Pierre Bellemare — French broadcaster, writer and entertainer

Career and roles

Bellemare worked across different media and genres. He wrote fiction and non-fiction, produced and presented radio and television programs, and occasionally acted. His public image combined a storyteller's voice with experience as a program-maker, and he took part in both light entertainment and programs built around anecdotes and true-life stories.

• Novelist and author of short stories and popular non-fiction.
• Radio presenter and voice talent, known for a distinctive delivery.
• Television host and producer, creating or fronting various formats.
• Actor in film and television, including a supporting role in a 2009 spy comedy.

Style, themes and contribution

Throughout his career Bellemare was valued for his ability to present tales — whether fictional, anecdotal or journalistic — in a compact and accessible way. He helped popularize programs that mixed entertainment with factual storytelling and contributed to the development of magazine-style and anecdote-driven shows on French radio and television. Colleagues and audiences often noted his clear diction and the way he shaped a story for listeners.

Selected credits and later years

In cinema he appeared as Lesignac in the 2009 film "OSS 117: Lost in Rio," which introduced him to viewers beyond his usual audience. On television he hosted formats such as Crésus for a period in the mid-2000s. Toward the end of his life he returned to regular radio: from 2013 until his death he presented the Europe 1 program Les pieds dans le plat. He was born in Boulogne-Billancourt and died in Suresnes in May 2018 at the age of 88.

Legacy

Pierre Bellemare is remembered as a prolific and adaptable communicator who moved easily between writing, broadcasting and production. His long career made him a recognizable voice for several generations in France, and his work illustrates mid-to-late 20th century trends in European radio and television entertainment.