Jacques Villeret (6 February 1951 – 28 January 2005) was a French actor, best known internationally for his role as François Pignon in the comedy Le Dîner de Cons. During his career, he earned many awards including the prestigious medal and title of Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur.
Jacques Villeret (6 February 1951 – 28 January 2005) was a French actor, best known internationally for his role as François Pignon in the comedy Le Dîner de Cons. During his career, he earned many awards including the prestigious medal and title of Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur.
Villeret was born Jacky Boufroura in Loches, Indre-et-Loire, France, to an Algerian father and a French mother. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris (CNSAD) in the same class as Louis Seigner, the grandfather of Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathilde Seigner. While he was most famous for his role as François Pignon in Le Dîner de Cons; both on the stage and in the film, his other celebrated roles included the extra terrestrial in La soupe aux choux, the autistic Mo in L'été en pente douce, and marshal Ludwig von Apfelstrudel in Papy fait de la résistance.
At the time of making the film Un aller simple directed by Laurent Heynemann – a film about integration and racism and the clash of generations – he said that watching the young actors in the film, Barbara Schulz and Lorant Deutsch, reminded him of the insouciance he had had as a young man with his friends at the Conservatoire.
When his career was at its height, with the success of Le Dîner de Cons, everything collapsed in a tragedy mirroring the plot of the film. Villeret separated from his wife and suffered an enormous financial downfall due to tax issues, plunging him into depression. Villeret turned to alcohol for comfort, and became an alcoholic. He isolated himself and hid away for long periods. He later said: Alcohol is a friend, but a friend who means you harm.
Villeret's love of his profession helped to bring his career back from the brink. In an interview in 2001 he spoke of his admiration for performers like Johnny Hallyday and Jacques Brel for their level of commitment, and quoted the author Louis-Ferdinand Céline: When I write, I put my balls on the table.
In 1979 Villeret married Irina Tarassov, an actress and writer. They separated in 1998. Tassarov wrote about their life together in her book Un jour, tout ira bien. (One day, everything will go well).
In 2002 Villeret met Seny, a Senegalese-French widow descended through her grandfather, Mor Diarra N'Dao, from a long line of Sérès nobles of the ancient Kingdom of Saloum, and they fell instantly and deeply in love. They were partners for three years, and she was about to move to Paris to be with him when he died in Évreux in January 2005 of a liver haemorrhage. Seny wrote a memoir of their life together, Jacques Villeret, mon bébé blanc, which was published in Paris by Le Cherche Midi in 2005.
Source: Article "Jacques Villeret" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0898317
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q267244
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Filmography (Movies)
Jacques Villeret, drôlement tragique
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:28/01/2025
L'Âge d'or de la pub
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:02/06/2023
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:07/01/2022
La Folle Histoire de François Pignon - De La chèvre au Dîner de cons
Character:Self
Release Date:24/01/2015
The Do-Gooders
Character:lucien
Release Date:19/10/2005
Grey Souls
Character:Le juge Mierck
Release Date:28/09/2005
The Antidote
Character:André Morin
Release Date:30/03/2005
Iznogoud
Character:Haroun El Poussah
Release Date:19/01/2005
Viper in the Fist
Character:Jacques Rézeau
Release Date:06/10/2004
Malabar Princess
Character:Gaspard
Release Date:03/03/2004
Le Furet
Character:le Furet
Release Date:29/10/2003
Strange Gardens
Character:Jacques Pouzay
Release Date:26/03/2003
One Way Ticket
Character:Jean-Pierre
Release Date:30/05/2001
A Crime in Paradise
Character:Jojo Braconnier
Release Date:28/02/2001
Actors
Character:Jacques Villeret
Release Date:05/04/2000
The Children of the Marshland
Character:Henri Pignol, aka Riton
Release Date:03/03/1999
Mookie
Character:Frère Benoît
Release Date:09/12/1998
The Dinner Game
Character:François Pignon
