French comic actor Jacques Villeret dies at 53

PARIS, Jan 28 (AFP) – Jacques Villeret, a French actor popular for his comic turns in films such as “The Dinner Game”, died Friday just nine days shy of his 54th birthday, friends told AFP.

The short, rotund performer, whose round face was topped by a thinning patch of frizzy hair, had a busy career as a supporting actor in more than 80 cinema and television productions.

Internationally he was best known as an obtuse and naive guest of a malicious Parisian socialite in “The Dinner Game” (“Le Diner de Cons” in French) which is regarded as one of France’s top comedy films, based on a stage play in which he also starred.

Villeret also used his diminutive stature to mine pathos and win sympathy in other films such as “The Children of the Marshlands” and “Malabar Princess”.