The actor Michel Blanc died in the night from Thursday to Friday at the age of 72, as confirmed by those around him at Paris Match. His press officer told BFM TV that he suffered a heart attack. Anticipating these announcements, Gérard Jugnot, his great friend and partner of the Splendid troupe, paid tribute to him on the social network Instagram by writing: “ Damn Michel… What did you do to us… ». « I was told that he had had a huge allergy to a medication, an anaphylactic shock. I know they tried to revive him, it was terrible all day yesterday… and he left », he added later in the morning on RTL.
Josiane Balasko, another founding pillar of Splendid, praised the memory of “ (s)our friend, (s)our brother, (s)our partner » on Instagram. Patrice Leconte, director of the film franchise The Bronzedtold RTL not to “ manage to imagine that he is no longer there ». « What I’m going to miss is him, who he was », added the filmmaker. The Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, also paid tribute to Michel Blanc on X (formerly Twitter): “ This morning, the pain is immense, commensurate with his talent. » She praised the variety of his acting in front of the camera of directors like Bertrand Blier and Robert Altman, and his productions under the director’s hat.
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From the café theater to the Césars
Michel Blanc became known in the 1970s at the café-theater, with the Splendid troupe, whom he met on the benches of the Pasteur high school in Neuilly-sur-Seine. Specializing in the roles of clumsy and endearing “losers”, he left his mark on generations of spectators with cult comedies like Come to my house, I’m staying with a friend (1981), My wife’s name is come back (1981) and the saga The Bronzedthanks to which his unforgettable character of Jean-Claude Dusse, “ Dusse with a D like Dusse ”, has become an emblematic comic figure of French cinema.
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Chanter’s « When will I see you again, wonderful country? » and eager to diversify, Michel Blanc managed to reinvent himself with more dramatic roles, notably in Evening wear (1986), which earned him an acting prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and Mr Hire (1989) by Patrice Leconte, showing another facet of his talent. His career then took a new turn with Severe Fatigue (1994), a black and absurd comedy which won the screenplay prize on the Croisette that year.
In the 2000s, he came back in force with successful works, such as I find you very beautiful (2005) et The Bronzed 3 (2006), while continuing to explore more complex roles. A final honor of the profession, the César for best actor in a supporting role, was awarded to him for his dramatic performance in State Exercise (2011).
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