Sculptor. Paul was born in Algiers into a poor family. His early schooling was at Dordor in Algiers. Passionate about art and design, he began carving at the age of 13 years. He studied architecture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Algiers, but his studies were interrupted by the First World War.  A grant from the government of Algeria, he continued his studies in Paris.  He won the Grand Prix de Rome and Prix Blumenthal in 1926. He married in Paris in 1930 and 3 children were born to the marriage, Alain, Jean-Paul (film actor) and Muriel. He received the Grand Prix artistique of Algeria in 1932 and then the Grand Prix of the city of Paris in 1936. Paul died in Paris. In March 2007 Jean-Paul Belmondo, his brother Alain and his sister Muriel donated all works of their father they owned to the Paris suburb Boulogne-Billancourt 259 sculptures, 444 medals and almost 900 drawings as well as sketchbooks and preparatory work. Emmanuel Bréon, curator of the Musée des Années Trente (Museum of the 1930s) in Boulogne-Billancourt had proposed that a museum dedicated to Paul Belmondo could be located in the area. The Belmondo collection was temporarily stored in the Musée des Années Trente.The new museum was built in Buchillot castle, an eighteenth-century folly.The building, a historic monument, owned by the city, was renovated for a sum of over 2.7 million euros. It was initially expected to open at the end of 2008,  but was delayed, opening to the public on September 14, 2010. (bio by: Shock)