French-Danish actor Niels Arestrup is a muse emilia perez Director Jacques Audiard has starred in international films such as Steven Spielberg war horse and Julian Schnabel’s Diving bell and butterflypassed away at the age of 75.
Arestrup’s wife, Isabelle Lenouvelle, confirmed his death to AFP on Sunday, December 1, saying he died “at the end of a courageous battle with the disease.”
Arestrup will forever be associated with Jacques Audiard and his performances at Audiard The beat my heart beats 2005 – Played the criminal father for future concert pianist Romain Duris, and prophet In 2009, he played a fearsome Corsican gangster who ran his business from prison. For both roles, Arestrup won the French equivalent of the Oscars, the César for Best Supporting Actor, and these performances cemented his image as a screen villain with a piercing blue gaze who could barely contain his inner emotions. Violence. In 2014 Arestrup won a third César for Bertrand Tavernier french ministerA comedy about French diplomacy.
English-speaking audiences will recognize Arestrup from his role as an affable French grandfather in Steven Spielberg’s film. war horse (2011). He also starred in Julian Schnabel’s Oscar-nominated drama Diving bell and butterfly (2007) and at eternity’s gate (2018).
“We were dazzled by the intensity and magnetism of his performances in front of the cameras of Jacques Audiard, Bertrand Tavernier, Julian Schnabel or Albert Dupontelle. He will remain our greatest one of the actors,” French Culture Minister Rachida Dati wrote on X.
Born in France to a Danish father and a French mother, Arestrup grew up in a poor family in the suburbs of Paris, but his passion for theater led him to the stage. At the age of 23, he made his stage debut in a version of Dostoevsky crime and punishmentIt was directed by Alain Barsak, who suggested he change the name. Arestrup refused.
He made his film debut in 1976 in a Claude Lelouch film. second chance (1976) co-starring French stars Anouc Aimé and Catherine Deneuve. Over the next few decades, he appeared in dozens of movies and TV series. His last appearance was in the French Limited Series black butterfly Starting in 2022.
But his career was marred by accusations of violence. French actress Isabelle Adjani claims Arestrup slapped her violently during rehearsals for the play Miss Julie 1983. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?In the film produced by Arestrup, actress Miriam Boyer accuses him of nearly strangling her. Arestrup fired Boyer from the show. She was subsequently awarded 800,000 francs in compensation for her dismissal, but Arestrup was never charged with any crime.
french newspaper inquiry parisian Commenting on his death, Adjani acknowledged that Niels Arestrup “was a great actor” [but] Unfortunately, personally, I have nothing good to say about this guy.
