Paradoxically, for an actor whose film persona was so introverted, Jean-Louis Trintignant, who has died aged 91, made a strong impact in films for more than half a century. His reticence, slight build, limpid eyes and pale complexion, which gave his handsome features a certain blankness, enabled directors to get him to express more by doing less. “The best actors in the world are those who feel the most and show the least,” he once remarked.
This was demonstrable in Michael Haneke’s Oscar-winning Amour (2012), which was written for Trintignant, who suggested the film’s title. As the elderly, devoted husband Georges, watching his wife (Emmanuelle Riva) gradually decline in physical and mental health, Trintignant subtly balanced affection, irritation and pity.
