The esteemed French film director Claude Chabrol has died at age 80. A contemporary of Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard and Eric Rohmer, Chabrol began his career as a film critic and movie publicist before becoming one of the pioneers in the New Wave of European cinema in the 50s and 60s. He worked continuously until his death. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Chabrol “was a great cineaste and showed humor and truculence, both in his films and in his life.†Click here to read New York Times critic David Kehr's overview of his career.