Jacques Villeret
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- February 6, 1951
- Died
- January 28, 2005 (aged 53)
- Birthplace
- Tours, Indre-et-Loire, France
Biography
Jacques Villeret (6 February 1951 – 28 January 2005) was a French actor, best known internationally for his role as François Pignon in the comedy Le Dîner de Cons. During his career, he earned many awards including the prestigious medal and title of Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur. Villeret was born Jacky Boufroura in Loches, Indre-et-Loire, France, to an Algerian father and a French mother. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris (CNSAD) in the same class as Louis Seigner, the grandfather of Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathilde Seigner. While he was most famous for his role as François Pignon in Le Dîner de Cons; both on the stage and in the film, his other celebrated roles included the extra terrestrial in La soupe aux choux, the autistic Mo in L'été en pente douce, and marshal Ludwig von Apfelstrudel in Papy fait de la résistance. At the time of making the film Un aller simple directed by Laurent Heynemann – a film about integration and racism and the clash of generations – he said that watching the young actors in the film, Barbara Schulz and Lorant Deutsch, reminded him of the insouciance he had had as a young man with his friends at the Conservatoire. When his career was at its height, with the success of Le Dîner de Cons, everything collapsed in a tragedy mirroring the plot of the film. Villeret separated from his wife and suffered an enormous financial downfall due to tax issues, plunging him into depression. Villeret turned to alcohol for comfort, and became an alcoholic. He isolated himself and hid away for long periods. He later said: Alcohol is a friend, but a friend who means you harm. Villeret's love of his profession helped to bring his career back from the brink. In an interview in 2001 he spoke of his admiration for performers like Johnny Hallyday and Jacques Brel for their level of commitment, and quoted the author Louis-Ferdinand Céline: When I write, I put my balls on the table. In 1979 Villeret married Irina Tarassov, an actress and writer. They separated in 1998. Tassarov wrote about their life together in her book Un jour, tout ira bien. (One day, everything will go well). In 2002 Villeret met Seny, a Senegalese-French widow descended through her grandfather, Mor Diarra N'Dao, from a long line of Sérès nobles of the ancient Kingdom of Saloum, and they fell instantly and deeply in love. They were partners for three years, and she was about to move to Paris to be with him when he died in Évreux in January 2005 of a liver haemorrhage. Seny wrote a memoir of their life together, Jacques Villeret, mon bébé blanc, which was published in Paris by Le Cherche Midi in 2005. Source: Article "Jacques Villeret" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Known For
Filmography
Jacques Villeret, drôlement tragique
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
L'Âge d'or de la pub
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Belmondo: The Incorrigible
Movie
Il était une fois Champs-Élysées
TV · as Self (archive footage) · 1 ep
La Folle Histoire de François Pignon - De La chèvre au Dîner de cons
Movie · as Self
The Do-Gooders
Movie · as lucien
Grey Souls
Movie · as Le juge Mierck
Iznogoud
Movie · as Haroun El Poussah
The Antidote
Movie · as André Morin
Viper in the Fist
Movie · as Jacques Rézeau
Malabar Princess
Movie · as Gaspard
Le Furet
Movie · as le Furet
Strange Gardens
Movie · as Jacques Pouzay
One Way Ticket
Movie · as Jean-Pierre
A Crime in Paradise
Movie · as Jojo Braconnier
Actors
Movie · as Jacques Villeret
The Children of the Marshland
Movie · as Henri Pignol, aka Riton
The Dinner Game
Movie · as François Pignon
Mookie
Movie · as Frère Benoît
Vivement dimanche
TV · as Self · 2 eps
Le Dernier Été
Movie · as Georges Mandel
Georges Dandin de Molière
Movie · as Georges Dandin
Golden Boy
Movie · as Antoine Bonvoisin
Wacko
Movie · as Le pompiste
Le Bal des casse-pieds
Movie · as Jérôme, le présentateur de la météo
The Drummer of Ravel's Boléro
Movie · as Le batteur
588 rue Paradis
Movie · as Alexandre Pagès
The Son of the Mekong
Movie · as Durieux
Un fil à la patte
Movie · as Bouzin
The Professional Secrets of Dr. Apfelgluck
Movie · as Martineau
The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish
Movie · as Lingerie Man
Three Years
Movie · as Alexandre Guillermen
La Petite Amie
Movie · as Guillaume Bertin
Nailcruncher
Movie · as Salomon
Last Summer in Tangiers
Movie · as Marcus
L'été en pente douce
Movie · as Maurice Leheurt aka Mo
Keep Your Right Up
Movie · as Individual
C'est encore mieux l'après-midi
Movie · as Georges Pigier
Sale Temps
Movie
Nulle part ailleurs
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Matin Bonheur
TV · as Self · 2 eps
Sacrée soirée
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Les Folles Années du Twist
Movie · as M'sieur John Wayne
Black Mic Mac
Movie · as Michel Le Gorgues
The Joint Brothers
Movie · as Momo
La Galette du roi
Movie · as Utte de Danemark
Hold-up
Movie · as Jeremie Blanchet, chauffeur de taxi
Dialogue de sourds
Movie · as The blind
Drôle de samedi
Movie · as Maurice, the butcher
The Vultures
Movie · as Brigadier Béral
Danton
Movie · as François-Joseph Westermann
Gramps Is in the Resistance
Movie · as Maréchal Ludwig von Apfelstrudel
Waiter!
Movie · as Gilbert, Alex's friend
Move Along, There Is Nothing to See!
Movie · as Pelissier
Effraction
Movie · as Valentin Tralande, truand violent
Edith and Marcel
Movie · as Jacques Barbier
First Name: Carmen
Movie · as The Man Who Eats Yogurt
The Big Brother
Movie · as Inspecteur Coleau
Merci Bernard
TV · 2 eps
Champs-Elysées
TV · as Self · 9 eps
The Cabbage Soup
Movie · as L'Oxien (La Denrée)
Bolero
Movie · as Jacques
Malevil
Movie · as Momo
Us Two
Movie · as Tonton Musique
Heart to Heart
Movie · as Sitting student
Dumb But Disciplined
Movie · as Jacques Cardot
Out of Whack
Movie · as Henri Fisserman / Paul Flantier / Bouli / Dr. Delomien, ...
Le Rabat-joie
Movie · as Léon
Mountain Pass
Movie · as Georges
Robert et Robert
Movie · as Robert Villiers
Un Balcon en forêt
Movie · as Gourcuff
Mon Premier Amour
Movie · as Jacques Labrousse
Ciné regards
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Another Man, Another Chance
Movie · as Customer
The Good and the Bad
Movie · as Simon
The Castaways of Turtle Island
Movie · as Bernard Dupoirier, dit « Petit Nono »
A Second Chance
Movie · as L'agent immobilier
Nono Nénesse
Movie · as Nono
Serious as Pleasure
Movie · as Le gendarme
The Common Man
Movie · as Gérald
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
TV · as Self · 5 eps
Numéro un
TV · as Self, Self - Host · 11 eps
Midi Première
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Mouth Agape
Movie · as (uncredited)
Loving in the Rain
Movie · as Guillaume
And Now My Love
Movie
Spécial cinéma
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Nothing to Report
Movie · as Soldat Girot
Detective Story
Movie · as Le photographe
Le Grand Échiquier
TV · as Self · 4 eps
Discorama
TV · as Self · 1 ep