Jean-Paul Belmondo: Star Power Meets Artistic Revolution

Jean-Paul Belmondo's appearance in Godard's "Breathless" (1960) created a new type of movie star. As the small-time crook Michel Poiccard, Belmondo brought a casual cool that seemed to define a generation. His improvisational style, physical presence, and ability to break the fourth wall made him perfect for Godard's radical approach.

But Belmondo was shrewd enough not to limit himself to art films. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he alternated between challenging New Wave projects and commercial action films, becoming one of France's biggest box office draws. This ability to straddle both worlds—artistic and commercial—would become a model for French actors.

His collaborations with directors like Jean-Pierre Melville ("Léon Morin, Priest," 1961), Philippe de Broca ("That Man from Rio," 1964), and Claude Lelouch showed an actor of remarkable versatility. Whether performing his own death-defying stunts or delivering philosophical monologues, Belmondo maintained the same easy charisma that made him a star.