Au revoir, Jean-Pierre Cassel: dead at 74

Apr 20, 2007, 10:52 GMT

French actor Jean-Pierre Cassel Thursday 18 May 2006. EPA/CHRISTOPHE KARABA

Paris - French veteran screen actor Jean-Pierre Cassel died Thursday at age 74 in Paris 'after a long illness,' according to a statement released by his associates on Friday.

Cassel was born in the French capital on October 27, 1932, the son of a doctor and an opera singer.

After appearing in a number of minor French films, Cassel got his break when he was cast by Gene Kelly in the Paris-filmed 1957 movie The Happy Road.

He made his mark in the 1960s comedies of French director Philippe de Broca and went on to become the screen lover of some of the world's most beautiful actresses, such as Jean Seberg, Brigitte Bardot, Claude Jade, Catherine Deneuve, Stéphane Audran and Marie Dubois.

Cassel may have been best known internationally for his role as the bumbling King Louis XIII in Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers, made in 1973 and 1974.

During his career, he worked with some of the most illustrious directors of the 20th century, including Luis Bunuel, Rene Clair, Claude Chabrol and Robert Altman.

He leaves behind three children, including actor Vincent Cassel, the husband of Italian sex symbol Monica Bellucci.