PARIS (AP) 鈥� Nathalie Baye, a French actor who was a fan’s favorite for her her down-to-earth charm and great versatility, has died. She was 77.
French president Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to an actor 鈥渨ith whom we loved, dreamed and grew.鈥� French media reported that Baye died on Friday in Paris from a neurodegenerative disease, quoting a statement from her relatives.
鈥淲e loved Nathalie Baye so much,鈥� Macron wrote in a message on X. 鈥淭hrough her voice, her smiles, and her modesty, she accompanied the past decades of French cinema, from Fran莽ois Truffaut to Tonie Marshall.鈥�
Baye featured in more than 80 movies, switching from mainstream comedies to auteur films with ease in a career that spanned over five decades. She twice claimed the prize for best actress at the C茅sars, France鈥檚 equivalent of the Oscars.
Baye, who was Leonardo DiCaprio鈥檚 on-screen mother in Steven Spielberg鈥檚 鈥淐atch Me If You Can,鈥� won both popular and critical acclaim for her role in 鈥淰enus Beauty Institute,鈥� a romantic comedy that follows three women working in a Parisian beauty salon as they search for fulfilment. Marshall won the C茅sar award for best director in 2000 for the movie.
The daughter of artists, Baye first trained as a dancer then honed her acting skills at the famed Cours Simon and the Conservatoire. She took the spotlight in Fran莽ois Truffaut’s 鈥淒ay for Night鈥� in 1973 and, five years later, worked with him again on 鈥淭he Green Room.鈥�
Baye worked with directors Maurice Pialat, Claude Sautet and Bertrand Tavernier, among others. She rose to fame with 鈥淭he Return of Martin Guerre鈥� in 1982. A year later, her role as a tough-talking streetwalker devoted to her down-and-out gangster boyfriend Philippe Leotard in 鈥淟a Balance鈥� earned her a C茅sar.
Baye liked to work with emerging filmakers such as Xavier Beauvois. She won the C茅sar for best actress for his movie 鈥淭he Young Lieutenant鈥� in 2006.
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