Bernard Blier

Son of a French researcher in Argentina, Blier studied at the Paris Conservatoire under Louis Jouvet, debuting in Marcel Carné's Hôtel du Nord (1938). He became the quintessential comic and dramatic foil of twentieth-century French cinema across nearly 200 films.

His immortal portrayal of the scheming gangster Raoul Volfoni in Les Tontons Flingueurs (1963)—constantly being knocked across the room while protesting: 'Non mais, t'as déjà vu ça?'—is etched into French popular memory. He won the César d'Honneur in 1989, presented to him weeks before his death by his son, director Bertrand Blier.