French star Michel Blanc passes away at 72

WASHINGTON: Veteran French actor Michel Blanc, who is known for his works in 'Les Bronzes' and 'Monsieur Hire' has passed away at the age of 72, reported Variety.

Blanc was most remembered for playing the awkward bachelor Jean-Claude Dusse in Patrice Leconte's 1978 film 'Les Bronzes'. He starred in the 1979 and 2006 sequels of the cult French comedy.

Blanc was also known for his dramatic cinematic performances, particularly his role as the main character in Leconte's 1989 criminal thriller 'Monsieur Hire'. Blanc won the Cesar Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2012 for his role in Pierre Schoeller's film 'L'Exercice de l'Etat'.

Blanc directed, co-wrote, and starred in the 1984 film 'Marche a l'ombre' as well as 2002's 'Summer Things.' He was also part of films like 'Les Filles de Malemort' (1974), 'Let Joy Reign Supreme' (1975), 'The Best Way to Walk' (1976), 'Gramps Is in the Resistance' (1983), 'Strike It Rich' (1990), 'Uranus' (1990), 'Merci La Vie' (1991), 'The Favour, the Watch, and the Very Big Fish' (1991), 'Toxic Affair' (1993), 'The Monster' (1994), 'You Are So Beautiful'(2005), 'The Witnesses' (2007), 'The Escort'(2009), 'The Girl on the Train' (2009), 'The Hundred-Foot Journey' (2014), 'Odd Job' (2016), 'A Good Doctor' (2019), 'Les Petites Victoires' (2023), 'Take a Chance on Me' (2023) and others.

The Cannes Film Festival honoured Blanc's performing and creative roles throughout his career. He won the Best Actor prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1986 for his performance in Betrand Blier's dramedy 'Tenue de soiree' ("Evening Dress"). Eight years later, he won the festival's Best Screenplay Award for 1994's 'Grosse Fatigue' ("Dead Tired"), a comedy which he also directed and starred.

In 2004, he won the Moliere, France's version of the Tony Award, for best adaptation of a foreign play for "L'amour est enfant de basaud" ("Things We Do for Love"). "He made us cry with laughter and moved us to tears. A monument of French cinema, Michel Blanc has gone," France's President Emmanuel Macron said of Blanc in a statement posted on X Friday. "Our thoughts go out to his loved ones and his acting accomplices," reported Variety