Downton Abbey star, Nathalie Baye, has died aged 77, her family have confirmed.
The French film star was previously diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease Lewy body dementia, causing her health to deteriorate last year.
It can cause hallucinations, changes in mood and movement, as well as problems with understanding, memory and judgement.
Her family told news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) that she died at her home in Paris on the evening of April 17.
She was an award-winning actress who appeared in over 80 films during her career, including Downton Abbey: A New Era where she played French aristocrat Madame de Montmirail.
The French cinema stalwart won best actress at the prestigious César Awards four times.
Other notable roles include playing the mother of Leonardo DiCaprio in Steven Spielberg’s 2002 film Catch Me if You Can.
She was born in Normandy in 1948 to artist parents. Baye struggled with dyslexia and left school at 14 to pursue dancing in Monaco.
Her big break came in the 1970s when she appeared in Francois Truffaut’s film La Nuit américaine (Day For Night), and her success continued as she worked with directors like Maurice Pialat, Claude Sautet and later, Jean-Luc Godard.
As well as winning numerous César awards, Baye took home the prize for best actress at the Venice film festival for her role in Une liaison pornographique (An Affair of Love).
Baye was in a relationship for five years with rock and roll singer Johnny Hallyday, a.k.a. the French Elvis. His death at age 74 in 2017 sparked mass mourning in the country.
Together, they had daughter Laura Smet, who is also a famous actress. She will star in the upcoming series of The White Lotus, set in the South of France.
Smet and Baye have acted together in the past, playing versions of themselves in the hit French series Dix pour cent (Call My Agent!). In an episode during the first season, things become competitive when they are offered the same script and their close relationship is briefly tested.
Fans online are mourning the loss. Ayobami Asare wrote on X: ‘Sad news. Nathalie Baye, a true icon of French cinema, has passed away at 77.
‘Her performances in films like Day for Night, Catch Me If You Can, and so many others left a lasting mark. Rest in peace.’
While Inlov Vithlov said: ‘Farewell and thank you for paving the way, Madame Nathalie Baye.’
Swift Archives also gave credit to her skills: ‘Her presence on screen was so understated yet captivating, seen her in a few Truffaut films and it’s like she’s still there even when the credits roll.’
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