Actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, star of ‘Breathless,’ dies at 88

PARIS (AP) — Jean-Paul Belmondo, star of the iconic French New Wave film “Breathless,” whose crooked boxer’s nose and rakish grin went on to make him one of the country’s most recognizable leading men, has died at 88.

His death was confirmed Monday by his lawyer’s office.

Belmondo’s career spanned 50 years. He embodied in the 1960s a new type of male film star, one characterized by pure virility rather than classic good looks.

The French actor went on to appear in more than 80 films and worked with a variety of major French directors, from Francois Truffaut to Claude Lelouch and Jean-Luc Godard.

French President Emmanuel Macron called Belmondo a “national treasure” in an homage on Twitter and Instagram.

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