The disappearance of the actor from A Prophet led to strong reactions: hailed for his acting talent, he was also accused of violence by several actresses.
Niels Arestrup died on December 1, at the age of 75. Awarded three César Awards for Best Supporting Actor (From beating my heart has stopped, A Prophet et Quai d'Orsay), he left his mark on French and international cinema from the 1970s to 2020, as well as on theater lovers: in all, he played in around sixty films and around forty plays during his career.
His life was, however, strewn with scandals: in 1983, his playing partner Isabelle Adjani had left the room Mademoiselle Julie after receiving a slap from him, and in 1996, she is another renowned actress, Myriam Boyerwho had accused him of violence on stage during a performance of Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?. This time, she was the one who was fired from the play, given that it was produced by Niels Arestrup's company. In 2007, he himself admitted in an interview to having injured Meow-Meow et Maria Schneider on the set of the film The Evasion (1979). Affairs that resurface amid the tributes.
Niels Arestrup in 10 major roles
France 3 announced the postponement ofAn intimate convictionscheduled for this Monday evening, to replace it with his last film released in cinemas, in early 2023, Funby Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar, also with Oulaya Amamra and Zinedine Soualem. A feature film previously unseen on television.
At 17, Zahia Ziouani dreams of becoming a conductor. His twin sister, Fettouma, professional cellist. Lulled since their earliest childhood by classical symphonic music, they in turn wish to make it accessible to everyone and in all territories.
So how can we accomplish these ambitious dreams in 1995 when we are a woman, of Algerian origin and come from Seine-Saint-Denis? With determination, passion, courage and above all the incredible project of creating their own orchestra: Divertimento.
On MyCanal, a whole cycle is planned around the actor: A prophet, Her name was Sarah, Profession actor, L’Affaire Farewell, the series Black Baron, Villa Caprice or even My heart stopped beatinghave available to subscribers.
Interviewed by The ParisianIsabelle Adjani responded, regarding her disappearance:
“Personally, I unfortunately have nothing positive to say about the man. My memory of the theater partner remains a significant trauma. But Niels Arestrup was a great actor, I share this opinion, that of many artists and its audience.”
Other leading figures in cinema reacted to the death of Niels Arestrup, such as Françoise Fabian in the same newspaper:
“I admired him enormously, he was someone completely rare, very sensitive, very talented, so deep and cultured, a unique actor. I had known him for a long time, when he was a theater director. I absolutely wanted do a play with him and he liked me. He offered me twice to play in his theater and to go on tour with it. Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf? but, unfortunately I was on a play or filming in Italy.”
The actor ofA prophetTahar Rahim, as well as directors Jean-Michel Ribes and Eric Lartigau also expressed their emotion upon learning of the actor's death:
Niels Arestrup: “Some lives are organized trips, others are adventures” [interview]
