Editing Jean-Paul Belmondo (section)

===1960s===
[[File:Cartouche 1962 Zürich (16) (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.9|Belmondo in 1962]]
Belmondo starred in ''[[Consider All Risks]]'' (1960), a gangster story with [[Lino Ventura]].<ref name=LAO>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-09-06/actor-jean-paul-belmondo-star-of-breathless-dies-at-88|title='Breathless' star Jean-Paul Belmondo dies at 88|work=Los Angeles Times|date=6 September 2021|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref> He then played the lead role in [[Jean-Luc Godard]]'s ''[[Breathless (1960 film)|Breathless]]'' (''À Bout de Souffle'', 1960), which made him a major figure in the [[French New Wave]].<ref name=guardianobit/>

''Breathless'' was a major success in France and overseas and launched Belmondo internationally and as the face of the New Wave – even though, as he said "I don't know what they mean" when people used that term.<ref name="jean"/> In the words of ''[[The New York Times]]'' it led to his having "more acting assignments than he can handle."<ref>{{cite news|title=MOVIE ACTIVITIES ALONG THE SEINE: Explosive Premieres – Idol – New Clement, Camus Features|first=Cynthia|last=Grenier|work=The New York Times|date=15 May 1960|page= X7}}</ref>

He followed it with ''[[Trapped by Fear]]'' (1960), then the Italian film ''[[Letters By a Novice]]'' (1960).<ref name=fear>{{cite web|url=https://filmartgallery.com/collections/belmondo-jean-paul|title=Jean-Paul Belmondo|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref> With [[Jeanne Moreau]] and director [[Peter Brook]] he made ''[[Seven Days... Seven Nights]]'' (1961) which he later called "very boring."<ref name="merry"/>

Belmondo appeared as a [[gigolo]] in the anthology film ''[[Love and the Frenchwoman]]'' (1960).<ref>{{Cite news|last=Crowther|first=Bosley|date=28 February 1961|title=Screen: 7 Ages of l'Amour: Premiere of 'Love and the Frenchwoman'|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/02/28/archives/screen-7-ages-of-1-amourpremiere-of-love-and-the-frenchwoman.html|access-date=6 September 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> 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."<ref name="jean"/>), then opposite [[Claudia Cardinale]] in ''[[The Lovemakers (film)|The Lovemakers]]'' (1961).<ref name=ind>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/jean-paul-belmondo-death-breathless-b1915184.html|title=Jean-Paul Belmondo: How the sensual and enviably stylish star came to epitomise French New Wave cool|work=The Independent|date=7 September 2021|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref>

''Two Women'' and ''Breathless'' were widely seen in the United States and the UK.<ref name=LAO/> In 1961, ''The New York Times'' called him "the most impressive young French actor since the advent of the late [[Gérard Philipe]]".<ref name="new">{{Cite news|last=Thompson|first=Howard|date=25 February 1961|title=Jean-Paul Belmondo Displays Talent for a Variety of Roles; French Actor in 'Breathless' Is Slated to Depict Priest, Gigolo, Mountaineer and Factory Worker in New Films|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/02/25/archives/jeanpaul-belmondo-displays-talent-for-a-variety-of-roles-french.html|access-date=6 September 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

He was reunited with Godard for ''[[A Woman Is a Woman]]'' (1961)<ref name=bbcobit>{{Cite news|date=6 September 2021|title=French film great Jean-Paul Belmondo dies at 88|language=en-GB|publisher=[[BBC News]]|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-11811293|access-date=6 September 2021}}</ref> and made another all-star anthology comedy, ''[[Famous Love Affairs]]'' (1961).<ref name=ind/>

Later, he acted in [[Jean-Pierre Melville]]'s philosophical movie ''[[Léon Morin, Priest]]'' (1961), playing a priest.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.criterion.com/films/27660-l-on-morin-priest|title=Léon Morin, Priest|publisher=The Criterion Collection|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref> He was a retired gangster in ''[[A Man Named Rocca]]'' (1962),<ref name=rocca>{{cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210906-belmondo-french-film-s-handsome-devil-dies-at-88|title=Belmondo, French film's handsome devil, dies at 88|date=6 September 2021|publisher=France24|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref> then had a massive hit with the swashbuckler ''[[Cartouche (film)|Cartouche]]'' (1962), directed by [[Philippe de Broca]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/09/06/jean-paul-belmondo-dies-breathless-made-him-a-star-despite-ruffians-mug/|title=Jean-Paul Belmondo dies; 'Breathless' made him a star despite 'ruffian's mug'|date=6 September 2021|publisher=Mercury News|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref> Also popular was ''[[A Monkey in Winter (film)|A Monkey in Winter]]'' (1962), a comedy where he and [[Jean Gabin]] played alcoholics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1967/3/22/monkey-in-winter-pin-a-dreary/|title=Monkey in Winter|publisher=The Crimson|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref>

