Key facts: Jean-Paul Belmondo (1933-2021), nicknamed "Bébel," was the French actor who shot to fame in 1960 with Breathless and made more than 80 films over five decades. The son of sculptor Paul Belmondo (born in 1898 in Algeria), he was part of a dynasty spanning four generations of artists, from his father to his grandson Victor Belmondo. His life-size wax figure is on display at Wax of Legends in Colmar, 12 place de la Cathédrale, open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A sideways smile, a cigarette at the corner of his lips, a stunt he insisted on performing himself: one shot is enough to recognise him. Jean-Paul Belmondo was a fixture of French cinema for sixty years. His name also belongs to a family of artists, from Paul the sculptor to Victor, an actor today.
Whether you know his films by heart or are just discovering why France called him "Bébel," this is the story of the Belmondo clan and the Colmar museum where you can see his life-size wax figure: Wax of Legends.
Jean-Paul Belmondo was born on 9 April 1933 in Neuilly-sur-Seine and died on 6 September 2021 in Paris, aged 88. The son of sculptor Paul Belmondo, he grew up in a home where art was part of everyday life. A disruptive pupil and amateur boxer before he turned to acting, he gravitated towards the theatre and entered the Conservatoire in the early 1950s. His early career was difficult: one teacher predicted that his unconventional looks would prevent him from succeeding in cinema. The prediction proved wrong.
His breakthrough came in 1960 with Breathless, directed by Jean-Luc Godard. Belmondo played a laid-back small-time crook, breaking with the conventions of classical acting. The French New Wave had found one of its defining faces, and audiences a hero they would follow for decades. They nicknamed him "Bébel."
Belmondo combined the discipline of a theatre-trained actor, capable of playing Cyrano on stage, with the nerve of a stuntman who climbed onto helicopters and ran across rooftops without a double. He often brought both sides of his craft together in the same film.
Who is Jean-Paul Belmondo? A French actor born in 1933 in Neuilly-sur-Seine who died in 2021 in Paris, he was one of the greatest stars of French cinema. Nicknamed "Bébel," he came to prominence in Breathless (1960) and left his mark through both his acting and the stunts he performed without a double.
His filmography includes more than 80 films made between 1956 and 2009, among them several enduring favourites.
After Breathless, Belmondo moved freely between genres. In 1962, he played a big-hearted bandit alongside Claudia Cardinale in Philippe de Broca's swashbuckling film Cartouche. The role remains one of his best loved.
He went on to make the French action films that became his trademark, running across rooftops and making audiences laugh along the way. That Man from Rio (1964) sent him to Brazil for a frantic chase. Le Magnifique (1973) cast him as both a second-rate secret agent and the writer who imagined him. Fear over the City (1975) had him racing across the rooftops of Paris. Le Professionnel (1981), accompanied by Ennio Morricone's score, became a major popular hit, and its theme is still widely recognised.
Belmondo also shared top billing with stars such as Alain Delon in Borsalino (1970). His career was not confined to action films: in 1989, he won the César for Best Actor for Itinéraire d'un enfant gâté.
Belmondo's filmography in figures:
| Marker | Detail |
|---|---|
| Films made | More than 80, between 1956 and 2009 |
| Breakthrough year | 1960 (Breathless) |
| César won | 1989, Best Actor for Itinéraire d'un enfant gâté |
| Iconic on-screen duo | Borsalino (1970), opposite Alain Delon |
| Last major popular hit | Le Professionnel (1981) |
| Career span | 1956-2009 (53 years on screen) |
| Stroke / rehabilitation | 2001, in Corsica |
Good to know: Belmondo's cult films are widely available in France on VOD and the main video-on-demand platforms, as well as on Blu-ray and DVD. You can therefore (re)discover Cartouche, Le Magnifique or Le Professionnel before or after your visit to Wax of Legends.
A search for "Belmondo, Belmondo" brings up several faces: the family includes artists across four generations. Following them in order makes the family tree easier to understand, particularly as the name Paul recurs from one generation to the next.
1. Paul, the sculptor grandfather. Born in 1898 in Boufarik, Algeria, Paul Belmondo settled in France and became a prominent figure in twentieth-century classical sculpture and a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts. His son Jean-Paul grew up in his studio, surrounded by plaster casts and bronzes. Paul Belmondo died in 1982.
2. Jean-Paul, the actor. The sculptor's son made the family name known around the world. His children and then his grandchildren continued the family line.
3. Jean-Paul's children. His son Paul (born in 1963) was given his sculptor grandfather's first name but followed a very different path: motorsport, including Formula 1 in the 1990s, followed by endurance racing. His youngest daughter, Stella (born in 2003 from his relationship with Natty Tardivel), is the youngest member of the clan and often accompanied her father at public appearances.
