Niels Arestrup: what did the actor from “A Prophet” die of?

The world of cinema is in mourning this Sunday, December 1st. The actor Niels Arestrup died at the age of 75, as his press secretary announced to our colleagues at Le Parisien, in Ville-d’Avray, in Hauts-de-Seine. For the moment, we do not know exactly the causes of his death, although the actor’s press secretary clarified that he suffered from an illness.

The Franco-Danish actor was born in Montreuil, in the Paris region, in 1949. He began his career in the theater after enrolling in Tania Balachova’s course. He was part of the troupe of the Théâtre de Poche in Brussels in the 1960s. At the same time, Niels Arestrup appeared several times on screen, notably with “Miss O’Gynie and the Flower Men” by Samy Pavel, in 1973. Between theater and cinema, in the mid-1980s, he ended up obtaining leading roles, but which did not make an impression on public opinion.

Niels Arestrup created and directed the Théâtre-École du Passage, known as one of the best private lessons in Paris. His students were trained in drama, but also in dancing, singing, acrobatics and even English.

Niels Arestrup has nevertheless been accused on several occasions of violence against actresses. Maria Schneider apparently fractured her coccyx and Miou-Miou pierced her eardrum after a slap that was too hard during a take on the set of the film “La Dérobade”. Isabelle Adjani would also have received a slap from the actor. It is for this reason that she would have stopped the play “Mademoiselle Julie” in 1983. Niels Arestrup has always denied these accusations, but has given up on carrying out his defamation attacks.

His three Caesars

Niels Arestrup left his mark on French cinema with his legendary supporting roles, three of which allowed him to win the César for best supporting actor. First of all in 2006, for “The Beat My Heart Stopped” by Jacques Audiard, in which he opposite Romain Duris. The second in 2010, for his role in “A Prophet” by the same director. Finally, his third and last César was awarded to him for his role in “Quai d’Orsay” by Bertrand Tavernier in 2014.