adventures and comedies, including "Banana Peel" (1963), and "That Man from Rio" (1964). He also continued as the face of the New Wave, in Godard's "Pierrot le Fou" (1965), and starred in "Mississippi Mermaid" (1969) directed by legendary Francois Truffaut also starring Catherine Deneuve.

Belmondo scored a hit in France, this time playing a cop, in "Fear Over the City" (1975). His comic heist film "Hold-Up" (1985), was remade in the U.S. as "Quick Change" (1990), starring Bill Murray. Belmondo continued to appear in films through the 1990's, notably "Les Miserables" (1995), written and directed by Claude Lelouch, inspired by the Victor Hugo novel. In 2001, Belmondo suffered a stroke, but returned to the screen to play a homeless older man in "A Man and His Dog" (2008). Jean-Paul Belmondo died on September 6, 2021 in Paris, France at the age of 88.