Maigret Star Cremer Dies

French actor BRUNO CREMER has lost his battle with cancer at the age of 80.

The star died at a hospital in Paris on Saturday (07Aug10) after struggling with the disease for several years, his agent France Degand has confirmed.

Cremer began his career in the 1950s and starred in a variety of stage plays, including a starring role as Thomas Beckett in the world premiere of Jean Anouilh’s Beckett in 1959.

He starred in films such as director Rene Clement’s Is Paris Burning? (1966), The Time to Die (1970), and Noce Blanche in 1989, appearing alongside Vanessa Paradis.

But he will perhaps be best remembered for playing the famous pipe-smoking detective Maigret in the TV series which debuted in 1991 and ran until 2005.

Cremer is survived by his wife Chantal, their two daughters, and a son from a previous marriage.