He could lay claim to being one of the most prolific actors of his generation. A look at his film credits since the early '50s shows well over 100 appearances right up until this year. That performer, Michel Serrault, the French actor who is best remembered for his role as the flamboyant drag performer in La Cage aux Folles (1978) and its sequels, died on July 29 of cancer at his home in Honfleur, France. He was 79.

Born on January 24, 1928, in Brunoy, France, Serrault didn't choose acting in the beginning, and concentrated on priesthood, briefly entering a seminary. But he had a change of heart and in the late '40s he decided to pursue his passion for theater. He started out as a singer in various stock troupes before he entered films in 1954. His roles were small, but he was an appealing comic presence in such whimsical fare as The American Beauty (1961), Three Fables of Love (1962), and the popular Alan Bates cult comedy King of Hearts (1966).

He scored a breakthrough when he was cast as an aging pensioner who is being targeted for murder in Pierre Tchernia's well crafted farce The Life Annuity (1972). Yet it would be his performance as the endearing "Zaza Napoli," the campy drag performer entertainer, that he would nail his greatest triumph in La Cage aux Folles (1978)- it made him an indisputable star. The film was an international smash, and Serrault would repeat his part in the sequels La Cage aux Folles II (1980) and La Cage aux Folles III (1985), which despite mixed reviews, were also box-office hits.

His best work was yet to come. Those who think Serrault was just a jaunty comic actor need to check out his unnerving performance as a deranged serial killer in Doctor Petiot (1990). Cast chillingly against type, and based on a true story, Serrault is by turns charming and menacing as the infamous doctor who promised to harbor rich Jews in Nazi occupied Paris during World War II, only to kill them for profit. He was also notable as a companion to Jeanne Moreau in the moody The Old Lady Who Walked in the Sea (1991); and was a captivating lead in the mature romantic drama Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud (1995). His last film, the thriller Have Mercy on Us All (2007), was released just earlier this year. Serrault is survived by his wife, Juanita, and daughter, Nathalie.