Jean-Paul Belmondo leaves behind an immense legacy in French cinema: 75 films, 34 plays, a Palme d'honneur received in Cannes in 2011 for his entire career, and above all hundreds of stunts in the air, at sea, on land and underground.
"The man from Rio", the revelation
Nicknamed "Bébel" since the days of the Paris Conservatory where he cut his teeth with Jean Rochefort and Jean-Pierre Marielle in the early 1950s, Jean-Paul Belmondo reveals his skills as a stuntman in "The man from Rio", a film released in 1964.
Zigzagging on a motorcycle, chased through the heights of a building site or even suspended 40 meters high from a steel wire, the actor asserts his physical capacities on the big screen.
His performance earned him an article in the prestigious American magazine Times, and Steven Spielberg would later admit to having been inspired by this character to create Indiana Jones.
"Fear of the city", the consecration
In 1975, the director Henri Verneuil released “Fear of the City”, a detective film set in Paris.
It is a huge commercial success, with more than 4 million tickets to the cinema.
Despite his countless stunts, Jean-Paul Belmondo has never been seriously injured: during the shooting of this film, he still broke his arm during the famous scene on the roof of the metro.
"Le Guignolo", the flight
In this action comedy directed by Georges Lautner released in 1980, Bébel plays the character of a seductive thug, particularly gifted at escaping all the traps that are set for him.
The most famous scene in this film will remain his flight over Venice, only hanging from a ladder hanged under a helicopter.
"The animal", the cascade of waterfalls
Landing on the roof of an airplane in mid-flight from a ladder suspended under a helicopter is the challenge carried out by Belmondo in "The animal", released in 1977.
This waterfall will remain according to him "the cascade of waterfalls" and will remain "one of the greatest pleasures" of his life.
“One chance in two”, the ultimate stunt
"Oh no, I'm not going to do that again!" »Launches Léo Brassac, the character played by Belmondo in the film« Une chance sur deux », released in 1998, when a ladder suspended from a helicopter is offered to him while he is being pursued by the police. To our greatest pleasure, he is doing it well at 68 years old, escaping from his car which is moving at full speed thanks to the ladder thrown by Alain Delon. This will be his last stunt, a nod to the film "Le Guignolo".