Jean-Paul Belmondo
Encyclopedia
Jean-Paul Belmondo is a French
actor initially associated with the New Wave
of the 1960s.
, Hauts-de-Seine
, west of Paris, Belmondo did not perform well in school, but developed a passion for boxing and football
.
"Did you box professionally very long?" "Not very long. I was never a professional, just an amateur." "Did you want to be one?" "Yes, when I was 17, I dreamed of being a champion boxer. I trained at the Avia Club with Pierre Dupain, along with Maurice Auzel, who's now European welter-weight champion." "Why did you quit?" "Because you have to really love it and sacrifice for it, I had other ambitions and didn't want to sacrifice my life for it. To be a champion, you have to sacrifice everything. Since at the time I also loved acting, I thought it would be easier and less dangerous than boxing. It would hurt less. There might be blows to your morale, but in boxing you take blows to your body as well, so I chose just blows to my morale." – 1961
His breakthrough role was in Jean-Luc Godard
's Breathless (1960), which made him a major figure in the French New Wave
. Later he acted in Jean-Pierre Melville's philosophical movie Leon Morin, Priest (1961) and in Melville's film noir
crime film The Fingerman
(Le Doulos, 1963) and Godard again with Pierrot le fou
(1965). With That Man From Rio
(1965) he switched to commercial, mainstream productions, mainly comedies and action films but did appear in the title role of Alain Resnais
' masterpiece Stavisky
(1974), which some critics regard as Belmondo's finest performance. Until the mid-1980s, when he ceased to be one of France's biggest box-office stars, Belmondo's typical characters were either dashing adventurers or more cynical heroes. As he grew older, Belmondo preferred concentrating on his stage work, where he encountered success. He suffered a stroke in 2001 and had since been absent from the stage and the screen until 2009 when he appeared in Un homme et son chien (A man and his dog).
He was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Ordre national du Mérite
, promoted Officier (Officer) in 1986 and promoted Commandeur (Commander) in 1994.
He was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur
, promoted Officier (Officer) in 1991 and promoted Commandeur (Commander) in 2007.
In 2010 the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards gave him a Career Achievement award. Belmondo attended the ceremony and made appearances in the Los Angeles area.
, was a sculptor of Italian descent.
In 1953, Belmondo married Élodie Constantin, with whom he had three children: Patricia (1958), Florence (1960) and Paul
(1963). Paul became a Formula One
driver; his eldest daughter Patricia was killed in a fire in 1994. In 1966, due to a well-publicized affair between Belmondo and actress Ursula Andress
, Belmondo and his wife divorced.
In 1989, Belmondo met Nathalie Tardivel who was 24 at the time, she and Belmondo married in 2002. On 13 August 2003, when he was 70, his fourth child Stella Eva Angelina was born. In 2008, Belmondo and Tardivel divorced.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
actor initially associated with the New Wave
French New Wave
The New Wave was a blanket term coined by critics for a group of French filmmakers of the late 1950s and 1960s, influenced by Italian Neorealism and classical Hollywood cinema. Although never a formally organized movement, the New Wave filmmakers were linked by their self-conscious rejection of...
of the 1960s.
Career
Born in Neuilly-sur-SeineNeuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.Although Neuilly is technically a suburb of Paris, it is immediately adjacent to the city and directly extends it. The area is composed of mostly wealthy, select residential...
, Hauts-de-Seine
Hauts-de-Seine
Hauts-de-Seine is designated number 92 of the 101 départements in France. It is part of the Île-de-France region, and covers the western inner suburbs of Paris...
, west of Paris, Belmondo did not perform well in school, but developed a passion for boxing and football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
.
"Did you box professionally very long?" "Not very long. I was never a professional, just an amateur." "Did you want to be one?" "Yes, when I was 17, I dreamed of being a champion boxer. I trained at the Avia Club with Pierre Dupain, along with Maurice Auzel, who's now European welter-weight champion." "Why did you quit?" "Because you have to really love it and sacrifice for it, I had other ambitions and didn't want to sacrifice my life for it. To be a champion, you have to sacrifice everything. Since at the time I also loved acting, I thought it would be easier and less dangerous than boxing. It would hurt less. There might be blows to your morale, but in boxing you take blows to your body as well, so I chose just blows to my morale." – 1961
His breakthrough role was in Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard is a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film critic. He is often identified with the 1960s French film movement, French Nouvelle Vague, or "New Wave"....