4. Victor, the actor of today. Paul the driver and his wife Luana Belmondo, of Italian origin, a television presenter and cookbook author well known to the French public, have three sons. One of them, Victor (born in 1993), Jean-Paul's grandson, also became an actor. Part of the younger generation of French cinema, he is building a career of his own rather than relying on the family name.
The family also includes Alain Belmondo, Jean-Paul's brother, an associate producer who worked behind the scenes on several of his successes.
Did you know? The name Paul runs through the dynasty: Paul the sculptor, Jean-Paul's father, and Paul the driver, Jean-Paul's son, who was given his grandfather's first name. Between them, Jean-Paul made the Belmondo name famous around the world.
At Wax of Legends in Colmar, you can stand beside Jean-Paul Belmondo's wax figure in the cinema walkthrough, alongside other well-known names from the screen.
The museum includes a Celebrity Magazine Workshop where you can pose for the front page of a scandal sheet amid flashbulbs and paparazzi. Bébel appears there alongside another star of French cinema, Louis de Funès.
Elsewhere in the cinema walkthrough, a Cannes Film Festival area shows Gérard Depardieu climbing the steps as Harrison Ford and Tom Cruise walk the red carpet. Faces from different eras range from Charlie Chaplin to Marilyn Monroe, with photo opportunities throughout.
Visit info: The visit (1 hour to 1 hour 30) takes you past 60 statues, 30 listening points and 15 interactive experiences. Wax of Legends is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, public holidays included, with last entries at 5 p.m. and an audioguide included in 6 languages.
Cinema is only one of the museum's worlds. Near Belmondo, you will find music icons, sporting champions and historical figures, as well as ten legends of Alsace staged for the occasion. Each room shifts to a different theme.
Wax of Legends is in the historic centre of Colmar. Two other museums share the same address, making it easy to extend your outing without driving elsewhere.
In brief: Everything is gathered at 12 place de la Cathédrale: Wax of Legends, Choco-Story and Vino-Storia all at the same address, in the historic centre of Colmar.
After posing with Belmondo, you can explore the history of chocolate at Choco-Story, with tastings included. Vino-Storia traces the history of Alsace wines and ends with a tasting of three of them. An alcohol-free option is available, including for children, with juices whose aromas echo those of Alsace wines.
Several packages combine the visits. The duo pass cuts the price of entry by 20% across two museums, while the trio pass cuts it by 33% across all three, equivalent to one free museum. Both remain valid for a week from the first visit and can be booked online. You can therefore spread the visits over several days.
Colmar is also the birthplace of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty. Wax of Legends devotes a room to him where you can place your own face in his best-known work. The room provides a link between cinema and sculpture, the field in which Jean-Paul's father, Paul Belmondo, worked.
In 2001, while he was in Corsica, Jean-Paul Belmondo suffered a stroke. This sharply reduced his activity and put his career on hold for a time. The actor then underwent rehabilitation and returned to cinema a few years later. The precise medical causes are a matter of his private life.
He is publicly known to have married twice: first Élodie Constantin, the mother of his three eldest children, and then Natty Tardivel, with whom he had his daughter Stella. Between those marriages, his relationship with actress Ursula Andress in the 1960s attracted considerable attention. Only established facts about his private life are covered here.
The cigarette is part of his on-screen image, beginning with the famous shot from Breathless. It was an element of the performance and the style of the laid-back crook who made his name. His personal habits remain private; cinema history has retained the image of the character.
Yes. Paul Belmondo, Jean-Paul's father and a renowned sculptor, was born in 1898 in Boufarik, Algeria. He later settled in France, where he pursued his artistic career and where his son grew up surrounded by his sculptures. He died in 1982.
Jean-Paul Belmondo's wax figure is on display at Wax of Legends in Colmar, in the walkthrough devoted to cinema. You can pose beside it and take a photo. The museum is open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., public holidays included, at 12 place de la Cathédrale.
Yes, the visit is suitable for all ages. Teenagers can pose with the life-size stars at the selfie spots, younger children can try the interactive experiences, and adults can revisit the faces that shaped their era, including Belmondo. Allow 1 hour to 1 hour 30, with an audioguide included in six languages.
The walkthrough includes 60 life-size wax figures, 30 listening points and 15 interactive experiences, to discover in 1 hour to 1 hour 30 with an audioguide included in 6 languages.
Wax of Legends is located at 12 place de la Cathédrale in Colmar, at the same address as Choco-Story and Vino-Storia, allowing you to combine all three visits on site.
Jean-Paul Belmondo appeared in more than 80 films between 1956 and 2009, a career spanning 53 years, including Breathless (1960), Cartouche (1962), Borsalino (1970), Le Magnifique (1973) and Le Professionnel (1981).
The Belmondo dynasty spans four generations: Paul the sculptor (born 1898), Jean-Paul the actor (born 1933), his children Paul the racing driver (born 1963) and Stella (born 2003), and his grandson Victor the actor (born 1993).
Information verified by the Wax of Legends team (July 2026).
Cover photo : © Serge NIED — Wax of Legends
