Jean-Paul Belmondo is dead, from the Nouvelle Vague to pop cinema

The French actor

Jean-Paul Belmondo (ANSA CINEMA CARD)

has died at the age of 88

.

Belmondo died at his home in Paris at the age of 88, his lawyer Michel Godest said, quoted by France Presse.

"He was very tired for some time. He died peacefully," said the lawyer.

A sacred monster of French and European cinema, Belmondo has made 80 films.

He leaves behind unforgettable roles, like the one in '

A bout de souffle' (Until the last breath)

by Jean-Luc Godard or flying over the sky of Venice, hanging from a helicopter, in

'Le Guignolo' (The pigeon of Piazza San Marco)

by Georges Lautner.

Until the last breath (À bout de souffle), Jean-Luc Godard - Pain and nothingness from Youtube

Belmondo, from the eternal rivalry with Delon to the combination with Lino Ventura - From the ANSA archive

Born in Neuilly sur Seine, near Paris, he had Italian blood in his veins since his father was a well-known sculptor, Paolo Raimondo.

After a debut in the theater, Belmondo is appreciated as 'jeune premier' in

'Sinners in Blue Jeans'

by Marc Allegret (1958), but also gives confidence to the very young Claude Chabrol who directs him in

'A double mandata' (1959)

.

From there begins his parallel path with Alain Delon who is dazzling the public thanks to the success of

'Crime in full sun'

(directed by René Clement). But 'Bebel' (as he calls himself to underline his extravagant and mocking style) is quick to change register, relying on Jean-Luc Godard who wants him to be the protagonist of 'Until the last breath' (1960) and then of ' Pierrot le fou '(1965). 

Working with the undisputed master of the Nouvelle Vague represents a challenge for Belmondo: he has to keep together the canons of classical acting and their distortion. And he succeeds, contributing alone to the unexpected commercial success of the two films. Compared to Delon, who is two years younger, Bebel has the advantage of innate communicative sympathy, a beautiful crushed nose of a failed boxer, a natural predisposition to amaze, so much so that his 'twin' plays the card of the dark, devoured handsome. from inner dilemmas. They made their debut (or almost) with the same teacher, Yves Allegret, they both flirted with the nouvelle vague, they are successful with women and spectators, they share the field like Coppi and Bartali. In some way they are also united by Italy, sinceboth are adopted - very young - by our cinema. And here is Belmondo taking on the role of Michele

'La ciociara

' by Vittorio De Sica and then by Amerigo in '

La viaccia

' by Mauro Bolognini (1961). 

But it is on the French market and, in particular, in police cinema (the polar) that he is fighting the great battle for popularity with Delon. Belmondo starred with Claude Sautet in '

Asfalto che scotta

' (1960), '

The one who shoots first

' by Jean Becker (1961), '

When winter returns

' by Henri Verneuil (1962), up to 'The spy' of master Jean Pierre Melville, the same one who will lead Delon to absolute peaks in '

Frank Costello

'. The partnership with Melville lasts three films and gives Belmondo all the 'quarters of nobility' he needs from critics. But the young performer wants great popular success. 

For this reason, in a sort of third artistic life, he relies on Philippe de Broca and interprets '

The Man from Rio

' (1964), a cocktail of yellow comedy, adventure film, parody of popular genres: Bebel acts at speed supersonic, performs reckless adventures as a stuntman (until late in life he will never want a stunt double) and conquers the French.

The trailer of 'The Man from Rio' from Youtube

He also conquers the riotous Delon who resigns himself to the idea of ​​pairing up with his rival.

It will take place in 1970 with '

Borsalino

', a global success and the beginning of a fourth phase in Belmondo's career who in the meantime has worked with all the most appreciated and popular directors, from Claude Lelouch to François Truffaut ('

My drug is called Julie

' ) and coined a pair of sure sympathy with the perfect 'shoulder' Lino Ventura.

The trailer for 'Borsalino' from Youtube

Belmondo married twice (with the dancer

Elodie

who gave him three children and the last partner

Natty

), also bonding for a long time with

Laura Antonelli

.

On the set he collects the legacy of Gerard Philippe interpreting acrobatic and romantic heroes, that of Jean Gabin embodying the most nationalist and proud French spirit, of Yves Montand giving himself wide licenses between cinema and theater. In 1974 he felt the call of auteur cinema again and accepted the part of the

con man Stavisky

in the refined film of the same name by Alain Resnais. He does not renounce the roles that have made his career and the directors-accomplices of all time (Gerard Oury, Philippe Labro, Henri Verneuil, Jacques Deray, Georges Lautner), but looks for something else. In the theater he reviews all the great classics, even plays the role of the showman Kean and aspires to a career finale as a 'noble father', meanwhile earning the Cesar Award as best actor in 1989 for ''

One life is not enough

'' by Claude Lelouch. Today and tomorrow France and the world republic of cinema will not forget it: the cat will continue to jump on the roofs of the imagination and will also be a king in the pantheon of art.