31/07/2007

French actor Michel Serrault, whose hit performance as a transvestite in the film and screen versions of ``La cage aux folles'' (The Birdcage) catapulted him to international stardom, has died. He was 79. Serrault appeared in more than 135 films during a career that spanned half a century. After debuting as a comic actor, Serrault became one of France's most versatile stars, playing a serial killer, a grizzled farmer, a crooked banker and accused rapist.