Marion Gauthier and Elise Denjean, in Paris 8:20 p.m., September 6, 2021, modified at 8:21 p.m., September 6, 2021

Jean-Paul Belmondo passed away on Monday at the age of 88.

For many, it was "Bébel".

The man was a popular actor par excellence, with characters belonging to the collective memory of the French.

He left many cult images and lines.

Europe 1 visited several must-see places where the actor left his mark.

REPORTING

For many French people, it was "Bébel".

With the death of Jean-Paul Belmondo, at the age of 88, the 7th art loses one of its most popular figures, an actor who knows how to do everything, without taking himself too seriously.

He has shot in action films but also in the best hours of auteur cinema.

In short, he won the hearts of many French people.

Europe 1 handed them the microphone.

"Someone absolutely delicious"

The emotion was strong in the 6th arrondissement of Paris where Jean-Paul Belmondo lived for a long time.

He left many memories there because many locals have an anecdote about it.

The actor will have left an indelible mark, says Annette.

The one nicknamed "the neighborhood granny" and whose son runs the grocery store right next to the artist's former home keeps a very precise memory of the actor.

"It was the joy of living. We saw him arrive in the evening like that with his little dog and that's why I'm moved," she says, in tears. 

An artist among artists, in this district where art galleries are numerous and where Jean-Paul Belmondo strolled for a long time.

Vincent Amiaux, of the Galerie des Modernes, remembers a "very charming artist. He was someone who was faithful to the image all French people had of him. He was someone of absolutely delicious and I have fond memories of it. "

So part of the neighborhood is leaving and part of its inhabitants, says Margaride, who lives next door.

"It's my youth that is going away too. He's the same age as me and I was wondering 'what am I doing here?'", She explains.

"It's the first person who made me want to go to the movies"

A shared emotion at the exit of a Parisian cinema in the Odeon district. Many spectators were all very moved when they learned of the actor's death. Nostalgia already in his eyes, actor Roschdy Zem shakes his head while buying his cinema ticket. "It is quite simply the first person who gave me the desire to go to the cinema, the first person that I idolized. Me, I have a memory of family projection. What he gave off, this which emanated from him was unanimous and he pleased the parents, he pleased them children. The advantage of a personality like that of Belmondo is that they have done a remarkable and above all indelible job ", says it to Europe 1.

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Jean-Paul Belmondo made his classes by playing in hospitals but he entered every home, underlines the actor.

He will remain an icon for moviegoers who quote

Breathless

or

The Man from Rio

.

He will remain a banter, a mocking smile, an authenticity that marked Julien.

"I remember having crossed by chance on the Champs-Élysées, there were young people who recognized him and who wanted to be photographed with him", explains this Parisian.

"I saw that he was super happy to please these young people. We felt someone warm, open and passionate about what he did. It's true that it's sad," he says. he.

"I am going to introduce Belmondo to my children"

Even if sadness prevails for the moment, Vincent intends to celebrate "the Magnificent" in his own way.

"Belmondo is one of the cornerstones of cinema, at least in France, he is someone we will miss a lot and it is perhaps the opportunity for the youngest to rediscover these films, precisely. My children. for example, I will tape them in front of the television so that they finally discover Belmondo ", he explains.

A page of French cinema is turning unexpectedly, adds a spectator.

For some, the program for tonight has already been found: watch one of Belmondo's films so as not to let it go too quickly.

A sign that the Grand Duke was one of those personalities who are believed to be immortal.