Belmondo and his cigars

Was Jean-Paul Belmondo a cigar smoker? Judging by a number of portraits of him, the habit was part of his life. Over the years, the photographs show him with larger and larger cigars.

Cigar in hand, a smile on his lips

The actor’s death caused a great deal of emotion in France. This was an icon who had left his mark on several generations. His enormous body of work and his plain speaking had won over a great many people. As the tributes multiplied, photographs of the actor smoking a cigar resurfaced.

While Bébel was known for his good humour and the smile on his lips, many had forgotten that he was also a regular cigar smoker.

From the small cigar to the large ring gauge

Early in his career, Jean-Paul Belmondo was photographed by Sam Levin, who rarely dated his images. It is therefore hard to say when he captured Bébel wearing a straw hat with a long, slim cigar in his mouth. Whenever it was, the habit clearly never left him.

Success did nothing to change Jean-Paul Belmondo’s attachment to cigars. A few years later, Émilie de la Hosseraye photographed him in turn, wearing a star-badged beret with a large cigar in his mouth.

The bon vivant as he was remembered

The star of Le Magnifique was known for his taste for fine things. A ladies’ man, he never hid his liking for good bottles and for cigars. On his death he left an impressive collection to his descendants.

Those close to him described him as a fearless bon vivant. He lived every moment intensely and knew how to make the most of life without letting it go to his head. This actor, with his enduring presence and typically French charm, left his mark on cinema. On screen as in life, the large cigar remained part of the image he left behind.