Philippe Noiret (2003 photo)

One of the most popular actors of the postwar French cinema, Philippe Noiret, has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 76.

Noiret enjoyed unprecedented popularity in a career that spanned more than five decades. He appeared in some 125 films.

Among his first successes was Louis Malle's 1960 movie Zazie in the Metro.

Noiret won two Cesars, the French version of the Oscar award. In 1976, he won best actor award for his role in the dramatic Le Vieux Fusil  (Old Gun) and again in 1990 for his portrayal of a World War I officer in La Vie et Rien d'Autre (Life and Nothing But).

He won international acclaim for his role in Guiseppe Tornatore's 1988 Cinema Paradiso and for his stunning performance in the 1994 hit Il Postino (The Postman), in which he played Chilean poet and diplomat, Pablo Neruda.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.