1950s in 1962 Belmondo's acting career properly began in 1953, with two performances at the
Théâtre de l'Atelier in Paris in
Jean Anouilh's
Médée and
Georges Neveux's
Zamore. Belmondo began touring the provinces with friends including
Annie Girardot and
Guy Bedos. Belmondo first appeared in the short
Moliere (1956). which was cut from the final film; however he had a bigger part in the follow-up
A Dog, a Mouse, and a Sputnik (1958). followed by a role as a gangster in
Young Sinners (1958), directed by
Marcel Carné. Belmondo supported
Bourvil and
Arletty in
Sunday Encounter (1958). As part of his compulsory military service, he served in Algeria as a private for six months. Belmondo's first lead role was in
Les Copains du dimanche (1958). He later had a supporting part in
An Angel on Wheels (1959) with
Romy Schneider then appeared in
Web of Passion (1959) for
Claude Chabrol. He played
D'Artagnan in
The Three Musketeers (1959) for French television.
1960s Belmondo starred in
Consider All Risks (1960), a gangster story with
Lino Ventura. He then played the lead role in
Jean-Luc Godard's
Breathless (
À Bout de Souffle, 1960), which made him a major figure in the
French New Wave. He followed it with
Trapped by Fear (1960), then the Italian film
Letters By a Novice (1960). With
Jeanne Moreau and director
Peter Brook he made
Seven Days... Seven Nights (1961) which he later called "very boring." Then he made two Italian films, supporting
Sophia Loren in
Two Women (1961) as a bespectacled country boy ("It may disappoint those who've got me typed" said Belmondo. "But so much the better."
Two Women and
Breathless were widely seen in the United States and the UK. He was reunited with Godard for
A Woman Is a Woman (1961) and made another all-star anthology comedy,
Famous Love Affairs (1961). He was a retired gangster in
A Man Named Rocca (1962), then had a massive hit with the swashbuckler
Cartouche (1962), directed by
Philippe de Broca. Also popular was
A Monkey in Winter (1962), a comedy where he and
Jean Gabin played alcoholics. '' in 1963
François Truffaut wanted Belmondo to play the lead in an adaptation of
Fahrenheit 451. This did not happen (the film was made several years later with
Oskar Werner); He co-starred with
Gina Lollobrigida in
Mad Sea (1963) and appeared in another comedy anthology,
Sweet and Sour (1963). There was some controversy when he was arrested for insulting a policeman, when the policeman was charged with assaulting Belmondo.
Banana Peel (1963), with
Jeanne Moreau, was a popular comedy. Even more successful was the action-adventure tale
That Man from Rio (1964), directed by
Philippe de Broca – a massive hit in France, and popular overseas as well. It stated Belmondo was: A later manifestation of youthful rejection... His disengagement from a society his parents made is total. He accepts corruption with a cynical smile, not even bothering to struggle. He is out entirely for himself, to get whatever he can, while he can. The Belmondo type is capable of anything. He knows he is defeated anyway... He represents something tough yet vulnerable, laconic but intense, notably lacking in neuroses or the stumbling insecurities of homus Americanus. He is the man of the moment, completely capable of taking care of himself - and ready to take on the girl of the moment too. After a role in
Male Hunt (1964) he played the lead in
Weekend at Dunkirk (1965), another big hit in France. Belmondo dominated the French box office for 1964 –
That Man from Rio was the fourth most popular movie in the country,
Greed in the Sun was seventh,
Weekend at Dunkirk ninth, and
Backfire 19th.
Crime on a Summer Morning (1965) was less successful, though it still performed well on the strength of Belmondo's name.
Up to His Ears (1965) was an attempt to repeat the popularity of
That Man Rio, from the same director, but did less well. There were Hollywood offers, but Belmondo turned them down. Belmondo was reunited with Godard for
Pierrot le Fou (1965) then made a comedy,
Tender Scoundrel (1966). He had small roles in two predominantly English speaking films,
Is Paris Burning? (1966) and
Casino Royale (1967). After making
The Thief of Paris (1967) for
Louis Malle, Belmondo took an acting hiatus for over a year. Belmondo spent three months of that time off in Hollywood but did not accept any offers. then had a massive hit with a comedy co-starring
David Niven,
The Brain (1969). He later appeared in
Mississippi Mermaid (1969) for
François Truffaut with
Catherine Deneuve and the romantic drama
Love Is a Funny Thing (1969).
1970s Belmondo starred alongside
Alain Delon in
Borsalino (1970), a successful gangster film. The latter produced the film and Belmondo ended up suing Delon over billing.
The Married Couple of the Year Two (1971) was also popular; even more so was
The Burglars (1971). In 1971, he became a film producer and distributor en s'associant à René Chateau. He named his production company
Cerito Films in homage to his grandmother. The first Cerito film was the black comedy
Dr. Popaul (1972), with
Mia Farrow, the biggest hit to date for director
Claude Chabrol.
The Inheritor (1973) was an action film;
Le Magnifique (1974), a satiric action romance reunited him with Philippe de Broca. He produced as well as starred in
Stavisky (1974). Then he made a series of purely commercial films:
Incorrigible (1974),
The Night Caller (1975; one of Belmondo's biggest hits of the decade and the first time he played a policeman on screen),
Hunter Will Get You (1976), and
Body of My Enemy (1977).
Animal (1977) cast him as a stuntman opposite
Raquel Welch and he starred as a policeman in
Cop or Hood (1979).
1980s In 1980, Belmondo starred in another comedy,
Le Guignolo. He was a secret service agent in
The Professional (1981) and a pilot in
Ace of Aces (1982). "What intellectuals don't like is success", said Belmondo.
Les Morfalous (1984) as a sergeant in the
French Foreign Legion,
Hold-Up (1985) as a bank robber, In 1987, he returned to the theatre after a 26-year absence in a production of
Kean, adapted by
Jean-Paul Sartre from the novel by
Alexandre Dumas. For
Claude Lelouch, Belmondo starred in and co-produced
Itinerary of a Spoiled Child (1988). For his performance in the film, also titled as '' Itineraire d'un Enfant Gate
, he won a César. He also appeared in the comedy Désiré (1996), Une chance sur deux (1998), and in the science fiction comedy Peut-être'' (1999). Belmondo was initially going to act in the
television film (2005), a remake of
La Horse (1970). Due to suffering a stroke, he was unable to act in the film. In 2009, Belmondo starred in
A Man and His Dog ("Un homme et son chien"), his final film role. Despite his difficulty in walking and speaking, he played a character who had the same disability. Following this film he was forced into retirement in 2011 having earlier suffered a
stroke in 2001. He appeared in 2016 in a documentary
Belmondo by Belmondo where he revisited the locations of some of the films in which he acted. ==Honours and awards==