French film star Nathalie Baye has died at age 77, according to multiple reports. The actress, who had a career spanning nearly 100 films, won four César awards including two for best actress. Baye was discovered in the 1970s by director François Truffaut, who cast her in his films La Nuit Américaine (1973) and La Chambre Verte (1978).
According to The Guardian - Main UK, Nathalie Baye described Truffaut as valuing her reliability, saying he knew she wasn't the kind of actress who caused problems and could rely on her, which was very reassuring to him. Her peak success came in the early 1980s when she won César awards for Every Man for Himself (1980), Strange Affair (1981), and La Balance (1982) in successive years. During this period, she was also cast by Jean-Luc Godard in his 1980 film Sauve Qui Peut.
If François asked me to perform with him, it was because he knew I wasn’t the kind of actress who caused problems. He could rely on me, which was very reassuring to him.
Later in her career, Baye collaborated with Hollywood director Steven Spielberg, appearing in his 2002 film Catch Me If You Can. She also made a cameo appearance in the popular French TV series Dix pour Cent (Call My Agent) in 2015. In her personal life, Baye had a romantic relationship with French singer Johnny Hallyday in the 1980s.
The couple had a daughter named Laura Smet. French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Nathalie Baye following news of her death. The exact date and cause of her death have not been confirmed, nor have the specific French media sources that initially reported it.
The full content of Macron's tribute remains unknown, as do the titles of the 13 films Baye starred in after 2015 and the specific roles she played in recent projects such as her cameo in Dix pour Cent and her appearance as a marchioness in Downton Abbey.