Jean-Louis Trintignant has not only shone on the boards or in front of the camera. The actor who disappeared on June 17 was also an ace behind the wheel. He took part in numerous competitions including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Spa-Francorchamps. He even played sales reps for a series of Peugeot videos.
Jean-Louis Trintignant is gone. The actor and former pilot died at the age of 91 following a long illness. If we know him for his various roles in theater and cinema, this very shy person has not always aspired to do this job. As a young man, he dreamed of being a car racer. A family affair with the Trintignants! Three of his uncles were pilots: Louis, Henri and the best known Maurice nicknamed Pétoulet. The latter won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1954 and was the 1er French driver to win an F1 Grand Prix counting for the world championship. It was in Monaco in 1955.
A career as an actor AND a pilot
Yet Jean-Louis Trintignant will finally choose to be an actor. In 1956, he played Brigitte Bardot’s lover in ” And God created the woman… “. Ten years later, we find him behind the wheel in the film ” A man and a woman » by Claude Lelouch (1966) where he plays the role of a widowed racing driver who falls under the spell of Anouk Aimé.
In the 70s, his passion caught up with him. He then led a double career and took part in several rallies, including six Monte-Carlo. He also tried his hand at endurance in 1980. He took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the wheel of a Porsche 953 K3 with Xavier Lapeyre and Anne-Charlotte Verney. Race which ends in a violent exit from the road of the actor while the crew points to the 5the position. This misadventure did not taint the motivation of Jean-Louis, who took the wheel again and finished 2e 24 Hours of Spa in 1982 with Jean-Pierre Jarier and Thierry Tassin on BMW. This interest for the automobile, he also shared it with his second wife, Marianne Hoepfner. This French driver has 4 participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (75, 77, 78, 80) and a Dakar (84) to her credit.
A Peugeot ambassador
Lesser known part of Jean-Louis Trintignant’s career: this sales representative mission for Peugeot! The Lion manufacturer calls on the actor Jean-Claude Aubé and Jean-Louis Trintignant to praise the qualities of its 505 vintage 1986. We are in 1985, the Lion sedan has just benefited from a restyling, but the body remains aging . So to demonstrate that she still has assets, she challenges the competition in a dozen comparative videos. We find the two men on the circuit of Ledenon for a tour of the owner and very oriented road tests… Of course!
