
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.

Midi Première

Belmondo l'incorrigible

Mon premier amour

Le Grand Échiquier

奇人たちの晩餐会

Effroyables Jardins

Le Dernier Été

588 rue Paradis

Golden Boy

La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président

Les Enfants du marais

Dupont Lajoie

愛と哀しみのボレロ

Papy fait de la résistance

ダントン

Un crime au Paradis

Malevil

Il était une fois Champs-Élysées

L'Âge d'or de la pub

Un fil à la patte

Vipère au poing

L'été en pente douce

La Gueule ouverte

La Soupe aux choux

Champs-Elysées

Malabar Princess

Trois années

Hold-up

Les Âmes grises

Si c'était à refaire

Robert et Robert

右側に気をつけろ

À nous deux

Un autre homme, une autre chance

Rien ne va plus

Jacques Villeret, drôlement tragique

カルメンという名の女

Les Rendez-vous du dimanche

Numéro un

Les Morfalous

Le batteur du Boléro

Le Bal des casse-pieds

Les Naufragés de l'ile de la Tortue

Le Grand Frère

Confidences pour confidences

The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish

Dialogue de sourds

Edith et Marcel

Les Acteurs

Black Mic Mac

Nulle part ailleurs

R.A.S.

Garçon !

Le Bon et les Méchants

Les Folles Années du Twist

Mookie

Les Frères Pétard

Passe montagne

Les Secrets professionnels du Docteur Apfelglück

Mangeclous

Circulez y a rien à voir !

Les Parrains

L'Antidote

Sacrée Soirée

Parano

Un amour de pluie

Bête, mais discipliné

C'est encore mieux l'après-midi

La Galette du roi

Nono Nénesse

Iznogoud

Dernier été à Tanger

Un aller simple

Le Furet

Sérieux comme le plaisir

Effraction

La Petite Amie

Vivement dimanche

Un Balcon en forêt

Drôle de samedi

Le Rabat-joie

Le fils du Mékong

Georges Dandin de Molière

Detective Story

La Folle Histoire de François Pignon - De La chèvre au Dîner de cons

Merci Bernard

Spécial cinéma

Discorama