On May 12, iconic actor Michel Piccoli died at the age of 94 of a stroke. The actor's family announced it to AFP on Monday, May 18, 2020.
Michel Piccoli: a huge career
For more than 70 years Michel Piccoli has accumulated filming. He has more than 200 films to his credit. He will be remembered in Contempt, The Things of Life and Habemus Papam. His last film appearances date back to 2012 in Holy Motors by Leos Carax, or You have not yet seen anything by Alain Resnais. He also has about fifty plays to his credit. It is in this field that he distinguished himself at the beginning of his career with the Renaud-Barrault and Grenier-Hussot companies, as well as at the Théâtre de Babylone. 
During his career, he was rewarded 7 times. In 1973, he received the Best Actor Award for Themroc at the Avoriaz International Fantastic Film Festival. He was awarded one last time in 2012 with the David di Donatello Award for Best Actor in the film Habemus Papam. He has also been nominated 4 times for various César ceremonies. The longevity of his career is also summed up by the fact that he always wanted to make films. He was over 85 years old when he made his last film shoot. This great actor has toured with the greatest directors of the time such as Alfred Hitchcock, Claude Chabrol or Jean Renoir. He was appreciated by all and especially by Claude Sautet, who had made him his favorite actor. His fame is due in particular to his legendary duet with Brigitte Bardot in Godard's Le Mépris in 1963. In addition, Michel Piccoli and Romy Schneider have formed a mythical couple in life as the screen. Indeed, they distinguished themselves Les choses de la vie, Mado, La Passante du Sans-Soucis or Max et les ferrailleurs. Michel Piccoli was also known for his propensity to be on the other side of the camera. Indeed, he has directed several films such as La Plage noire in 2001 or C'est pas tout la vie qu'avais rêvé in 2005. It is difficult to summarize Michel Piccoli's career in a few paragraphs, as it was so eclectic… But one thing is certain: he is an icon of French cinema who is leaving us. An actor who has rubbed shoulders with the biggest names and whose works are now part of the French cinematographic heritage.
