He is widely known in France and the French speaking world for his interpretation of the famous detective Maigret in a television series that started in 1991. In 2005, he acted in his 54th adaptation of a Maigret story.
His earlier career on the stage included creating the role of Thomas Beckett in the 1959 world premiere of the play Beckett by Jean Anouilh.
After ten years on stage, he had a credited role in the movies for the first time in 1957 in "Send a Woman When the Devil Fails" (UK), with Alain Delon, aka: "When a Woman Meddles" (USA: TV title) aka: "When the Woman Gets Confused".
In December 1984, he married Chantal, having two daughters with her. From an earlier marriage he had another son: Stéphane, who is a writer.
In 2000, he published an autobiographical book, "Un certain jeune homme" (French: A certain young man).
