The actor of "And God ... created woman" and "Love", who was said to be seriously ill, died "peacefully, of old age, this morning, at his home, in the Gard, surrounded by his loved ones" , his wife and family said in a statement to AFP.

His funeral will take place privately.

"Inside me, everything is destroyed", he confided after the tragedy which had led him to move away from the sets for ten years.

Jean-Louis and Marie Trintignant perform "Comedy on a station platform" by Samuel Benchetrit at the Hébertot Theater in Paris, January 10, 2001. FRANCOIS GUILLOT AFP / Archives

The President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron on Friday saluted the memory of a "formidable artistic talent" who "has accompanied our lives a little through French cinema".

"It's a page that turns," added the head of state, referring to the "soft voice" of the actor.

His last appearance on the big screen dates from 2019 with "The most beautiful years of a life", where he found his partner Anouk Aimée and the director Claude Lelouch.

Michael Haneke (C), Emmanuelle Riva (G) and Jean-Louis Trintignant for Amour palme d'or in Cannes, May 27, 2012 Anne-Christine POUJOULAT AFP/Archives

He also made a quick appearance, facing the camera, during the Cesar 2021 ceremony, where he appeared very diminished.

A voice and a smile

"After Belmondo, another brother leaves and I am upset," reacted to AFP Alain Delon, 86, who had filmed with him in Jacques Deray's "Cop Story" (1975).

A phlegm, a voice and a magnetism make his presence so specific for millions of spectators.

Born on December 11, 1930 in Piolenc in the Vaucluse, this son of an industrialist took Charles Dullin's comedy lessons in Paris, before starting on the boards in 1951.

It is the film "And God… created woman" (1956), by Roger Vadim, which reveals it in a resounding way.

Him and Brigitte Bardot, his playing partner. He plays a husband stung to the quick.

In real life, however, the opposite is happening.

A love passion is born with "BB".

He will then chain successful films alongside all the leading directors of cinema: Costa-Gavras, Claude Lelouch, Éric Rohmer, Michael Haneke, Claude Chabrol, or Patrice Chéreau.

In total, he has acted in nearly 120 films.

Jean-Louis Trintignant in Paris in February 1975 STAFF AFP/Archives

He had left the cinema after receiving the César for his role in "Amour".

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