JeanPaul Belmondo born 9 April 1933 6 September 2021 was a French actor initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s Born in NeuillysurSeine HautsdeSeine west of Paris Belmondo did not perform well in school but developed a passion for boxing and football Belmondo made his amateur boxing debut on 10 May 1949 in Paris France when he knocked out Rene DesMarais in one round Belmondos boxing career was undefeated but brief He won three straight first round knockout victories from 1949 to 1950 His breakthrough role was in JeanLuc Godards Breathless 1960 which made him a major figure in the French New Wave Later he acted in JeanPierre Melvilles philosophical movie Leon Morin Priest 1961 and in Melvilles 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 Belmondos finest performance Until the mid1980s when he ceased to be one of Frances biggest boxoffice stars Belmondos 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 which was his last performance Belmondo died on 6 September 2021 at his home in Paris after a period of ill health at the age of 88 Description above from the Wikipedia article JeanPaul Belmondo licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia
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