Nathalie Baye
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Nathalie Marie Andrée Baye (July 6, 1948 – April 17, 2026) was a French film, television, and stage actress. She began her career in 1970 and has appeared in more than 80 films. A ten-time César Award nominee, her four wins were for Every Man for Himself (1980), Strange Affair (1981), La Balance (1982), and The Young Lieutenant (2005). Her other films include Day for Night (1973), Catch Me If You Can (2002), Tell No One (2006), and The Assistant (2015). In 2009, she was appointed a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. Baye was born in Mainneville, Eure, Normandy to Claude Baye and Denise Coustet, two painters. At 14, she joined a school of dance in Monaco. Three years later she went to the United States. On returning to France, she continued with dance but also registered for the Simon Course and was admitted to the Conservatoire, from where she graduated in 1972 with a second prize in comedy, dramatic comedy, and foreign theatre. Her second cinema appearance was in Two People (1973), directed by Robert Wise. She became better known as the script girl in Day for Night (La Nuit américaine, 1973) by François Truffaut. Throughout the 1970s, she played the good girlfriend or nice provincial girl in film and television. She won her first César, as best supporting artist, for Every Man for Himself (Sauve qui peut (la vie), 1980) directed by Jean-Luc Godard. There then followed The Return of Martin Guerre (Le Retour de Martin Guerre, 1982) and La Balance (also 1982). Baye won two more César Awards, Best Supporting Actress, for Strange Affair (Une étrange affaire, 1981), and Best Actress for La Balance, 1982). Her four-year relationship with Johnny Hallyday made them a celebrity couple and their daughter is Laura Smet, now an actress. After changing her image by playing a streetwalker in La Balance, she widened her scope with more obscure characters in J'ai épousé une ombre (1983) and En toute innocence (1988). In 1986, she returned to the theatre with an interpretation of Adriana Monti. In 1999, she was voted Best Supporting Actress at Venice Film Festival for Une liaison pornographique and starred in Vénus Beauté (Institut) (2000) by Tonie Marshall which won multiple César Awards including Best Film. She has worked with Claude Chabrol and Steven Spielberg. Source: Article "Nathalie Baye" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Known for
Credits
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
as Paula Abagnale
Beau Pere (1981)
as Charlotte
Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)
as Mme de Montmirail
Tell No One (2006)
as Elysabeth Feldman
Alibi.com 2 (2023)
as Mme Martin
An Affair of Love (1999)
as Her
Alibi.com (2017)
as Marlène Martin
Detective (1985)
as Françoise Chenal
Haute Couture (2021)
as Esther
Day for Night (1973)
as Joelle, the Script Girl
Our Story (1984)
as Donatienne Pouget / Marie-Thérèse Chatelard / Geneviève Avranche
Laurence Anyways (2012)
as Julienne Alia
The Last Woman (1976)
as la fille aux cerises
Feelings (2003)
as Carole
It's Only the End of the World (2016)
as Martine
And the Band Played On (1993)
as Dr. Françoise Barre
Visage (2009)
as Nathalie
The Man Who Loved Women (1977)
as Martine Desdoits
La Balance (1982)
as Nicole Danet
L'Inconnu (1973)
Actor
A Day in the Life of French Cinema (2002)
as Self
A French Gigolo (2008)
as Judith
Beautiful Lies (2010)
as Mady
Moka (2016)
as Marlène
The Return of Martin Guerre (1982)
as Bertrande de Rols
Paparazzi (1998)
as Nicole, de l'agence Magma
François Truffaut, une autobiographie (2004)
as Self
The Slap (1974)
as Christine Abeillé
Scénario de 'Sauve qui peut la vie' (1979)
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Every Man for Himself (1980)
