ational fame as a crook in Jean-Luc Godard‘s „Breathless“ movie in 1960, was rushed to St Joseph‘s hospital in Paris on Wednesday night in a serious state, with a partially paralysed face. The hospital issued a statement saying Belmondo was in a „stable condition“. „Tests are continuing in order to establish the precise impact and to permit optimal treatment,“ the brief statement said.

The hospital said another bill of health would be published in 48 hours but no other details would be given in the meantime, at the request of Belmondo‘s family. The actor was flown to Paris by medical emergency plane after collapsing at his Corsican villa and undergoing initial treatment at a hospital in the Corsican town of Bastia. LCI television reported that Belmondo was conscious but unable to speak when he was found on the ground at the luxury island villa where he was on holiday. In December 1999, Belmondo collapsed on stage with heart trouble during a stage performance. After a brief spell in hospital he recovered and has appeared regularly at film festivals and on television chat shows.

The son of the renowned French sculptor Paul Belmondo, Jean-Paul was born in 1933 in Neuilly-sur- Seine. Despite his background, he appeared more drawn to the world of sport than the arts and he was a keen amateur boxer in his youth.

Finally he discovered acting and in the 1950s began a film career spanning four decades that saw him work with nearly every major French director, including Godard and Francois Truffaut. A charismatic actor who often performed his own daring stunts, Belmondo starred in films ranging from the avant-garde to the mainstream and became one of France‘s leading comedy and action heroes. He played opposite nearly every femme fatale of French and Italian cinema — Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Ursula Andress, Claudia Cardinale and Catherine Deneuve. Belmondo has a daughter Florence and son Paul. His elder daughter Patricia died in a fire in 1994.

Reuters