“Forgotten Hollywood”- Essoufflé
Manny P. here…
“`Jean-Paul Belmondo was an actor associated with New Wave cinema of the 1960s and was a major French movie star for many decades. His appeal, a mix of cynicism, sensitivity, warmth, and guile, established a fresh form of romanticism that earned him parts in collaboration with French directors, Francois Truffaut, Alain Resnais, and Louis Malle. His well known productions include Breathless and That Man from Rio. Ursula Andress was one of his many partners.
“`Belmondo studied under Raymond Giraud and attended Conservatoire of Dramatic Arts when he was twenty. He had a success in 1958 on stage in Oscar in Paris and that led to him being offered the lead in star parts. He was cast in Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless, which was a major success in France and overseas and launched Belmondo internationally.
“`He supported Sophia Loren in Two Women in 1961. After its release, the New York Times called Belmondo:
The most impressive young French actor since the advent of the late Gérard Philipe
“`A 1965 profile compared him to Humphrey Bogart and James Dean. He was open to making Hollywood movies, but he wanted to play an American rather than a Frenchman. He was also interested in Cary Grant-type roles instead of Dean / Bogart-type parts. Belmondo remained a charismatic actor who often performed his own stunts.
“`Other films included Is Paris Burning?, Casino Royale, Mississippi Mermaid, The Brain, Love is a Funny Thing, The Burglars, and The Professional. Inspired by the success Alain Delon had producing his own films, Belmondo formed his own production company, Cerito Films.
“`Knighted in his native France, he was honored on three different occasions for his cinematic work. In 2009, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association gave him a career achievement award.
“`Jean-Paul Belmondo (above right) was eight-eight.
Until next time> “never forget”
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