Jean-Claude Brialy, 74; French actor was part of New Wave movement

Jean-Claude Brialy, 74, a French actor emblematic of the New Wave film movement, died in his Paris home Wednesday after a long battle with cancer, family friend Michel del Burgo told the Associated Press.

Brialy was a familiar face in films by legendary French directors including Claude Chabrol, Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, who spearheaded the avant-garde New Wave movement in the late 1950s.

Brialy was born in 1933 in Aumale, Algeria, where his father, a military man, was stationed. The family moved often, and Brialy studied drama at a conservatory in Strasbourg, France.

Brialy began his career as a stage actor. His appearance in the title role of the 1958 Chabrol film “Le Beau Serge” (“Handsome Serge”) catapulted him to fame.

“I owe my career to Claude Chabrol,” said Brialy, who was known for his charm and dark good looks. “He was always convinced I was a good actor.”

Brialy went on to star in Eric Rohmer’s 1970 “Le Genou de Claire” (“Claire’s Knee”) and “Le Fantome de la liberte” (“The Phantom of Liberty”) by Spanish director Luis Bunuel in 1974.

He continued acting into his 70s, including in the 2005 comedy “Quartier VIP” (“VIP Neighborhood”).