Jacques Villeret

Acting • Born 1951-02-06 – Died 2005-01-28

Acting3Tours, Indre-et-Loire, France

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, 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.

Filmography

90 credits

Danton

Movie • 1983

François-Joseph Westermann

The Good and the Bad

Movie • 1976

Jacques

Viper in the Fist

Movie • 2004

Jacques Rézeau

The Dinner Game

Movie • 1998

François Pignon

Le Rabat-joie

Movie • 1978

Léon

The Cabbage Soup

Movie • 1981

L'Oxien (La Denrée)

One Way Ticket

Movie • 2001

Jean-Pierre

Hold-up

Movie • 1985

Jeremie Blanchet, taxi driver

The Do-Gooders

Movie • 2005

lucien

The Children of the Marshland

Movie • 1999

Henri Pignol, aka Riton

Malabar Princess

Movie • 2004

Gaspard

Mookie

Movie • 1998

Frère Benoît

Bolero

Movie • 1981

Jacques

Grey Souls

Movie • 2005

Le juge Mierck

Les Folles Années du Twist

Movie • 1986

M'sieur John Wayne

Black Mic Mac

Movie • 1986

Michel Le Gorgues

Last Summer in Tangiers

Movie • 1987

Marcus

L'été en pente douce

Movie • 1987

Maurice Leheurt aka Mo

The Castaways of Turtle Island

Movie • 1976

Petit Nono

Malevil

Movie • 1981

Momo

Iznogoud

Movie • 2005

Haroun El Poussah

Keep Your Right Up

Movie • 1987

Individual

Gramps Is in the Resistance

Movie • 1983

Maréchal Ludwig von Apfelstrudel

The Antidote

Movie • 2005

André Morin

Le Furet

Movie • 2003

le Furet

The Professional Secrets of Dr. Apfelgluck

Movie • 1991

Martineau

Strange Gardens

Movie • 2003

Jacques Pouzay

The Joint Brothers

Movie • 1986

Momo

The Vultures

Movie • 1984

Brigadier Béral

A Crime in Paradise

Movie • 2001

Jojo Braconnier

Three Years

Movie • 1990

Alexandre Guillermen

Le Dernier Été

Movie • 1997

Georges Mandel

Waiter!

Movie • 1983

Gilbert, Alex's friend

Le Bal des casse-pieds

Movie • 1992

Jérôme, le présentateur de la météo

Us Two

Movie • 1979

Tonton Musique

Move Along, There Is Nothing to See!

Movie • 1983

Pelissier

The Drummer of Ravel's Boléro

Movie • 1992

Le batteur

588 rue Paradis

Movie • 1992

Alexandre Pagès

The Big Brother

Movie • 1982

Inspecteur Coleau

Another Man, Another Chance

Movie • 1977

Customer

La Galette du roi

Movie • 1986

Utte de Danemark

Nothing to Report

Movie • 1973

Soldat Girot

Mountain Pass

Movie • 1978

Georges

The Son of the Mekong

Movie • 1992

Durieux

Georges Dandin de Molière

Movie • 1997

Georges Dandin

Dialogue de sourds

Movie • 1985

The blind

Heart to Heart

Movie • 1979

Sitting student

L'Âge d'or de la pub

Movie • 2023

Self (archive footage)

Robert et Robert

Movie • 1978

Robert Villiers

Golden Boy

Movie • 1996

Antoine Bonvoisin

A Second Chance

Movie • 1976

L'agent immobilier

Dumb But Disciplined

Movie • 1979

Jacques Cardot

Drôle de samedi

Movie • 1985

Maurice, the butcher

$Effraction$

Effraction

Movie • 1983

Valentin Tralande, truand violent

Un Balcon en forêt

Movie • 1978

Gourcuff

The Mouth Agape

Movie • 1974

(uncredited)

Out of Whack

Movie • 1979

Henri Fisserman / Paul Flantier / Bouli / Dr. Delomien, ...

La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président

Movie • 2022

Self (archive footage)

Edith and Marcel

Movie • 1983

Jacques Barbier

La Petite Amie

Movie • 1988

Guillaume Bertin

C'est encore mieux l'après-midi

Movie • 1987

Georges Pigier

Nailcruncher

Movie • 1988

Salomon

Detective Story

Movie • 1972

Le photographe

Un fil à la patte

Movie • 1989

Bouzin

The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish

Movie • 1991

Lingerie Man

Mon premier amour

Movie • 1978

Jacques Labrousse

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

Movie • 2015

Self

Serious as Pleasure

Movie • 1975

Le gendarme

Un amour de pluie

Movie • 1974

Guillaume

Actors

Movie • 2000

Jacques Villeret

The Common Man

Movie • 1975

Gérald

Nono Nénesse

Movie • 1976

Nono

Wacko

Movie • 1994

Le pompiste