Nathalie Baye

Born in 1948 in Mainneville, a small town in Normandy, the French actress’s reputation and prestige has travelled across borders. At the age of 14, she left school to study dance in Monaco, before travelling to the United States to continue her training. Three years later she returned to France, where she studied at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art in Paris.

François Truffaut gave her her big break in ‘Day For Night’ (1973). They would work together again in ‘The Man Who Loved Women’ (1977) and ‘The Green Room’ (1978). Versatile like few others, her on-screen chemistry and her ability to embody complex characters have led her to play a wide range of roles, with a skill and emotional depth capable of connecting with the audience, to become one of the most reputed and sought-after actresses in her country, but also in Europe and America.

She has worked with some of the most important directors in the French industry, such as Jean-Luc Godard (‘Everyman for Himself’, 1980; ‘Detective’, 1985); Maurice Pialat (‘The Mouth Agape’, 1974); Bertrand Tavernier (‘A Week’s Vacation’, 1980); Tonie Marshall (‘Venus Beauty Institute’, 1999); Daniel Vigne (‘The Return of Martin Guerre’, 1982) or Claude Chabrol (‘The Flower of Evil’, 2003).

Outside her country, she has also enjoyed success in films such as ‘Catch Me If You Can’ (Steven Spielberg, 2002) and ‘Laurence Anyways’ (Xavier Dolan, 2012), among others, and series like ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ (Simon Curtis, 2022).

Her memorable performance in ‘An Affair of Love’ (Fréderic Fonteyne, 1999), won her the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Festival, and with ‘My Son’ (Martial Fougeron, 2006) she won the Silver Shell for best actress at San Sebas- tian. She has also won four César Awards: two as leading actress for ‘La Balance’ (Bob Swaim, 1982) and ‘Le Petit lieutenant’ (Xavier Beauvois, 2005), and two as supporting actress for ‘Every Man for Himself‘ and ‘Une étrange affaire’ (Pierre Granier-Deferre, 1981).