Belmondo, Jean-Paul (zhäN-pōl bĕlmôNdō`), 1933–, French film actor, b. Neuilly-sur-Seine, studied Paris Conservatory. Belmondo made his film debut in 1957, but first gained fame in Breathless (1960), playing a restless, flippant young hoodlum. His particularly disengaged style appealed to young audiences of the day, making him France's most popular male film star throughout the 1960s. This antiheroic demeanor also made him one of the most important actors in the nouvelle vague (new wave) films of such filmmakers as Jean-Luc Godard Godard, Jean-Luc (zhäN-lük gôdär`), 1930–, French film director and scriptwriter, b. Paris.
..... Click the link for more information. , François Truffaut Truffaut, François (fräNswä` trüfō`), 1932–84, French film director and critic.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Louis Malle Malle, Louis (lwē mäl), 1932–95, French film director, b. Thumeries, France.
..... Click the link for more information. . In later years, Belmondo starred in an immensely popular series of action movies. His other films include Moderato Cantabile (1960), That Man from Rio (1964), Pierrot le Fou (1965), The Mississippi Mermaid (1968), Borsolino (1970), Stavisky (1974), and L'Animal (1977). Among his later films are Joyeuses Pâques (1984), L'Inconnu dans la maison (1992), Désiré (1996), Peut-être (1999), and Amazon (2000). In the 1960s, Belmondo founded his own film company, and in 1990 he established another, Annabel Productions.

Belmondo, Jean-Paul

(born April 9, 1933, Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, France) French film actor. After studying in Paris and performing with provincial stage companies, he appeared in minor film roles before achieving international fame in Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless (1960). Though not conventionally handsome, he became the leading antihero of New Wave cinema, acting in 25 films by 1963, then went on to appear in such acclaimed films as Pierrot le Fou (1965), Mississippi Mermaid (1969), and Les Misérables (1995).