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Death of Michel Blanc: tribute to a complete artist, who made self-deprecation his strength
Death of Michel Blanc: tribute to a complete artist, who made self-deprecation his strength
(France 2)
Disappeared at the age of 72 on the night of Thursday to Friday October 4, Michel Blanc, star of Splendid, began his career in comedy and ended it in drama. A look back at this atypical artist, who never stopped trying to surpass himself.
Michel Blanc was his real name, ironic for such a colorful character. The actor who died at the age of 72 was born with a terrible fear: that of doing nothing, of being bored. So he tried his hand at theater with his high school friends, the future Splendid troupe. “I was a shy, introverted, terrible person.”remembered the actor some time ago. The turning point came during a theater exercise, where he made his comrades laugh in spite of himself.
After years of café-theatre, which brought the success of Splendid to the cinema, Michel Blanc will burst onto the screen in Evening wear by Bertrand Blier. A dramatic role that allows him to enrich his palette. It was a darker register that won him his first César, for The exercise of the Statein 2011. “I wasn’t sure if you would accept me in these roles”he then confided in his speech. By making self-deprecation his weapon, and his fear a friend, Michel Blanc knew how to paint his cinema from the gayest to the darkest.
Watch the full report in the video above