's Breathless (1960), which made him a major figure in the French New Wave
French New Wave
The New Wave was a blanket term coined by critics for a group of French filmmakers of the late 1950s and 1960s, influenced by Italian Neorealism and classical Hollywood cinema. Although never a formally organized movement, the New Wave filmmakers were linked by their self-conscious rejection of...
. Later he acted in Jean-Pierre Melville's philosophical movie Leon Morin, Priest (1961) and in Melville's film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
crime film The Fingerman
Le Doulos
Le Doulos is a 1962 French crime film directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. It was released theatrically as The Finger Man in the English-speaking world, but all video and DVD releases have used the French title...
(Le Doulos, 1963) and Godard again with Pierrot le fou
Pierrot le fou
Pierrot le fou is a 1965 French film directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Anna Karina and Jean-Paul Belmondo. The film is based on Obsession, a novel by Lionel White. It was Jean-Luc Godard's tenth feature film, released between Alphaville and Masculin, féminin...
(1965). With That Man From Rio
L'Homme de Rio
That Man From Rio is a 1964 adventure film directed by Philippe de Broca and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Françoise Dorléac, the sister of Catherine Deneuve. Concidentally, Belmondo would later star with Deneuve in the 1969 film Mississippi Mermaid, also a United Artists film...
(1965) he switched to commercial, mainstream productions, mainly comedies and action films but did appear in the title role of Alain Resnais
Alain Resnais
Alain Resnais is a French film director whose career has extended over more than six decades. After training as a film editor in the mid-1940s, he went on to direct a number of short films which included Nuit et Brouillard , an influential documentary about the Nazi concentration camps.He began...
' masterpiece Stavisky
Stavisky
Stavisky... is a 1974 French film drama based on the life of the financier and embezzler Alexandre Stavisky and the circumstances leading to his mysterious death in 1934. This gave rise to a political scandal known as the Stavisky Affair, which led to fatal riots in Paris, the resignation of two...
(1974), which some critics regard as Belmondo's finest performance. Until the mid-1980s, when he ceased to be one of France's biggest box-office stars, Belmondo's typical characters were either dashing adventurers or more cynical heroes. As he grew older, Belmondo preferred concentrating on his stage work, where he encountered success. He suffered a stroke in 2001 and had since been absent from the stage and the screen until 2009 when he appeared in Un homme et son chien (A man and his dog).
He was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Ordre national du Mérite
Ordre National du Mérite
The Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
, promoted Officier (Officer) in 1986 and promoted Commandeur (Commander) in 1994.
He was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, promoted Officier (Officer) in 1991 and promoted Commandeur (Commander) in 2007.
In 2010 the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards gave him a Career Achievement award. Belmondo attended the ceremony and made appearances in the Los Angeles area.
Personal life
Belmondo's father, Paul BelmondoPaul Belmondo (sculptor)
Paul Belmondo was a French sculptor. He is the father of the actor Jean-Paul Belmondo.-Biography :...
, was a sculptor of Italian descent.
In 1953, Belmondo married Élodie Constantin, with whom he had three children: Patricia (1958), Florence (1960) and Paul
Paul Belmondo
Paul Alexandre Belmondo is a French racing driver who raced in Formula One for the March and Pacific Racing teams. He is the son of actor Jean-Paul Belmondo and grandson of sculptor Paul Belmondo...
(1963). Paul became a Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
driver; his eldest daughter Patricia was killed in a fire in 1994. In 1966, due to a well-publicized affair between Belmondo and actress Ursula Andress
Ursula Andress
Ursula Andress is a Swiss actress and a sex symbol of the 1960s. She is known for her roles as Bond girl Honey Ryder in Dr...
, Belmondo and his wife divorced.
