Nathalie Baye, award-winning French actress, Dies at 77

French Hollywood film star Nathalie Baye, a multi-César Award winner who starred in “Catch Me If You Can”, has died at the age of 77, her family told Agence France-Presse on Saturday.

Baye, a leading figure in French cinema, appeared in about 80 films over the course of her career. She won the César Award for Best Actress,  France’s equivalent of the Oscars, four times, including three consecutive wins from 1981 to 1983.

She died on Friday evening at her home in Paris from Lewy body dementia, according to her family. The neurodegenerative disease affects mood and movement, and can also cause hallucinations.

Later in her career, Baye took on several internationally recognised roles. She played Leonardo DiCaprio’s mother in “Catch Me If You Can” and portrayed a French aristocrat in Downton Abbey: A New Era.

She also worked with Canadian director Xavier Dolan, who cast her in “Laurence Anyways” and “It’s Only the End of the World,” where she was known for playing complex maternal roles.

“Une liaison pornographique”, whose English translation means “An Affair of Love”, also earned her the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival.

Baye was also known for her relationship with singer and actor Johnny Hallyday, often called the “French Elvis”, whose death in 2017 led to national mourning in France.

Their daughter, Laura Smet, is also an actress. She appeared alongside Baye in the series “Call My Agent!”, in which they played fictionalised versions of themselves, often portrayed as competitive yet close.

Born in 1948 in Normandy, Baye grew up in a family of painters. She struggled with dyslexia and left school at 14, moving to Monaco to study dance.

Her acting breakthrough came in the 1970s when she worked with directors such as François Truffaut, Maurice Pialat, and Claude Sautet. She later collaborated with Jean-Luc Godard in the 1980s, further establishing her place in French cinema.