Los Angeles: Acclaimed French actor Michel Piccoli, known for films Le Mepris (Contempt) and Belle De Jour, has died at the age of 94. Michel Piccoli passed away last week. However, his family confirmed to French media the news Sunday but no cause of death was given, reported ‘Deadline’.
With more than 200 movies to his credit, Piccoli had a prolific stage and screen career in European cinema. It began in the late 1940s. He retired only recently in 2015.
Enviable list
The veteran worked the likes of directors Jean-Luc Godard, Luis Bunuel, Jean Renoir, Alfred Hitchcock, Jacques Rivette and Jean-Pierre Melville.
Close to home, Piccoli worked with Godard on Contempt (1963) and Passion (1982). He also starred in Spanish director Bunuel’s films such as 1967’s Belle de jour, and 1969’s The Milky Way.
Major Awards
Piccoli bagged the best actor award in Cannes Film Festival in 1980 for Marco Bellochio’s A Leap In The Dark. Two years later, he went on to earn a Silver Bear at Berlinale for Pierre Granier-Deferre’s Strange Affair. He received four ‘Cesar’ nominations.
The actor’s last major role was in Nanni Moretti’s Habemus Papam, which premiered in competition in Cannes in 2011. The movie earned him a ‘David di Donatello’ award for best actor in Italy.
Piccoli was married three times, most recently to screenwriter Ludivine Clerc from 1978 until his death.
AFP