In 1989, Belmondo met Nathalie Tardivel who was 24 at the time, she and Belmondo married in 2002. On 13 August 2003, when he was 70, his fourth child Stella Eva Angelina was born. In 2008, Belmondo and Tardivel divorced.
Cultural references
- Belmondo is saluted in a 1967 episode of the U.S. television sitcom Get SmartGet SmartGet Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
. In the episode "The Spirit is Willing" a top agent of the sinister spy agency KAOS is named Paul John Mondebello, an obvious alteration of Belmondo's name. He is also mentioned in a song about "Masculinity" in the play La Cage Aux Folles, and is mentioned in the DonovanDonovanDonovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
song "Sunny South Kensington" on the Mellow YellowMellow Yellow"Mellow Yellow" is a song and single release by Donovan. It reached #2 on the Billboard charts in the U.S. in 1966 and #8 in the UK in early 1967....
album.
Filmography
- Molière (1956)
- On Foot, on Horse, and on Wheels (1957)
- Les Copains du dimanche (1958)
- Sois belle et tais-toi (1958)
- Sunday Encounter (1958)
- Les Tricheurs (1958)
- Ein Engel auf Erden (1959)
- Les trois mousquetaires (1959)
- À double tourÀ double tourÀ double tour is a 1959 French suspense thriller film directed by Claude Chabrol and based on the novel by American writer Stanley Ellin. It was Chabrol's first film in the thriller genre, which would be his genre of choice for the rest of his career. The film had a total of 1,445,587 admissions...
(1959) - Breathless (1960)
- The Big RiskClasse tous risquesClasse tous risques is a 1960 French Italian International co-production black-and-white gangster film directed by Claude Sautet and starring Lino Ventura, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Sandra Milo, which wasn't in high esteem at the time of its release, overshadowed by the French New Wave, but...
(1960) - Seven Days... Seven NightsSeven Days... Seven NightsSeven Days... Seven Nights is a 1960 French drama film directed by Peter Brook. It was entered into the 1960 Cannes Film Festival, where Jeanne Moreau won the award for Best Actress. It is based on the novel Moderato cantabile by Marguerite Duras....
(1960) - Love and the Frenchwoman (1960) (segment "L'Adultère")
- Trapped by Fear (1960)
- Charlotte and Her Boyfriend (1960)
- Rita (1960)
- Two WomenTwo WomenTwo Women is a 1960 Italian film directed by Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of a woman trying to protect her young daughter from the horrors of war. The film stars Sophia Loren, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Eleonora Brown, Carlo Ninchi and Andrea Checchi...
(1960) - The Lovemakers (1961)
- A Woman Is a Woman (1961)
- Leon Morin, Priest (1961)
- Famous Love Affairs (1961) (segment "Lauzun")
- Un nommi La Rocca (1961)
- CartoucheCartouche (film)Cartouche is a 1962 French film directed by Philippe de Broca and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Claudia Cardinale.- Plot :In the 18th century, Louis Dominique Bourguignon is working with Malichot's gang, but their ways are too 'unethical' for him. He hides out from Malichot and joins the army,...
(1962) - Un singe en hiver (1962)
- Le DoulosLe DoulosLe Doulos is a 1962 French crime film directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. It was released theatrically as The Finger Man in the English-speaking world, but all video and DVD releases have used the French title...
(1962) - Beach CasanovaI Don Giovanni della Costa AzzurraI Don Giovanni della Costa Azzurra is a 1962 Italian film, directed by Vittorio Sala. It stars actor Gabriele Ferzetti.- Cast :*Curd Jürgens - Mr...
(1962) (uncredited) - The Shortest DayIl giorno più cortoIl giorno più corto is a 1962 Italian Comedy film. It is a parody of the war movie The Longest Day and stars the popular duo Ciccio Ingrassia and Franco Franchi in the leading roles...
(1962) - Banana Peel (1963)
- Magnet of Doom (1963)
- Sweet and SourSweet and Sour (film)Sweet and Sour is a 1963 French-Italian comedy film directed by Jacques Baratier and starring Guy Bedos.-Cast:* Jean Babilée - Oscar* Guy Bedos - Gerard* Jean-Paul Belmondo - Raymond* Claude Brasseur - Plumber* Françoise Brion - Striptease Girl...
