Nathalie Marie Andrée Baye (born 6 July 1948) is 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 LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

'' (1982), and ''

The Young Lieutenant ''The Young Lieutenant'' (french: Le Petit Lieutenant) is a 2005 French crime drama film directed by Xavier Beauvois. With almost documentary realism, it shows how in a tragic breach of procedure a young married police lieutenant is killed by a sus ...

'' (2005). In 2009, she was made a Chevalier of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

. Her other films include ''

Day for Night Day for night is a set of cinematic techniques used to simulate a night scene while filming in daylight. It is often employed when it is too difficult or expensive to actually shoot during nighttime. Because both film stocks and digital image s ...

'' (1973), ''

Catch Me If You Can ''Catch Me If You Can'' is a 2002 American Biographical film, biographical crime film, crime Comedy drama, comedy-drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks with Christopher Walken, Martin ...

'' (2002), ''

Tell No One ''Tell No One'' (french: Ne le dis à personne) is a 2006 French thriller film directed by Guillaume Canet and based on the 2001 novel of the same name by Harlan Coben. Written by Canet and Philippe Lefebvre and starring François Cluzet, th ...

'' (2006) and '' The Assistant'' (2015).

Early life

Baye was born in Mainneville, Eure,

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, 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.

Career

Her second cinema appearance was in '' Two People'' (1973) directed by

Robert Wise Robert Earl Wise (September 10, 1914 – September 14, 2005) was an American film director, producer, and editor. He won the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture for his musical films ''West Side Story'' (1961) and ''The Sound of ...

. She became better known as the script girl in ''

'' (''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 Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as Fran� ...

. There then followed ''

The Return of Martin Guerre ''The Return of Martin Guerre'' (french: Le Retour de Martin Guerre) is a 1982 French film directed by , and starring Gérard Depardieu. It was based on a case of imposture in 16th century France, involving Martin Guerre. Synopsis The film relate ...

'' (''Le Retour de Martin Guerre'', 1982) and ''

'' (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 Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, credited for having brought rock and roll to France. During a career spanning 57 ...

made them a celebrity couple and their daughter is

Laura Smet Laura Huguette Smet (; born 15 November 1983) is a French actress. She is the daughter of rock musician Johnny Hallyday and actress Nathalie Baye. In 1986, Johnny Hallyday recorded in her honor the song "Laura", written by Jean-Jacques Goldman. E ...

, 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 The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

for '' Une liaison pornographique'' and starred in ''

Vénus Beauté (Institut) ''Venus Beauty Institute'' (french: Vénus beauté (institut)), also known as ''Venus Beauty'', is a 1999 French romantic comedy. The story centers on three employees of a beauty parlor and their search for love and happiness. The film is directed ...

'' (2000) by

Tonie Marshall Tonie Marshall (29 November 1951 – 12 March 2020) was a French-American actress, screenwriter, and film director. In 2000, she became the first female director to win a César award for her film ''Venus Beauty Institute.'' Life and career Mar ...

which won multiple

César Awards The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Min ...

including

Best Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

. She has worked with Claude Chabrol and Steven Spielberg.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baye, Nathalie 1948 births Living people 20th-century French actresses 21st-century French actresses French National Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni French film actresses French stage actresses French television actresses Best Actress César Award winners Best Supporting Actress César Award winners Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Magritte Award winners Volpi Cup for Best Actress winners People from Eure