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
It's Only the End of the World (2016)
as Martine
Tell No One (2006)
as Elysabeth Feldman
Médée (2017)
as The mother
Alibi.com 2 (2023)
as Mme Martin
Alibi.com (2017)
as Marlène Martin
Laurence Anyways (2012)
as Julienne Alia
Haute Couture (2021)
as Esther
Day for Night (1973)
as Joelle, the Script Girl
And the Band Played On (1993)
as Dr. Françoise Barre
An Affair of Love (1999)
as Her
Feelings (2003)
as Carole
Bye Bye (2011)
as Cécile
Hitler in Hollywood (2011)
as Nathalie Baye
The Last Woman (1976)
as la fille aux cerises
The Assistant (2015)
as Marie-France
Detective (1985)
as Françoise Chenal
SK1 (2015)
as Frédérique Pons
Our Story (1984)
as Donatienne Pouget / Marie-Thérèse Chatelard / Geneviève Avranche
Moka (2016)
as Marlène
Venus Beauty Institute (1999)
as Angèle Piana
Beautiful Lies (2010)
as Mady
A French Gigolo (2008)
as Judith
The Man Who Loved Women (1977)
as Martine Desdoits
The Return of Martin Guerre (1982)
as Bertrande de Rols
C'est La Vie (1990)
as Lena
To Mathieu (2001)
as Claire
Queens of the Ring (2013)
as Colette
Mother Valley (2023)
as Hélène
Every Man for Himself (1980)
as Denise Rimbaud
François Truffaut: Stolen Portraits (1993)
as Self
The Slap (1974)
as Christine Abeillé
Michou d'Auber (2007)
as Gisèle
The Flower of Evil (2003)
as Anne Charpin-Vasseur
La Californie (2006)
as Maguy
The Green Room (1978)
as Cecilia Mandel
The Guardians (2017)
as Hortense Sandrail
Le soir où j'ai reçu le César 2022 (2022)
as Self
Visage (2009)
as Nathalie
My Son (2006)
as Mother / La mère
Xavier Dolan: Bound to Impossible (2016)
as Self
L'Inconnu (1973)
Actor
The Mouth Agape (1974)
as Nathalie
Paparazzi (1998)
as Nicole, de l'agence Magma
Him (2021)
as Mother
Nicole Garcia, actrice-cinéaste (2023)
as Self
Marie-Octobre (2008)
as Marie-Hélène Dumoulin / Marie-Octobre
La Balance (1982)
as Nicole Danet
Lou! (2014)
as Jeanne (La grand-mère)
Small World (2010)
as Elisabeth Senn
Strange Affair (1981)
as Nina Coline
Madame Sourdis (1979)
as Adèle Sourdis
Rive droite, rive gauche (1984)
as Sacha Vernakis
The Voice (1992)
as Lorraine
Faustine and the Beautiful Summer (1972)
as Giselle
The Price to Pay (2007)
as Odile Ménard
I've Been Waiting So Long (2004)
as Jeanne
Absolutely Fabulous (2001)
as Patricia 'Patsy' Laroche
The Machine (1994)
as Marie Lacroix
A Day in the Life of French Cinema (2002)
as Self
Enfants de salaud (1996)
as Sophie
The Young Lieutenant (2005)
as Commandant Vaudieu
Godard Cinema (2023)
as Self
My Best Part (2020)
as Bernadette Meyer
Rat Race (1980)
as Brigitte Ozendron
François Truffaut: The Man Who Loved Cinema - Love & Death (1996)
as Self
Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui (2014)
Actor
Honeymoon (1985)
as Cécile Carline
Bon vent Claude Goretta (2011)
as Self
Les Enfoirés 1996 - La Soirée des Enfoirés (1996)
Actor
Beethoven's Nephew (1985)
as Leonore
Engagements of the Heart (1987)
as Alice
Voyage à travers un film (Sauve qui peut (la vie)) (1981)
as Self
The Great Restaurant (2010)
as Une cliente du restaurant
Barnie's Minor Annoyances (2001)
as Lucie
Mado (1976)
as Catherine
Sous le soleil de Pialat (2021)
as Self
Jacques Villeret, drôlement tragique (2025)
as Self
François Truffaut, une autobiographie (2004)
as Self
Jean-Pierre Léaud: The Child of Cinema (2024)
as Self - Actress
Mensonge (1993)
as Emma
Together Is Too Much (2010)
as Marie-France
Fill 'er Up with Super (1976)
as Charlotte
The Honeymoon Trip (1976)
as Sophie
The Man Inside (1990)
as Christine
Sauve la vie (qui peut) (1981)
as Self (archive footage)
I Married a Shadow (1983)
as Hélène
Monsieur Papa (1977)
as Janine
Food of Love (1997)
as Michele
Scénario de 'Sauve qui peut la vie' (1979)
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
One Stays, the Other Leaves (2005)
as Fanny
Tomorrow's Another Day (2000)
as Sophie
Godard by Godard (2023)
as Self (archive footage)
Les contes sauvages (1993)
as Narrator (voice)
God's Offices (2008)
as Anne
From Time to Time (1992)
as Madame de Pompadour
Solemn Communion (1977)
as Jeanne Vanderberghe
Every Other Weekend (1990)
as Camille Valmont
France Boutique (2003)
as Sofia
A Week's Vacation (1980)
as Laurence Cuers
Sheila, toutes ces vies-là (2022)
as Self (archive footage)
La provinciale (1981)
as Christine Delumet
Esquisse d'une jeune femme sens dessus dessous (1975)
as Fabienne Veyrier, the young woman
Soirée Pyjama (2019)
as Self - Guest
Un jour, la fête (1975)
as Julie
Short Memory (1982)
as Judith Mesnil
No Harm Intended (1988)
as Catherine Duchêne
François Truffaut: The Man Who Loved Cinema - The Wild Child (1996)
as Self
Massacre Play (1989)
as Bella
Bacri, comme un air de famille (2022)
as Self
Off and Running (2008)
as Irène Montier-Duval
The Red Shade (1981)
as Anna
Mon Premier Amour (1978)
as Fabienne
Beware of My Love (1998)
as Muriel
Préjudice (2015)
as Mother
Thomas (2018)
as Anne Lancrey
Conversation avec Nathalie Baye (2021)
as Self
Acteur (2007)
as Camille