Having joined the troupe of the Splendid café-théâtre in the 1970s, he came out of it with a character that stuck to him: Jean-Claude Dusse of Les Bronzés. The best actor award won at Cannes in 1986 for Tenue de soirée opened the other side of his career.
The story
In 1974 Michel Blanc founded the Splendid café-théâtre with Thierry Lhermitte, Christian Clavier, Gérard Jugnot, Marie-Anne Chazel and Valérie Mairesse; Josiane Balasko joined them in 1977, Bruno Moynot afterwards. The troupe took “Les Bronzés” to the screen in 1978, a success that settled these comic actors permanently into the French landscape.
His part as Jean-Claude Dusse, the clumsy, self-conscious womaniser, in “Les Bronzés” and then “Les Bronzés font du ski” in 1979, made him one of the most popular comic figures of his generation, far beyond the original troupe.
He then widened his range into demanding dramatic roles, winning the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1986 for Bertrand Blier's “Tenue de soirée”, before moving behind the camera as screenwriter and director, rewarded with several Césars over his career.
He died in Paris on 3 October 2024, aged seventy-two, a few months after shooting his last film. He rests in Division 52 of Père-Lachaise.
On site, do not miss
A grave in Division 52, facing Marie Laforêt's, in a sector that gathers several figures of recent French cinema.
Visitors' questions
Where is Michel Blanc buried?
In Division 52 of Père-Lachaise, where he has rested since his death on 3 October 2024, facing Marie Laforêt's grave.
Marie LaforêtWhich role won Michel Blanc a prize at Cannes?
Bertrand Blier's “Tenue de soirée”, in 1986, which won him the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival.
Patrice ChéreauWhat was the Splendid troupe?
A group of actors formed in the 1970s around a Paris café-théâtre, among them Michel Blanc, Christian Clavier and Gérard Jugnot, brought to the screen by “Les Bronzés” in 1978.
Theatre & cinema at Père-LachaiseWhen did Michel Blanc die?
On 3 October 2024, at seventy-two, leaving a career of more than forty years divided between popular comedy and demanding dramatic roles, acclaimed by critics and public alike.
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