The veteran actor, who had worked with Alfred Hitchcock, Jean-Luc Godard and Jean-Pierre Melville among others, was known for winning Cannes' Best Actor prize for his role in 'A Leap in the Dark'.
- May 19, 2020
AceShowbiz - French screen veteran Michel Piccoli has died aged 94.
Piccoli's family confirmed his passing to French media on Monday, May 18, telling AFP (Agence France-Presse) that he died "in the arms of his wife Ludivine and his children Inord and Missia after a stroke."
Throughout his career, Piccoli starred in more than 200 movies, including his roles in seminal films "Le Mepris (Contempt)" and "Belle De Jour". He also worked with a huge array of esteemed directors, among them; Alfred Hitchcock, Jean Renoir, Jean-Luc Godard, Jacques Rivette and Jean-Pierre Melville.
Piccoli was awarded the Best Actor prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1980 for his role in Marco Bellocchio’s "A Leap in the Dark", and collected the Silver Bear gong at the Berlin Film Festival two years later for Pierre Granier-Deferre's "Une Etrange Affaire (Strange Affair)".
He was also nominated for four Cesar awards, and earned a David di Donatello Award, given out by the Accademia del Cinema Italiano, for his last major role in 2011 movie "Habemus Papam (We Have a Pope)".
