French actor Philippe Noiret died yesterday after a long battle with cancer. He was 76. The Cinema Paradiso star appeared in more than 125 films and also took to the stage in a string of plays. Noiret started his career in 1956 in Agnes Varda's film La Pointe Courte. He won two Cesar Awards (the French Oscars) for Best Actor for his roles in Robert Enrico's 1976 film Le Vieux Fusil and Bertrand Tavernier's 1990 production La Vie Et Rien D'Autre. French Prime Minister Dominique De Villepin paid tribute to Noiret, saying, "Through his voice, his allure, his panache, Philippe Noiret knew how to seize and express something within the French soul. The silhouette and the voice, so tender and familiar, will be missed by all."
