Jean-Pierre Cassel, 74; beloved French actor, dancer

Jean-Pierre Cassel, a celebrated French actor who rose to fame in the 1960s with comedies such as “Les Jeux de l’Amour” and “Le Farceur,” both by Philippe de Broca, has died. He was 74.

Cassel died Thursday in Paris, according to his agent, Isabelle Gaudin.

The actor, whose skills as a tap dancer won him comparisons to Fred Astaire, was among his country’s most beloved and versatile performers.

In addition to the films by De Broca, Cassel starred in films by other leading French directors, including Jean Renoir, Claude Chabrol and Jean-Pierre Melville.

He was featured in several English-language movies, including Richard Lester’s 1970s action comedies “The Three Musketeers” and “The Four Musketeers,” playing King Louis XIII. He also appeared in Robert Altman’s “Vincent & Theo” and “Pret-a-Porter.”

He was born Jean-Pierre Crochon in Paris on Oct. 27, 1932. His father was a doctor and his mother an opera singer.

Cassel was a singer as well as a tap dancer. In the 1980s and ‘90s, he had an active career in French television and theater. He continued performing into his 70s, giving a one-man show in Paris in 1994 featuring some of Astaire’s best-known tap routines.

Survivors include his son, actor Vincent Cassel.