French actor Niels Arestrup, 75, died on Dec. 1. He is best known in the US for War Horse, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and At Eternity’s Gate. He started his career in the theater, and was already an accomplished actor by the time he made his film debut in Second Chance (1976). He went on to appear in 90-some movies and TV shows, most recently in 2022’s TV series Les Papillons Noirs. Among Arestrup’s most famous roles were in The Beat that My Heart Skipped, A Prophet, and The French Minister. Though an acclaimed actor, Arestrup had the reputation of being kind of a jerk: Isabelle Adjani said he slapped her during Mademoiselle Julie, and after Myriam Boyer complained about him strangling her during Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (though, really, I bet that happens a lot with that play), he had her fired. When told of his death Adjani said he “was a great actor [but] personally, I unfortunately have nothing positive to say about the man.” He is survived by his wife, actress and writer Isabelle Le Nouvel.
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