Nathalie Baye
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- July 6, 1948
- Died
- April 17, 2026 (aged 77)
- Birthplace
- Mainneville, Eure, France
Biography
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
Photos
Filmography
Jacques Villeret, drôlement tragique
Movie · as Self
Jean-Pierre Léaud: The Child of Cinema
Movie · as Self - Actress
Nicole Garcia, actrice-cinéaste
Movie · as Self
Mother Valley
Movie · as Hélène
Alibi.com 2
Movie · as Mme Martin
Godard by Godard
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Godard Cinema
Movie · as Self
Le soir où j'ai reçu le César 2022
Movie · as Self
Bacri, comme un air de famille
Movie · as Self
Sheila, toutes ces vies-là
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Downton Abbey: A New Era
Movie · as Mme de Montmirail
Il était une fois Champs-Élysées
TV · as Self (archive footage) · 1 ep
Sous le soleil de Pialat
Movie · as Self
Haute Couture
Movie · as Esther
Him
Movie · as Mother
Conversation avec Nathalie Baye
Movie · as Self
My Best Part
Movie · as Bernadette Meyer
Soirée Pyjama
Movie · as Self - Guest
Bonsoir bonsoir!
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Criminal: France
TV · as Caroline Solal · 1 ep
Thomas
Movie · as Anne Lancrey
Nox
TV · as Catherine Susini · 6 eps
Alibi.com
Movie · as Marlène Martin
The Guardians
Movie · as Hortense Sandrail
Médée
Movie · as The mother
Xavier Dolan: Bound to Impossible
Movie · as Self
It's Only the End of the World
Movie · as Martine
Moka
Movie · as Marlène
SK1
Movie · as Frédérique Pons
The Assistant
Movie · as Marie-France
Préjudice
Movie · as Mother
Call My Agent!
TV · as Self · 2 eps
Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui
Movie
Lou!
Movie · as Jeanne (La grand-mère)
Queens of the Ring
Movie · as Colette
Laurence Anyways
Movie · as Julienne Alia
Spin
TV · as Anne Visage · 6 eps
Hitler in Hollywood
Movie · as Nathalie Baye
Bon vent Claude Goretta
Movie · as Self
Bye Bye
Movie · as Cécile
Beautiful Lies
Movie · as Mady
Together Is Too Much
Movie · as Marie-France
Small World
Movie · as Elisabeth Senn
The Great Restaurant
Movie · as Une cliente du restaurant
Visage
Movie · as Nathalie
A French Gigolo
Movie · as Judith
Off and Running
Movie · as Irène Montier-Duval
Marie-Octobre
Movie · as Marie-Hélène Dumoulin / Marie-Octobre
God's Offices
Movie · as Anne
Club social
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Price to Pay
Movie · as Odile Ménard
Michou d'Auber
Movie · as Gisèle
Acteur
Movie · as Camille
My Son
Movie · as Mother / La mère
La Californie
Movie · as Maguy
Tell No One
Movie · as Elysabeth Feldman
On n'est pas couché
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
The Young Lieutenant
Movie · as Commandant Vaudieu
One Stays, the Other Leaves
Movie · as Fanny
I've Been Waiting So Long
Movie · as Jeanne
François Truffaut, une autobiographie
Movie · as Self
The Flower of Evil
Movie · as Anne Charpin-Vasseur
France Boutique
Movie · as Sofia
Feelings
Movie · as Carole
Catch Me If You Can
Movie · as Paula Abagnale
A Day in the Life of French Cinema
Movie · as Self
L’enfant des lumières
TV · as la comtesse Diane de Breyves · 2 eps
Absolutely Fabulous
Movie · as Patricia 'Patsy' Laroche
Barnie's Minor Annoyances
Movie · as Lucie
To Mathieu
Movie · as Claire
Tomorrow's Another Day
Movie · as Sophie
Venus Beauty Institute
Movie · as Angèle Piana
An Affair of Love
Movie · as Her
Paparazzi
Movie · as Nicole, de l'agence Magma
Beware of My Love
Movie · as Muriel
Vivement dimanche
TV · as Self · 6 eps
Food of Love
Movie · as Michele
Enfants de salaud
Movie · as Sophie
François Truffaut: The Man Who Loved Cinema - The Wild Child
Movie · as Self
François Truffaut: The Man Who Loved Cinema - Love & Death
Movie · as Self
Les Enfoirés 1996 - La Soirée des Enfoirés
Movie
The Machine
Movie · as Marie Lacroix
And the Band Played On
Movie · as Dr. Françoise Barre
Mensonge
Movie · as Emma
Les contes sauvages
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
François Truffaut: Stolen Portraits
Movie · as Self
The Voice
Movie · as Lorraine
From Time to Time
Movie · as Madame de Pompadour
C'est La Vie
Movie · as Lena
Every Other Weekend
Movie · as Camille Valmont
The Man Inside
Movie · as Christine
Massacre Play
Movie · as Bella
No Harm Intended
Movie · as Catherine Duchêne
Engagements of the Heart
Movie · as Alice
Téléthon
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Matin Bonheur
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Sacrée soirée
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Detective
Movie · as Françoise Chenal
Honeymoon
Movie · as Cécile Carline
Beethoven's Nephew
Movie · as Leonore
Victoires de la musique
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Our Story
Movie · as Donatienne Pouget / Marie-Thérèse Chatelard / Geneviève Avranche
Rive droite, rive gauche
Movie · as Sacha Vernakis
I Married a Shadow
Movie · as Hélène
The Return of Martin Guerre
Movie · as Bertrande de Rols
La Balance
Movie · as Nicole Danet
Short Memory
Movie · as Judith Mesnil
Champs-Elysées
TV · as Self · 6 eps
Strange Affair
Movie · as Nina Coline
Beau Pere
Movie · as Charlotte
The Red Shade
Movie · as Anna
Voyage à travers un film (Sauve qui peut (la vie))
Movie · as Self
La provinciale
Movie · as Christine Delumet
Sauve la vie (qui peut)
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
A Week's Vacation
Movie · as Laurence Cuers
Rat Race
Movie · as Brigitte Ozendron
Every Man for Himself
Movie · as Denise Rimbaud
Scénario de 'Sauve qui peut la vie'
Movie · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Madame Sourdis
Movie · as Adèle Sourdis
The Green Room
Movie · as Cecilia Mandel
Mon Premier Amour
Movie · as Fabienne
Ciné regards
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Man Who Loved Women
Movie · as Martine Desdoits
Solemn Communion
Movie · as Jeanne Vanderberghe
Monsieur Papa
Movie · as Janine
The Last Woman
Movie · as la fille aux cerises
Fill 'er Up with Super
Movie · as Charlotte
The Honeymoon Trip
Movie · as Sophie
Mado
Movie · as Catherine
Cérémonie des César
TV · as Self - Presenter, Self - President · 1 ep
Un jour, la fête
Movie · as Julie
Esquisse d'une jeune femme sens dessus dessous
Movie · as Fabienne Veyrier, the young woman
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
TV · as Self · 3 eps
Cinéma 16
TV · as Fabienne · 1 ep
The Mouth Agape
Movie · as Nathalie
The Slap
Movie · as Christine Abeillé
Spécial cinéma
TV · as Self · 3 eps
Day for Night
Movie · as Joelle, the Script Girl
L'Inconnu
Movie
Faustine and the Beautiful Summer
Movie · as Giselle
Le Grand Échiquier
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Les Cinq Dernières Minutes
TV · as Gisèle · 1 ep