as Denise Rimbaud
Fill 'er Up with Super (1976)
as Charlotte
Marie-Octobre (2008)
as Marie-Hélène Dumoulin / Marie-Octobre
Le soir où j'ai reçu le César 2022 (2022)
as Self
SK1 (2015)
as Frédérique Pons
My Son (2006)
as Mother / La mère
Faustine and the Beautiful Summer (1972)
as Giselle
To Mathieu (2001)
as Claire
The Flower of Evil (2003)
as Anne Charpin-Vasseur
Mado (1976)
as Catherine
Michou d'Auber (2007)
as Gisèle
C'est La Vie (1990)
as Lena
Absolutely Fabulous (2001)
as Patricia 'Patsy' Laroche
The Guardians (2017)
as Hortense Sandrail
The Voice (1992)
as Lorraine
Queens of the Ring (2013)
as Colette
Strange Affair (1981)
as Nina Coline
Off and Running (2008)
as Irène Montier-Duval
Venus Beauty Institute (1999)
as Angèle Piana
Barnie's Minor Annoyances (2001)
as Lucie
Rive droite, rive gauche (1984)
as Sacha Vernakis
Madame Sourdis (1979)
as Adèle Sourdis
Him (2021)
as Mother
Food of Love (1997)
as Michele
La Californie (2006)
as Maguy
François Truffaut: Stolen Portraits (1993)
as Self
Hitler in Hollywood (2011)
as Nathalie Baye
Rat Race (1980)
as Brigitte Ozendron
A Week's Vacation (1980)
as Laurence Cuers
The Assistant (2015)
as Marie-France
The Young Lieutenant (2005)
as Commandant Vaudieu
Lou! (2014)
as Jeanne (La grand-mère)
Small World (2010)
as Elisabeth Senn
Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui (2014)
Actor
The Man Inside (1990)
as Christine
Honeymoon (1985)
as Cécile Carline
I've Been Waiting So Long (2004)
as Jeanne
My Best Part (2020)
as Bernadette Meyer
The Machine (1994)
as Marie Lacroix
Godard Cinema (2023)
as Self
Godard by Godard (2023)
as Self (archive footage)
The Mouth Agape (1974)
as Nathalie
From Time to Time (1992)
as Madame de Pompadour
God's Offices (2008)
as Anne
The Green Room (1978)
as Cecilia Mandel
Sous le soleil de Pialat (2021)
as Self
Xavier Dolan: Bound to Impossible (2016)
as Self
The Red Shade (1981)
as Anna
Enfants de salaud (1996)
as Sophie
I Married a Shadow (1983)
as Hélène
Mother Valley (2023)
as Hélène
One Stays, the Other Leaves (2005)
as Fanny
Solemn Communion (1977)
as Jeanne Vanderberghe
Jean-Pierre Léaud: The Child of Cinema (2024)
as Self - Actress
The Honeymoon Trip (1976)
as Sophie
Tomorrow's Another Day (2000)
as Sophie
The Great Restaurant (2010)
as Une cliente du restaurant
Bye Bye (2011)
as Cécile
Bon vent Claude Goretta (2011)
as Self
Préjudice (2015)
as Mother
France Boutique (2003)
as Sofia
La provinciale (1981)
as Christine Delumet
Jacques Villeret, drôlement tragique (2025)
as Self
No Harm Intended (1988)
as Catherine Duchêne
Mensonge (1993)
as Emma
Sauve la vie (qui peut) (1981)
as Self (archive footage)
Massacre Play (1989)
as Bella
Together Is Too Much (2010)
as Marie-France
Sheila, toutes ces vies-là (2022)
as Self (archive footage)
Engagements of the Heart (1987)
as Alice
Short Memory (1982)
as Judith Mesnil
The Price to Pay (2007)
as Odile Ménard
Beethoven's Nephew (1985)
as Leonore
Voyage à travers un film (Sauve qui peut (la vie)) (1981)
as Self
Beware of My Love (1998)
as Muriel
François Truffaut: The Man Who Loved Cinema - The Wild Child (1996)
as Self
Monsieur Papa (1977)
as Janine
Bacri, comme un air de famille (2022)
as Self
Soirée Pyjama (2019)
as Self - Guest
Nicole Garcia, actrice-cinéaste (2023)
as Self
Mon Premier Amour (1978)
as Fabienne
Un jour, la fête (1975)
as Julie
Every Other Weekend (1990)
as Camille Valmont
Acteur (2007)
as Camille
Les Enfoirés 1996 - La Soirée des Enfoirés (1996)
Actor
François Truffaut: The Man Who Loved Cinema - Love & Death (1996)
as Self
Thomas (2018)
as Anne Lancrey
Médée (2017)
as The mother
Esquisse d'une jeune femme sens dessus dessous (1975)
as Fabienne Veyrier, the young woman
Conversation avec Nathalie Baye (2021)
as Self
Les contes sauvages (1993)
as Narrator (voice)