Jacques Perrin, the French actor best known for starring in Giuseppe Tornatore’s Oscar-winning film “Cinema Paradiso,” has died. He was 80 years old.
“The family has the immense sadness of informing you of the death of filmmaker Jacques Perrin, who died on Thursday, April 21 in Paris. He passed away peacefully,” Perrin’s family announced in a statement sent to news agency Agence France Press.
Perrin got an early start to his career, first appearing on screen in “Gates of the Night” — albeit uncredited — at just five years old. Over the course of his career, Perrin starred in more than 70 films, becoming a fixture in French and Italian cinema.
In 1988, Perrin played adult filmmaker Salvatore in “Cinema Paradiso,” a role that would become one of his most recognizable.
Jacques Perrin was also a prolific director. He helmed “Winged Migration” with Philippe Labro in 2001, with the film going on to notch an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature. The film to the story of migratory birds, filming their journeys using in-flight cameras.
The actor’s final film role was in the environmental thriller “Goliath,” which was released in France in last month, directed by Frédéric Tellier.