Historical Figures Codexery

Jean-Paul Belmondo

French New Wave icon and national treasure who performed his own stunts and refused Hollywood.

He became a major figure in the French New Wave after starring in Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless (1960).[1][2] Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo, who worked as an actor, producer, and distributor, was born on 9 April 1933 in Neuilly-sur-Seine.[1][3] Over a 50-year span, Belmondo's films drew close to 160 million spectators, and he was likened to James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Humphrey Bogart.[4][5]

Quick Facts

Birth name
Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo
Born
9 April 1933
Birthplace
Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Died
6 September 2021
Place of death
Paris, France
Other names
Bébel
Occupation
  • Actor
  • film and play producer
  • film distributor
Years active
1953–2016

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Belmondo studied at the Conservatoire of Dramatic Arts for three years and received only an honourable mention in August 1956 after participating in a sketch mocking the school.[6] His acting career began in 1953 with two performances at the Théâtre de l'Atelier in Paris.[7] He first appeared in the short Moliere (1956) and had his first film role in On Foot, on Horse, and on Wheels (1957).[8] Belmondo's father, Paul Belmondo, a Pied-Noir sculptor born in Algeria with Italian ancestry, and his mother, Sarah Madeleine Rainaud-Richard, a painter, were his parents.[3]

During his youth, boxing and soccer held more appeal for him than academic pursuits.[3] On 10 May 1949 in Paris, Belmondo had his first amateur boxing match, and between 1949 and 1950 he achieved three consecutive first-round knockouts.[9] By starring in Jean-Luc Godard's 1960 film Breathless, Belmondo became a prominent figure within the French New Wave.[2] In 1971, he purchased a 50% stake in René Chateau, thereby entering the fields of film production and distribution.[10]

From 1975 onward, he directed his acting career toward more commercially oriented films.[4] After a gap of 26 years, Belmondo went back to the stage in 1987 for a production of Kean.[11]

What the cited sources add

The René Chateau Vidéo account states Belmondo was the only actor in the world since Chaplin to be a distributor of his own films.[12] The UPI report says Belmondo's career all but ended in 2011 when he suffered a stroke while on holiday in Corsica.[13] Faroutmagazine describes Belmondo as the cool, rebellious figurehead for the French New Wave movement.[14] The Guardian profile states Belmondo showed no aptitude for or interest in learning English and making it in Hollywood.[15]

That same source describes Belmondo as an essential component of both French cinema's history and the nation of France itself.[15]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Jean-Paul Belmondo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Morain, "La Ciociara", Festival La Rochelle; Scovell, "Le Doulos: the violent French film that changed crime cinema"; Colombani, "« L'Homme de Rio » : Tintin au pays de Bébel"; "Cent mille dollars au soleil", La Cinémathèque; Martin, "Avant Dunkerque, l'immense film sur la débâcle avec Belmondo"; Colombani, "« L'Homme de Rio » : Tintin au pays de Bébel" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Jean-Paul Belmondo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "'Breathless' star Jean-Paul Belmondo dies at 88", Los Angeles Times, 6 September 2021; Pulver, "Jean-Paul Belmondo, star of Breathless, dies aged 88", The Guardian, 6 September 2021 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Jean-Paul Belmondo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lyman, "Jean-Paul Belmondo, Magnetic Star of the French New Wave, Dies at 88", The New York Times, 6 September 2021; Frodon, "Jean-Paul Belmondo est mort", Le Monde, 6 September 2021; Bébel – Jean-Paul Belmondo Fanlisting; "Famous French people of immigrant origin, Eupedia : France Guide", Eupedia.com, 14 April 2013; "Belmondo : "J'aimerais bien rejouer"", Leparisien.fr, 9 April 2015; Beaucarnot, "Dictionnaire étonnant des célébrités", EDI8, 11 June 2015; Vandoorne, "Jean-Paul Belmondo, the battered face of French New Wave cinema, di en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Jean-Paul Belmondo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "A propos de", René Chateau Vidéo; Calvi, "Mort de Jean-Paul Belmondo : pourquoi le film "Stavisky" a marqué "une césure" dans sa carrière", RTL (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Jean-Paul Belmondo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lyman, "Jean-Paul Belmondo, Magnetic Star of the French New Wave, Dies at 88", The New York Times, 6 September 2021; "Actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, the star of 'Breathless', has died aged 88", Faroutmagazine, 6 September 2021; Lyman, "Jean-Paul Belmondo, Magnetic Star of the French New Wave, Dies at 88", The New York Times, 6 September 2021; "France mourns "immortal" Belmondo, will pay national tribute on Thursday", Reuters, 7 September 2021 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Jean-Paul Belmondo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Barry, "'That Man' Belmondo on a Movie Merry-Go-Round", The New York Times, 21 June 1964; Barry, "'That Man' Belmondo on a Movie Merry-Go-Round", The New York Times, 21 June 1964; Lyman, "Jean-Paul Belmondo, Magnetic Star of the French New Wave, Dies at 88", The New York Times, 6 September 2021; Barry, "'That Man' Belmondo on a Movie Merry-Go-Round", The New York Times, 21 June 1964; Schneider, "'A Punk With Charm': That role has made Belmondo a new rage", The New York Times, 7 May 1961, p. SM84; Barry, "'That Man' Belmondo on a Movi en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Jean-Paul Belmondo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Jean Paul Belmondo", Le Film Guide; Guérif, "Belmondo", PAC, 1976, p. 81 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Jean-Paul Belmondo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lyman, "Jean-Paul Belmondo, Magnetic Star of the French New Wave, Dies at 88", The New York Times, 6 September 2021; "The A to Z of French Cinema", Scarecrow Press, 2009, p. 51; "Jean-Paul Belmondo, French Actor and Star of 'Breathless,' Dies at 88", The Wrap, 6 September 2021; "Jean-Paul Belmondo, French Actor and Star of 'Breathless,' Dies at 88", The Wrap, 6 September 2021 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Jean-Paul Belmondo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lyman, "Jean-Paul Belmondo, Magnetic Star of the French New Wave, Dies at 88", The New York Times, 6 September 2021; Schneider, "'A Punk With Charm': That role has made Belmondo a new rage", The New York Times, 7 May 1961, p. SM84; "Jean-Paul Belmondo - Amateur Boxing Record", Boxing-scoop.com; Schneider, "'A Punk With Charm': That role has made Belmondo a new rage", The New York Times, 7 May 1961, p. SM84 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Jean-Paul Belmondo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "A propos de", René Chateau Vidéo (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Jean-Paul Belmondo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Riding, "Belmondo Revels in Playing Cyrano in Paris", The New York Times, 14 March 1990; Riding, "Belmondo Revels in Playing Cyrano in Paris", The New York Times, 14 March 1990; Riding, "Belmondo Revels in Playing Cyrano in Paris", The New York Times, 14 March 1990 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. "A propos de", René Chateau Vidéo. facts only, no text reused. renechateauvideo.com
  13. "Quintessential French film star Jean-Paul Belmondo dies at 88", UPI. facts only, no text reused. upi.com
  14. "Actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, the star of 'Breathless', has died aged 88", Faroutmagazine, 6 September 2021. facts only, no text reused. faroutmagazine.co.uk
  15. "Jean-Paul Belmondo: the beaten-up icon who made crime sexy", The Guardian, 6 September 2021. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Jean-Paul Belmondo (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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