One of the most famous French comedy actors of the second half of the 20th century, he is best known for his clumsy and often Unluckily Lucky / daydreamer / fool roles in films of The '70s and The '80s, such as The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe and the films written and/or directed by Francis Veber, including some Buddy Pictures with Gérard Depardieu. As he aged, he shifted to playing Cool Old Guys.
Notable works:
- The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (1972) as François Perrin
- La moutarde me monte au nez (1974) as Pierre Durois
- The Umbrella Coup (1980) as Grégoire Lecomte
- La Chèvre (1981) as François Perrin
- Les Compères (1983) as François Pignon
- Les Fugitifs (1986) as François Pignon
- Door on the Left as You Leave the Elevator (1988) as Yann Ducoudray
- Paris 36 (2008) as Max aka "Monsieur TSF"
- Mia and the Migoo (2008) as Pedro (French dub)
- Le Petit Spirou (2017 film) as Spirou's grandfather
- Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom (2023) as Getafix
- Jeanne du Barry (2023) as the Duke of Richelieu
Tropes & Trivia in his works:
- Foreign Remake: A number of the comedies he's played in —most of them written and/or directed by Francis Veber— got American remakes, due to Veber gaining exposure in Hollywood due to working at Touchstone Pictures.
- Production Posse:
- His most memorable works have all involved Francis Veber, either as writer or director or both, as well as Vladimir Cosma for the soundtrack.
- When the above films weren't directed by Veber, Yves Robert helmed them.
- Those Two Actors: He and Gérard Depardieu have formed an Odd Couple in La Chèvre, Les Compères and Les Fugitifs.
