Vittel (France) (AFP)

The funeral of actor Robert Hossein, who died on December 31 at the age of 93, was celebrated in family intimacy in Vittel (Vosges) on Wednesday, where he left a "very nice" memory to the inhabitants.

The ceremony, closed to the press, took place at the Saint-Rémy church, in the presence of his wife, the actress Candice Patou, and about sixty people, some from the cultural world, such as the writer Henry-Jean Servat.

The burial took place in the town cemetery, a few hundred meters away.

In Vittel, where Robert Hossein and his wife had lived for a few years, residents interviewed by AFP expressed their affection for the man who was also a director.

"He was a really very very nice guy," said Richard Beau, 70, who had passed him several times.

"When we met him, we would say hello to him, he would answer + hi +, he was really an acquaintance of the city. He was the nice guy."

"He always told us anecdotes about the films", recalled Josette Gornet, 67, who had the opportunity to attend private screenings of old Robert Hossein films, in his presence, at the local cinema. , The Alhambra.

"They were very old films but they were still very beautiful, with very current themes after all".

"Mr. Hossein was extremely curious, he asked a lot of questions. To know why we had set up this restaurant, why Vittel", explained Vincent Heuraux, who had again welcomed the actor in his establishment in September.

"And what also impressed me is that he was full of projects. He talked about it a lot, he really wanted to put on something for (the cathedral) Notre-Dame (in Paris)".

The city of Vittel has set up a space for meditation in the square which bears the name of the actor.

A condolence register is also open at the town hall until Friday.

Unforgettable Count of Peyrac in the cinematographic saga of "Angélique" and famous for his mega-productions on stage, Robert Hossein shot dozens of films from 1948 to 2019, notably giving the reply to Brigitte Bardot in "Le repos du guerrier" ( 1962) and becoming Roger Vadim's favorite actor ("Le Vice et la Vertu" in 1963, "Barbarella" in 1968).

© 2021 AFP