Jacques Villeret
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.
Photos
Movies (78)
Jacques Villeret, drôlement tragique
2025 · Self (archive footage)
L'Âge d'or de la pub
2023 · Self (archive footage)
Belmondo: The Incorrigible
2022
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
2022 · Self (archive footage)
La Folle Histoire de François Pignon - De La chèvre au Dîner de cons
2015 · Self
The Do-Gooders
2005 · lucien
Grey Souls
2005 · Le juge Mierck
The Antidote
2005 · André Morin
Iznogoud
2005 · Haroun El Poussah
Viper in the Fist
2004 · Jacques Rézeau
Malabar Princess
2004 · Gaspard
Le Furet
2003 · le Furet
Strange Gardens
2003 · Jacques Pouzay
One Way Ticket
2001 · Jean-Pierre
A Crime in Paradise
2001 · Jojo Braconnier
Actors
2000 · Jacques Villeret
The Children of the Marshland
1999 · Henri Pignol, aka Riton
Mookie
1998 · Frère Benoît
The Dinner Game
1998 · François Pignon
Le Dernier Été
1997 · Georges Mandel
Georges Dandin de Molière
1997 · Georges Dandin
Golden Boy
1996 · Antoine Bonvoisin
Wacko
1994 · Le pompiste
Un fil à la patte
1992 · Bouzin
The Drummer of Ravel's Boléro
1992 · Le batteur
The Son of the Mekong
1992 · Durieux
Le Bal des casse-pieds
1992 · Jérôme, le présentateur de la météo
588 rue Paradis
1992 · Alexandre Pagès
The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish
1991 · Lingerie Man
The Professional Secrets of Dr. Apfelgluck
1991 · Martineau
Three Years
1990 · Alexandre Guillermen
La Petite Amie
1988 · Guillaume Bertin
Nailcruncher
1988 · Salomon
Keep Your Right Up
1987 · Individual
L'été en pente douce
1987 · Maurice Leheurt aka Mo
Last Summer in Tangiers
1987 · Marcus
Sale Temps
1987
C'est encore mieux l'après-midi
1987 · Georges Pigier
The Joint Brothers
1986 · Momo
Black Mic Mac
1986 · Michel Le Gorgues
Les Folles Années du Twist
1986 · M'sieur John Wayne
La Galette du roi
1986 · Utte de Danemark
Hold-up
1985 · Jeremie Blanchet, chauffeur de taxi
Drôle de samedi
1985 · Maurice, the butcher
Dialogue de sourds
1985 · The blind
The Vultures
1984 · Brigadier Béral
First Name: Carmen
1983 · The Man Who Eats Yogurt
Waiter!
1983 · Gilbert, Alex's friend
Gramps Is in the Resistance
1983 · Maréchal Ludwig von Apfelstrudel
Move Along, There Is Nothing to See!
1983 · Pelissier
Effraction
1983 · Valentin Tralande, truand violent
Danton
1983 · François-Joseph Westermann
Edith and Marcel
1983 · Jacques Barbier
The Big Brother
1982 · Inspecteur Coleau
The Cabbage Soup
1981 · L'Oxien (La Denrée)
Bolero
1981 · Jacques
Malevil
1981 · Momo
Out of Whack
1979 · Henri Fisserman / Paul Flantier / Bouli / Dr. Delomien, ...
Dumb But Disciplined
1979 · Jacques Cardot
Us Two
1979 · Tonton Musique
Heart to Heart
1979 · Sitting student
Mountain Pass
1978 · Georges
Mon Premier Amour
1978 · Jacques Labrousse
Robert et Robert
1978 · Robert Villiers
Un Balcon en forêt
1978 · Gourcuff
Le Rabat-joie
1978 · Léon
Another Man, Another Chance
1977 · Customer
Nono Nénesse
1976 · Nono
The Castaways of Turtle Island
1976 · Bernard Dupoirier, dit « Petit Nono »
A Second Chance
1976 · L'agent immobilier
The Good and the Bad
1976 · Simon
The Common Man
1975 · Gérald
Serious as Pleasure
1975 · Le gendarme
And Now My Love
1974
The Mouth Agape
1974 · (uncredited)
Loving in the Rain
1974 · Guillaume
Nothing to Report
1973 · Soldat Girot
Detective Story
1972 · Le photographe
TV shows (14)
Il était une fois Champs-Élysées
2022 · Self (archive footage)
Vivement dimanche
1998 · Self
Sacrée soirée
1987 · Self
Nulle part ailleurs
1987 · Self
Matin Bonheur
1987 · Self
Merci Bernard
1982
Champs-Elysées
1982 · Self
Ciné regards
1978 · Self
Numéro un
1975 · Self, Self - Host
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
1975 · Self
Midi Première
1975 · Self
Spécial cinéma
1974 · Self
Le Grand Échiquier
1972 · Self
Discorama
1959 · Self