Jean-Paul Belmondo was born on April 9, 1933, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, as the son of the renowned Italian-born French sculptor Paul Belmondo. He had two siblings, Alain Belmondo and Muriel Belmondo.

During his youth, Jean-Paul Belmondo was deeply involved in sports. He practiced boxing during his school years—an experience that resulted in his famously broken nose—and also played football as a goalkeeper. At the age of sixteen, he contracted tuberculosis and was forced to abandon his athletic life. By the time he reached his early twenties, acting began to capture his interest.

In 1952, Jean-Paul Belmondo entered the Paris Conservatory, where he trained in acting and appeared in small roles in various theater productions. His cinematic career began with art-house films and later evolved toward action-comedy cinema. He made his film debut in 1957 with Sois belle et tais-toi directed by Marc Allégret. Notably, the same film featured Alain Delon, who would later be regarded as his greatest on-screen rival.

Belmondo skillfully embraced both his unconventional looks and natural charm, presenting an authentic and spontaneous presence before the camera. His sudden rise to fame endured for decades, during which he appeared in numerous celebrated productions.

The film that brought Jean-Paul Belmondo worldwide recognition was the lighthearted adventure Cartouche (1962), directed by Philippe de Broca. Set before the French Revolution, the film portrayed Belmondo as a daring swordsman who defied royal authority, leapt across rooftops, and flirted with the captivating Claudia Cardinale. This role proved decisive in shaping his screen persona.

He reunited with de Broca in 1964 for That Man from Rio. Throughout the second half of the 1960s, Belmondo solidified his fame with a string of successful adventure and action films that drew massive audiences, including Tender Scoundrel, Pierrot le Fou, Chinese Adventures in China, and The Brain.

In 1971, Jean-Paul Belmondo founded his own production company, Cerito. Known for performing his own stunts without the use of doubles, he personally undertook dangerous action scenes throughout his career. This practice continued until a serious accident during the filming of Hold-Up in 1985, after which he abandoned this principle.

In 2001, Belmondo suffered a stroke that forced him to step away from filmmaking. Nevertheless, most of his films are now regarded as classics of French cinema. In recognition of his exceptional contributions to film and theater, he was awarded the rank of Commandeur of the Légion d’Honneur in 2007, one of France’s highest distinctions.

Several action comic characters, including those from Cobra and Blueberry, were inspired by Jean-Paul Belmondo’s screen image.

Jean-Paul Belmondo appeared in a total of eighty-one films, predominantly in the adventure-comedy genre. He died on September 6, 2021, at the age of eighty-eight.

Marriages
1st wife: Élodie Constantin (m. December 4, 1953 – div. 1965), a dancer. They had three children: Patricia Belmondo (b. 1958 – d. 1994), Florence Belmondo (b. 1960), and Paul Belmondo (b. 1963). After the divorce, Belmondo had long relationships with Ursula Andress and later with Italian actress Laura Antonelli.
2nd wife: Natty Belmondo (m. December 29, 2002 – div. March 2008). They had one daughter, Stella Belmondo (b. August 13, 2003).

Selected Films
Breathless, Cartouche, That Man from Rio, Pierrot le Fou, Borsalino, Le Magnifique, The Professional, Danton, Itinéraire d’un enfant gâté, Les Misérables

Source: Biyografiler.com