Jean Rochefort.

Training at the Conservatoire national supérieur d’art dramatique in the late 1940s, Jean Rochefort had to halt for military service. Born in Paris in 1930 to Fernande and Célestin Rochefort, he later studied at the Lycée Pierre-Corneille and the National School of Arts and Techniques of Theater.

Rochefort’s film career took off in the 1960s with Philippe de Broca films like Cartouche 1962 and Up to His Ears 1965. He became a star in the 1970s with roles in The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe 1972, Conspiratia 1973, and The Phantom of Liberty 1974. He won a César for Best Supporting Actor for The Clockmaker 1974 and Best Actor for Le Crabe-Tambour 1977. Later works include The Hairdresser’s Husband 1990 and Ridicule 1996.

He married three times: to Françoise Vidal, Alexandra Mosava, and Elisabeth Bardin. He had five children: Marie, Julien, Pierre, Clémence, and Louise. Son Pierre, born in 1981, is from a relationship with actress Nicole Garcia. Counted Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean-Pierre Marielle, and Philippe Noiret as close friends, appearing in 11 films with Noiret.

He received an Honorary César in 1999 for lifetime achievement. A passionate horse breeder, he owned the stables Le Haras de Villequoy, where future stars Guillaume Canet and Jean Dujardin worked. His dream role was Don Quixote, but illness halted Terry Gilliam’s film, documented in Lost in La Mancha 2002. His distinctive moustache and piercing eyes made him memorable across over 80 films.