French actress Nathalie Baye grew up surrounded by art. Coming from a family of bohemian painters, she abandoned her formal education at the age of 14, pursuing her interest in dance in Monaco and later, New York. However, upon her return to France, she shifted her focus to the theatre, enrolling at the prestigious Cours Simon and the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique. Her breakthrough in cinema came in 1973, soon after her debut role, when she landed the role of a script girl in François Truffaut’s acclaimed Day for Night, and she then continued to appear in a variety of films ranging from dramas to comedies. In 1980, she starred in Jean-Luc Godard’s Every Man for Himself, which earned her the César Award for Best Supporting Actress, the first of her four César wins. She took on roles in films such as The Return of Martin Guerre (1982) and La Balance (1982), winning the César for Best Actress in 1983. Baye’s extensive career includes collaborations with renowned directors such as Bertrand Blier, Claude Chabrol (La Fleur du Mal, 2002), and Steven Spielberg (Arrête-moi si tu peux, 2002), and she starred in the popular Alibi.com (2017), directed by Philippe Lacheau. Despite her significant filmography, she never strayed too far from theatre, returning to the stage in 1986 with a production of Adriana Monti or in 2009 with Hiver. Though her personal life has often been the subject of media attention, Baye has maintained a privacy throughout her career and the public will remember her numerous awards, including a Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival and a Magritte Award for her lifetime achievement.