(1963) - Mare matto (1963)
- That Man from RioL'Homme de RioThat Man From Rio is a 1964 adventure film directed by Philippe de Broca and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Françoise Dorléac, the sister of Catherine Deneuve. Concidentally, Belmondo would later star with Deneuve in the 1969 film Mississippi Mermaid, also a United Artists film...
(1964) - Greed in the SunGreed in the SunGreed in the Sun is a 1964 French comedy film directed by Henri Verneuil. It was entered into the 1964 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Jean-Paul Belmondo - Rocco* Lino Ventura - Hervé Marec dit 'Le plouc'* Reginald Kernan - John Steiner alias Peter Frocht...
(1964) - Backfire (1964)
- La Chasse à l'homme (1964)
- Weekend at Dunkirk (1964)
- Crime on a Summer MorningCrime on a Summer MorningCrime on a Summer Morning is a 1965 crime film directed by Jacques Deray and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo.-Cast:* Jean-Paul Belmondo - Francis* Sophie Daumier - Monique* Geraldine Chaplin - Zelda* Gabriele Ferzetti - Vic Dermatt...
(1965) - Pierrot le FouPierrot le fouPierrot le fou is a 1965 French film directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Anna Karina and Jean-Paul Belmondo. The film is based on Obsession, a novel by Lionel White. It was Jean-Luc Godard's tenth feature film, released between Alphaville and Masculin, féminin...
(1965) - Chinese Adventures in ChinaChinese Adventures in ChinaChinese Adventures in China is a 1965 French adventure comedy film starred by Jean Paul Belmondo and Ursula Andress. It was directed by Philippe de Broca and written by Daniel Boulanger, loosely based on the 1879 novel Tribulations of a Chinaman in China by Jules Verne....
(1965) - Is Paris Burning?Is Paris Burning?Is Paris Burning? is a 1966 film dealing with the 1944 liberation of Paris by rival branches of the French Resistance and the Free French Forces.-Plot:...
(1966) - Tender Scoundrel (1966)
- The Thief of ParisThe Thief of ParisThe Thief of Paris is a 1967 French film directed by Louis Malle and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo as a professional thief at the turn of the century in Paris. The movie is based on a book of the same title by Georges Darien. The story centers on his burglaries as well as his ongoing relationship...
(1967) - Casino RoyaleCasino Royale (1967 film)Casino Royale is a 1967 comedy spy film originally produced by Columbia Pictures starring an ensemble cast of directors and actors. It is set as a satire of the James Bond film series and the spy genre, and is loosely based on Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel.The film stars David Niven as the...
(1967) - Ho! (1968)
- The Brain (1969)
- Mississippi MermaidMississippi MermaidMississippi Mermaid is a French film directed by François Truffaut. The film is adapted from the 1947 William Irish novel Waltz into Darkness. The film features Jean-Paul Belmondo, Catherine Deneuve, and others. The film was the 17th highest grossing film of the year with a total of 1,221,027...
(1969) - Love Is a Funny Thing (1969)
- Dieu a choisi Paris (1969)
- BorsalinoBorsalino (film)Borsalino is a 1970 gangster film directed by Jacques Deray and starring Alain Delon, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Catherine Rouvel. It was entered into the 20th Berlin International Film Festival....
(1970) - The BurglarsLe CasseLe Casse is a 1971 movie directed by French director Henri Verneuil, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Omar Sharif and Robert Hossein. It is based on the 1953 novel by David Goodis and revolves around a team of four burglars chased by a corrupt cop in Athens...
(1971) - The Married Couple of the Year TwoThe Married Couple of the Year TwoThe Married Couple of the Year Two is a 1971 French comedy film directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau. It was entered into the 1971 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Jean-Paul Belmondo - Nicolas Philibert* Marlène Jobert - Charlotte* Laura Antonelli - Pauline...
(1971) - Dr. PopaulDr. PopaulDr. Popaul is a 1972 French black comedy film directed by Claude Chabrol. At the time of its release, it was the biggest hit of Chabrol's career...
