Person Details

Birthday: 1951-02-06 16:29:41

Death: 2005-01-28 16:29:41

Aliases: Jacky Boufroura

Gender: Male

Place of birth: Tours, France

Homepage:

Movie Involvements: 24

TV Involvements: 5


Most Famous Work

Biography

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, a separation from his wife and an enormous financial downfall due to tax issues, plunged him into depression. Villeret turned to alcohol for comfort, and it subsequently became problematic, which he sought to resolve by isolating himself and hiding away for long periods. In retrospect on this episode in his life, he is quoted: 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. Villeret married Irina Tarassov, an actress and writer, on 26 December 1979. They separated in 1998. (Irina has written about their life together in her book, Un jour, tout ira bien.) Having met Seny, an African widow, Villeret was about to start life together with her in Paris when he died in Evreux following a liver haemorrhage brought about by his previous alcoholism. Source: Article "Jacques Villeret" from Wikipedia in english, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Most Famous Work

Numéro un
Average
6

Numéro un

(1975) Self - Host
Midi Première
Average
10

Midi Première

(1975) Self
Le Grand Échiquier
Average
8

Le Grand Échiquier

(1972) Self
Il était une fois Champs-Élysées
Average
8

Il était une fois Champs-Élysées

(2022) Self (archive footage)
Bolero: Dance of Life
Average
7

Bolero: Dance of Life

(1981) Jacques
Danton
Average
7

Danton

(1983) Westermann
L'été en pente douce
Average
6

L'été en pente douce

(1987) Maurice Leheurt aka Mo
Malabar Princess
Average
6

Malabar Princess

(2004) Gaspard

Acting

Year Character Movie/Tv
2023 Self (archive footage)
2022 Self (archive footage)
Self (archive footage)
2015 Self
2005 lucien
Le juge Mierck
André Morin
Haroun El Poussah
2004 Jacques Rézeau
Gaspard
2003 le Furet
Jacques Pouzay
2001 Jean-Pierre
Jojo Braconnier
2000 Self
1999 Henri Pignol, aka Riton
1998 Frère Benoît
Self
François Pignon
1997 Georges Mandel
Georges Dandin
1996 Antoine Bonvoisin
1992 Le batteur
Durieux
Jérôme, le présentateur de la météo
Alexandre
1991 Lingerie Man
Martineau
1990 Alexandre Guillermen
1989 Bouzin
1988 Guillaume Bertin
Salomon
1987 Individual
Self
Maurice Leheurt aka Mo
Marcus
Georges Pigier
1986 Momo
Michel Le Gorgues
M'sieur John Wayne
Utte de Danemark
1985 Jeremie Blanchet, taxi driver
Maurice, the butcher
The blind
1984 Béral
1983 Gilbert, l'ami d'Alex
Maréchal Ludwig von Apfelstrudel
Pelissier
Valentin Tralande, truand violent
Westermann
Jacques Barbier
1982 Inspecteur Coleau
N/A
Self
1981 L'Oxien (La Denrée)
Jacques
Momo
1979 Henri Fisserman / Paul Flantier / Bouli / Dr. Delomien, ...
Jacques Cardot
Tonton Musique
Sitting student
1978 Georges
Jacques Labrousse
Robert Villiers
Gourcuff
Léon
1977 Customer
1976 Nono
Petit Nono
L'agent immobilier
Jacques
1975 Self - Host
Self
Gérald
Le gendarme
Self
Self
1974 Guillaume
1973 Soldat Girot
1972 Le photographe
Self
1959 Self
Year Character Movie/Tv

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