French filmmaker Claude Chabrol dies at 80

[September 13, 2010]  PARIS (AP) -- French director Claude Chabrol shows his Golden Camera Award for his lifetime achievement at the Berlinale in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009.

A Paris City Hall official says French filmmaker Claude Chabrol, one of the key figures of the New Wave, has died. He was 80.

Christophe Girard, who's responsible for cultural matters, announced Chabrol's death on his blog. Other City Hall officials confirmed Chabrol's death on Sunday morning. The cause of death was not immediately known.

A prolific director, Chabrol made more than 70 films and TV productions during his 60-year-long career. His first movie, 1958's "Le Beau Serge" won him considerable critical acclaim, which he quickly followed up with internationally known movies like "Bad Girls" (1968) and "The Breach" (1970).

Chabrol's last feature film, "Bellamy," came out last year.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.