Veteran of French cinema Rochefort dies at age 87
LOS ANGELES — French actor Jean Rochefort, who rose to prominence in the 1960s and was equally adept at arthouse dramas and crowd-pleasing comedies, appearing in “The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe” and “Pardon Mon Affaire” as well as Patrice Leconte’s “The Hairdresser’s Husband” and “Ridicule,” has died. He was 87.
Rochefort died in a Paris hospital on Sunday night. The actor’s death was confirmed by daughter Clemence, one of his five children.
His potential English-language breakthrough, as the Don Quixote character in Terry Gilliam’s “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote,” was famously abandoned during production.
A pillar of French cinema, Rochefort made his leap into the limelight in the 1960s, mainly in costume dramas that were well-suited to the actor’s aristocratic composure, such as “Cartouche” (1962), from helmer Philippe de Broca, about the famous 18th-century brigand, played by JeanPaul Belmondo.
After co-starring in a series of period adventure films, such as the popular “Angelique” series, the actor took on more clearly comedic roles.
With Yves Robert, he made 1970s cult comedies including “The Tall Blond Man With One Black Shoe” and the Golden-globe nominated “Pardon Mon Affaire” and its popular sequel “We Will All Meet in Paradise.” In the 1990s, director Patrice Leconte led the actor in his most wide-ranging performances in dramatic comedies such as “The Hairdresser’s Husband.”