French film legend Anouk Aimee, who is best known for Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita and Lelouch’s A Man and a Woman, has died. The Oscar-nominated actress was 92.
According to BBC News, Aimee’s eight-decade career came to an end at her home in Paris earlier in the week. Her daughter, Manuela Papatakis, was “right by her side” when the legendary actress finally slipped away. “With my daughter, Galaad, and my granddaughter, Mila, we are immensely saddened to announce the decease of my mother, Anouk Aimée.
I was at her bedside when she passed away this morning at her home in Paris. With infinite love,” Papatakis wrote on Instagram alongside a black and white photo of Aimee.
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French Culture Mimister Rachida Dati shared a statement on X (formerly Twitter) marking the actress’ passing and honoring her lengthy career. “We bid farewell to a world-famous icon, to a great actress of French cinema who took on roles for some of the biggest names, such as (Jacques) Demy, Lelouch and (Federico) Fellini,” Dati wrote.
Aimee was born in Paris in 1932 as Nicole Françoise Florence Dreyfus, later changing her name when her Jewish parents sent her to the countryside when German troops arrived. She made her acting debut at 16 in the 1946 film La Maison Sous La, taking her character’s name as her own and later changing her surname to Aimee at the behest of French writer Jacques Prevert. According to BBC, Aimee means “loved.”
She walked the Cannes red carpet in 2019 for the sequel to Lelouch’s film with her co-star Jean-Louis Trintignant, reprising their characters now in their 80s. She had one daughter, Manuela, with director Nico Papatakis, and four husbands throughout her life. This includes composer Pierre Barouh and actor Albert Finney, the latter who married the actress in 1970 and lived with her for seven years. Rest in peace.