(1972) - La Scoumoune (1972)
- L'Héritier (1973)
- Le MagnifiqueLe MagnifiqueLe Magnifique is a French movie released in 1973, starring Jacqueline Bisset and Jean-Paul Belmondo.Le Magnifique is a slapstick spoof of B-series espionage movies and novels.-Synopsis:...
(1973) - StaviskyStaviskyStavisky... is a 1974 French film drama based on the life of the financier and embezzler Alexandre Stavisky and the circumstances leading to his mysterious death in 1934. This gave rise to a political scandal known as the Stavisky Affair, which led to fatal riots in Paris, the resignation of two...
(1974) - Peur sur la ville (1975)
- IncorrigibleIncorrigible (film)Incorrigible is a 1975 French comedy film directed by Philippe de Broca and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Geneviève Bujold and Capucine.-Main cast:* Jean-Paul Belmondo - Victor Vauthier...
(1975) - Hunter Will Get YouL'AlpagueurL'Alpagueur is a film adaptation of the original scenario from Philippe Labro directed by him and featuring Jean-Paul Belmondo in the title role and Bruno Cremer as L'Epervier....
(1976) - Body of My Enemy (1976)
- L'AnimalAnimal (1977 film)L'Animal is an action-comedy film directed by Claude Zidi and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Raquel Welch-Plot:Mike is a stuntman who works with his girlfriend Jane . On their wedding day Mike and Jane are forced by producers to do a stunt for a film they are working on...
(1977) - Cop or Hood (1979)
- Le GuignoloLe GuignoloLe Guignolo is a French film starring Lily Fayol....
(1980) - The ProfessionalLe ProfessionnelLe Professionnel is a 1981 French action thriller film directed by French director Georges Lautner, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Desailly and Robert Hossein, based on the award-winning 1976 novel Death of a Thin-Skinned Animal by Patrick Alexander.The music is composed by Ennio Morricone and...
(1981) - L'As des asL'as des asL'as des as is a 1982 French-German comedy film starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and directed by Gérard Oury.-Plot:...
(1982) - The Outsider (1983)
- Les MorfalousLes MorfalousLes Morfalous is a 1984 action-comedy French film, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and directed by Henri Verneuil, featuring the French Foreign Legion during the Second World War.- Plot :...
(1984) - Happy Easter (1984)
- Rufianes Y Tramposos (1984)
- Hold-UpHold-Up (film)Hold-Up is a Franco-Canadian crime comedy from 1985, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and directed by Alexandre Arcady. The screenplay by Arcady, Daniel Saint-Hamont and Francis Veber is based on the novel Quick Change by Jay Cronley...
(1985) - The Loner (1987)
- Itinéraire d'un enfant gâtéItinéraire d'un enfant gâtéItinéraire d'un enfant gaté is a French film directed by Claude Lelouch in 1988.-Synopsis:A foundling, raised in the circus, Sam Lion becomes a businessman after a trapeze accident. However, when he reaches fifty and becomes tired of his responsibilities and of his son Jean-Philippe, he decides to...
(1988) - Stranger in the House (1992)
- [A Hundred and One Nights]] (1995)
- Les MisérablesLes Misérables (1995 film)Les Misérables is a 1995 film written and directed by Claude Lelouch. Set in France during World War II, it concerns a poor and illiterate man Henri Fortin who is introduced to Victor Hugo's classic novel Les Misérables and begins to see parallels between it and his own life.-Plot:The film starts...
(1995) - DésiréDésiré (film)Désiré is a 1996 French film directed by Bernard Murat. The film is based on the play of the same name by Sacha Guitry....
(1996) - Half a Chance (1998)
- Peut-être (1999)
- Actors (2000)
- Amazon (2000)
- Down in the Boondocks (2008)
- A Man and His DogA Man and His DogA Man and His Dog is a 2009 French film directed by French director Francis Huster, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, based on the 1952 film Umberto D...
(2009)
External links
- Jean-Paul Belmondo’s fans forum (eng)
- Belmondo Biography on newwavefilm.com
- Jean-Paul Belmondo at filmsdefrance.com