[[File:Jean Paul Belmondo em O Homem no Rio.tiff|thumb|upright=0.9|Belmondo filming ''[[That Man from Rio]]'' in 1963]]
[[François Truffaut]] wanted Belmondo to play the lead in an adaptation of ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]''.<ref name=fah>{{Cite news|last=Thompson|first=Howard|date=1962-08-05|title=Jazz Plus Truffaut, Hamilton Agendas|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/08/05/archives/new-york-report-jazz-plus-truffaut-hamilton-agendas.html|access-date=2021-09-07|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> This did not happen (the film was made several years later with [[Oskar Werner]]);<ref name=fah/> instead Belmondo made two movies with Jean-Pierre Melville: the [[film noir]] crime film ''[[Le Doulos|The Fingerman]]'' (''Le Doulos'', 1963) and ''[[Magnet of Doom]]'' (1963).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/opinion/jean-paul-belmondo-dead-critic-appreciation-spielberg-tarantino-1235057482/|title=Remembering Jean-Paul Belmondo, the Suave French Film Icon Who Inspired Spielberg and Tarantino Alike|date=7 September 2021|publisher=Variety|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.criterionchannel.com/magnet-of-doom|title=Magnet of Doom|publisher=Criterion Channel|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref> He co-starred with [[Gina Lollobrigida]] in ''[[Mad Sea]]'' (1963) and appeared in another comedy anthology, ''[[Sweet and Sour (1963 film)|Sweet and Sour]]'' (1963).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newsbinding.com/entertainment/jean-paul-belmondo-5-things-about-the-legendary-french-actor-who-passed-away-at-88/|title=Jean-Paul Belmondo: 5 Things About The Legendary French Actor Who Passed Away At 88|publisher=News Binding|access-date=7 September 2021|archive-date=7 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907100154/https://newsbinding.com/entertainment/jean-paul-belmondo-5-things-about-the-legendary-french-actor-who-passed-away-at-88/|url-status=usurped}}</ref> There was some controversy when he was arrested for insulting a policeman, when the policeman was charged with assaulting Belmondo.<ref>{{cite news|title=French Actor Has Day in Court As Accuser Becomes Accused|newspaper=The New York Times |date=14 May 1963|page= 21}}</ref>

''[[Banana Peel]]'' (1963), with [[Jeanne Moreau]], was a popular comedy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://shop.tcm.com/banana-peel/029502945640|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427211239/http://shop.tcm.com/banana-peel/029502945640|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 April 2017|title=Banana Peel|access-date=7 September 2021|publisher=TMC}}</ref> 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.<ref name="bogart"/> A 1965 profile compared him to [[Humphrey Bogart]] and [[James Dean]].<ref name="bogart">{{Cite news|last=Archer|first=Eugene|date=6 June 1965|title=The Bogart of the 'Sixties|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/06/06/archives/the-bogart-of-the-sixties.html|access-date=6 September 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> It stated Belmondo was:
<blockquote>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.<ref name="bogart"/></blockquote>
Belmondo's own tastes ran to [[The Adventures of Tintin|Tintin]] comics, sports magazines, and detective novels.<ref name="merry"/> He said he preferred "making adventure films like ''Rio'' to the intellectual movies of [[Alain Resnais]] or [[Alain Robbe-Grillet]].<ref name="merry"/> But with [[François Truffaut]] I'd be willing to try."<ref name="merry"/> His fee was said to be between US$150,000–$200,000 per film. Belmondo said he was open to making [[Hollywood (film industry)|Hollywood]] films but he wanted to play an American rather than a Frenchman and was interested in [[Cary Grant]] type roles instead of James Dean/Bogart ones.<ref name="merry"/>

Belmondo made ''[[Greed in the Sun]]'' (1964) with [[Lino Ventura]] for director [[Henri Verneuil]], who said Belmondo was "one of the few young actors in France who is young and manly."<ref name="merry"/> ''[[Backfire (1964 film)|Backfire]]'' (1964) reunited him with [[Jean Seberg]], his ''Breathless'' co-star.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.unifrance.org/movie/34/backfire|title=Backfire de Jean Becker|publisher=Unifrance|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref> After a role in ''[[Male Hunt]]'' (1964) he played the lead in ''[[Weekend at Dunkirk]]'' (1965), another big hit in France.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=search&rurl=translate.google.com.au&sl=fr&u=http://www.boxofficestory.com/france-1964-c22750409&usg=ALkJrhikvyW3lHBC4wgH3OJjjaqT2ePFWw|title=1964 French box office|website=Box Office Story|access-date=28 August 2016}}</ref>

