PARIS, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- French actor Philippe Noiret has died of cancer. He was 76.
Noiret starred or appeared in more than 125 films in his career, which spanned over a half century, the BBC reports.
Noiret was famous for his acting flexibility, playing the roles of haughty aristocrats as well as middle-class men and others.
One of his most famous films was "Cinema Paradiso," in which he played a village projectionist.
French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said the worlds of theatre and film had been suddenly orphaned by Noiret's death.
"Through his voice, his allure, his panache, Philippe Noiret knew how to seize and express something within the French soul," de Villepin said.
"The silhouette and the voice, so tender and familiar, will be missed by all."
