Jean-Paul Belmondo, the French actor who gained international fame in the classic film "Breathless", has passed away at the age of 88, his lawyer confirmed the news to Agence-France Presse.

Belmondo - nicknamed Bébel by French audiences - became one of the biggest stars in the '60s and' 70s. He was a key figure in the prominent generation of European films of that period, including the roles in the outstanding films of director Jean-Luc Godard, "A Woman Is a Woman" and "Pierrot le Fou".

I lindur në vitin 1933 në periferi të Parisit,Belmondo ndoqi një sërë shkollash private elitare, ndonëse ai shfaqi më shumë interes për sportin dhe nisi një karrierë të shkurtër boksi amator si adoleshent. Pasi u infektua me tuberkuloz, u interesua për shfaqje dhe aplikoi në Akademinë elitare të Arteve Dramatike, duke fituar një vend në 1952.

Pas diplomimit, Belmondo filloi të aktrojë në teatër dhe siguroi një varg rolesh të vogla nëpër filma. Suksesi i “Breathless” e katapultoi atë në qendër të vëmendjes dhe shpejt u bë një yll ndërkombëtar, duke luajtur me emra të njohur të kohës, si Sophia Loren në filmin “Two Women”. Megjithatë ai preferoi të përqëndrohej në kinemanë franceze.

Belmondo appeared in several French productions in the mid-1980s, with comedy, action movies and crime dramas, but his work began to slow down at the end of the decade and he returned to the theater.

In 2001, he was hospitalized for a stroke and did not make any films until 2009 with "A Man and His Dog."

Belmondo was married twice, to actress odlodie Constantin between 1952 and 1968 and ballerina Natty Tardivel from 2002-2008. He had many relationships with famous names, including Ursula Andress in the late 1960s, Laura Antonelli in the 1970s.

Sources: Agence-France Presse, Guardian, Euronews