''[[Crime on a Summer Morning]]'' (1965) was less successful, though it still performed well on the strength of Belmondo's name.<ref name=crime>{{cite web|url=https://en.unifrance.org/movie/37/crime-on-a-summer-morning|title=Crime on a Summer Morning|publisher=Unifrance|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref> ''[[Up to His Ears]]'' (1965) was an attempt to repeat the popularity of ''That Man Rio'', from the same director, but did less well.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/05/18/archives/belmondo-is-daredevil-in-up-to-his-ears.html|title=Belmondo Is Daredevil in 'Up to His Ears'|work=The New York Times|date=18 May 1966|access-date=7 September 2021|last1=Alden|first1=Robert}}</ref>

There were Hollywood offers, but Belmondo turned them down.<ref name=chicago/> "He won't make films outside of France", said director [[Mark Robson (film director)|Mark Robson]], who wanted him for ''[[Lost Command]]'' (1966).<ref name=chicago/> "He has scripts stacked up and he doesn't see why he should jeopardise his great success by speaking English instead of French."<ref name=chicago>{{cite news|title=Actors as Seen Thru a Director's Eyes|last=Clifford|first= Terry|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=5 June 1966|page= i15}}</ref>

Belmondo was reunited with Godard for ''[[Pierrot le Fou]]'' (1965) then made a comedy, ''[[Tender Scoundrel]]'' (1966).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.criterion.com/films/149-pierrot-le-fou|title=Pierrot le fou|publisher=Criterion|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.unifrance.org/movie/41/tender-scoundrel|title=Tender Scoundrel|publisher=Unifrance|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref> He had small roles in two predominantly English speaking films, ''[[Is Paris Burning? (film)|Is Paris Burning?]]'' (1966) and ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]'' (1967).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/79428/is-paris-burning#overview|title=Is Paris Burning? (1966)|publisher=TMC|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/casino-royale-1967|title=Casino Royale|publisher=Roger Ebert.com|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref>

After making ''[[The Thief of Paris]]'' (1967) for [[Louis Malle]], Belmondo took an acting hiatus for over a year.<ref name="time"/> "One day it seemed that life was passing me by", he said. "I didn't want to work. So I stopped. Then one day I felt like starting again. So I started."<ref name="time">{{cite news|title=Belmondo Back on Film-Making Scene|last=Blume|first=Mary|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=17 April 1968|page= d12}}</ref>

Belmondo spent three months of that time off in Hollywood but did not accept any offers.<ref name="time"/><ref name=chicago/> He did not want to learn English and appear in English-language films:
<blockquote>Every Frenchman dreams of making a Western, of course but America has plenty of good actors. I'm not being falsely modest but why would they need me? I prefer a national film to an international film. Something is lost. Look at what happened to Italy when they went international.<ref name="time"/></blockquote>

Belmondo returned to filmmaking with the crime movie, ''[[Ho!]]'' (1968),<ref name=ho>{{cite web|url=http://annyas.com/screenshots/updates/ho-1968-jean-paul-belmondo/|title=Ho! (1968)|date=16 March 2015|publisher=Annays.com|access-date=7 September 2021|archive-date=7 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907100910/http://annyas.com/screenshots/updates/ho-1968-jean-paul-belmondo/|url-status=dead}}</ref> then had a massive hit with a comedy co-starring [[David Niven]], ''[[The Brain (1969 film)|The Brain]]'' (1969).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/breathless-star-jean-paul-belmondo-dies-aged-88/5163052.article|title='Breathless' star Jean-Paul Belmondo dies aged 88|publisher=Screen Daily|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref> He later appeared in ''[[Mississippi Mermaid]]'' (1969) for [[François Truffaut]] with [[Catherine Deneuve]] and the romantic drama ''[[Love Is a Funny Thing]]'' (1969).<ref name=guardianobit /><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/what-to-stream-mississippi-mermaid-francois-truffauts-hitchcockian-thriller|title=What to Stream: "Mississippi Mermaid," François Truffaut's Hitchcockian Thriller|magazine=The New Yorker|date=28 May 2021|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref>