Jean Rochefort Dies: Mustachioed Icon Of French Cinema Was 87
An icon of elegance and comedy with an instantly recognizable mustache, veteran French actor Jean Rochefort has died. The prolific talent and three-time César Award winner was hospitalized in August and passed away overnight Sunday, his family told AFP. He was 87.
Rochefort had nearly 150 films under his belt, including 1972 Cannes entry Hearth Fires opposite Annie Girardot, and that same year’s Le Grand Blond Avec Une Chaussure Noire (The Tall Blond Man With One Black Shoe) by Yves Robert; as well as Bertrand Tavernier’s 1975 hit Que La Fête Commence (Let Joy Reign Supreme); Pierre Schoendoerffer’s Le Crabe-Tambour in 1977; 1990’s The Hairdresser’s Husband from Patrice Leconte; and 2002’s Lost In La Mancha by Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe.
The latter is a documentary about Terry Gilliam’s ill-fated attempt to film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. Gilliam, who after 17 years recently wrapped production, began shooting the project in 2000 with Rochefort as Quixote. He suffered a double herniated disc during production.
Rochefort was born in Paris and began making movies in the 1950s. He grew to be one of France’s favorite actors, appearing in other popular titles like Philippe de Broca’s Cartouche with Jean-Paul Belmondo and Claudia Cardinale; Leconte’s Les Grands Ducs and Ridicule; and Robert’s Nous Irons Tous Au Paradis and Pardon Mon Affaire which Gene Wilder remade as The Woman In Red in 1984.
Rochefort also notably appeared on television in 1998 miniseries Le Comte De Monte Cristo opposite Gérard Depardieu. His last film role was in 2015’s Floride from director Philippe Le Guay.
Rochefort won a Best Supporting Actor César Award for Que La Fête Commence and a Best Actor César for Le Crabe-Tambour. He was given an honorary prize in 1999.
There’s been an outpouring on Twitter this morning. Here are some reactions:
Immensely talented #JeanRochefort passed away at the age of 87. He was the wit, the irony, the slow-burning charm. A timeless comedy icon. pic.twitter.com/k4tscoGqWR
— UniFrance (@uniFrance) October 9, 2017
Profonde tristesse après le décès de Jean Rochefort, acteur élégant, attachant, populaire. Un grand maître.
— Francoise Nyssen (@FrancoiseNyssen) October 9, 2017
Oh non! Pas Jean. Pas Rochefort. C'est trop à la fin… quelle tristesse. Et lui si fin, si drôle, si cheval-resque, si british. Salut Jean!
— gilles jacob (@jajacobbi) October 9, 2017
Rest in Peace Jean Rochefort. Here as Don Quixote #JeanRochefort pic.twitter.com/P9YAkfMo7s
— MUBI (@mubi) October 9, 2017
Au revoir Monsieur Jean Rochefort ! #JeanRochefort by @petitesluxures pic.twitter.com/BqeCKBjfXX
— Hugo Thannberger (@whoogy) October 9, 2017
The man w/the most famous moustache in French #cinema, #JeanRochefort, has died at 87. Below, the DVD cover from a 1976 classic: pic.twitter.com/XAneYnObTP
— Douglas Herbert (@dougf24) October 9, 2017
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