Release Date:15/04/1998
Le Dernier Été
Character:Georges Mandel
Release Date:14/05/1997
Georges Dandin de Molière
Character:Georges Dandin
Release Date:07/02/1997
Golden Boy
Character:Antoine Bonvoisin
Release Date:21/02/1996
Wacko
Character:Le pompiste
Release Date:08/06/1994
The Drummer of Ravel's Boléro
Character:Le batteur
Release Date:15/05/1992
The Son of the Mekong
Character:Durieux
Release Date:08/04/1992
Le Bal des casse-pieds
Character:Jérôme, le présentateur de la météo
Release Date:12/02/1992
588 rue Paradis
Character:Alexandre Pagès
Release Date:14/01/1992
The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish
Character:Lingerie Man
Release Date:01/05/1991
The Professional Secrets of Dr. Apfelgluck
Character:Martineau
Release Date:24/04/1991
Three Years
Character:Alexandre Guillermen
Release Date:29/08/1990
Un fil à la patte
Character:Bouzin
Release Date:02/10/1989
La Petite Amie
Character:Guillaume Bertin
Release Date:14/09/1988
Nailcruncher
Character:Salomon
Release Date:06/06/1988
Keep Your Right Up
Character:Individual
Release Date:30/12/1987
L'été en pente douce
Character:Maurice Leheurt aka Mo
Release Date:29/04/1987
Last Summer in Tangiers
Character:Marcus
Release Date:22/04/1987
C'est encore mieux l'après-midi
Character:Georges Pigier
Release Date:06/02/1987
The Joint Brothers
Character:Momo
Release Date:15/10/1986
Black Mic Mac
Character:Michel Le Gorgues
Release Date:23/04/1986
Les Folles Années du Twist
Character:M'sieur John Wayne
Release Date:26/02/1986
La Galette du roi
Character:Utte de Danemark
Release Date:29/01/1986
Hold-up
Character:Jeremie Blanchet, taxi driver
Release Date:23/10/1985
Drôle de samedi
Character:Maurice, the butcher
Release Date:01/04/1985
Dialogue de sourds
Character:The blind
Release Date:01/01/1985
The Vultures
Character:Brigadier Béral
Release Date:28/03/1984
First Name: Carmen
Character:The Man Who Eats Yogurt
Release Date:01/12/1983
Waiter!
Character:Gilbert, Alex's friend
Release Date:09/11/1983
Gramps Is in the Resistance
Character:Maréchal Ludwig von Apfelstrudel
Release Date:26/10/1983
Move Along, There Is Nothing to See!
Character:Pelissier
Release Date:20/04/1983
Effraction
Character:Valentin Tralande, truand violent
Release Date:06/04/1983
Danton
Character:François-Joseph Westermann
Release Date:12/01/1983
Edith and Marcel
Character:Jacques Barbier
Release Date:01/01/1983
The Big Brother
Character:Inspecteur Coleau
Release Date:08/09/1982
The Cabbage Soup
Character:L'Oxien (La Denrée)
Release Date:02/12/1981
Bolero
Character:Jacques
Release Date:27/05/1981
Malevil
Character:Momo
Release Date:13/05/1981
Out of Whack
Character:Henri Fisserman / Paul Flantier / Bouli / Dr. Delomien, ...
Release Date:12/12/1979
Dumb But Disciplined
Character:Jacques Cardot
Release Date:21/08/1979
Us Two
Character:Tonton Musique
Release Date:23/05/1979
Heart to Heart
Character:Sitting student
Release Date:03/01/1979
Mountain Pass
Character:Georges
Release Date:08/11/1978
Mon premier amour
Character:Jacques Labrousse
Release Date:30/08/1978
Robert et Robert
Character:Robert Villiers
Release Date:13/06/1978
Un Balcon en forêt
Character:Gourcuff
Release Date:16/05/1978
Le Rabat-joie
Character:Léon
Release Date:01/01/1978
Another Man, Another Chance
Character:Customer
Release Date:28/09/1977
Nono Nénesse
Character:Nono
Release Date:31/12/1976
The Castaways of Turtle Island
Character:Petit Nono
Release Date:06/10/1976
A Second Chance
Character:L'agent immobilier
Release Date:30/09/1976
The Good and the Bad
Character:Jacques
Release Date:19/01/1976
The Common Man
Character:Gérald
Release Date:26/02/1975
Serious as Pleasure
Character:Le gendarme
Release Date:15/01/1975
The Mouth Agape
Character:(uncredited)
Release Date:08/05/1974
Un amour de pluie
Character:Guillaume
Release Date:10/01/1974
Nothing to Report
Character:Soldat Girot
Release Date:15/08/1973
Detective Story
Character:Le photographe
Release Date:30/10/1972
Television Appearances
Il était une fois Champs-Élysées
Character:Self (archive footage)
Vivement dimanche
Character:Self
Sacrée Soirée
Character:Self
Nulle part ailleurs
Character:Self
Matin Bonheur
Character:Self
Merci Bernard
Character:
Champs-Elysées
Character:Self
Numéro un
Character:Self
Numéro un
Character:Self - Host
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
Character:Self
Midi Première
Character:Self
Spécial cinéma
Character:Self
Le Grand Échiquier
Character:Self
Discorama
Character:Self
Images
