Actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, star of ‘Breathless,’ dies at 88

Jean-Paul Belmondo, star of the iconic French New Wave film “Breathless,” whose crooked boxer’s nose and rakish grin went on to make him one of the country’s most recognizable leading men, has died at 88.

His death was confirmed Monday by the office of his lawyer, Michel Godest. No cause of death was given.

Belmondo’s career spanned half a century. In the 1960s, he embodied a new type of male movie star, one characterized by pure virility rather than classic good looks. He went on to appear in more than 80 films and worked with a variety of major French directors, from Francois Truffaut to Claude Lelouch and Jean-Luc Godard, whose 1960 movie “Breathless” (“Au Bout de Souffle” in its original French title) brought both men lasting acclaim.

Belmondo’s career choices were equally varied, from acclaimed art house films to critically lukewarm action and comedy films later in his career.