French actress Anouk Aimée, celebrated for her Golden Globe-winning performance in “A Man and a Woman,” has passed away at the age of 92. Her agent, Sébastien Perrolat, confirmed her death on Tuesday, stating that Aimée died in the morning, surrounded by her loved ones. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Aimée’s daughter, Manuela Papatakis, shared the news on Instagram, expressing deep sorrow over her mother’s passing. “We are extremely sad to announce the departure of my mother Anouk Aimée,” she wrote. “I was beside her when she died this morning, at her home in Paris.”
Born in Paris to actor parents, Aimée’s career spanned an impressive eight decades. She collaborated with numerous acclaimed directors, including Federico Fellini, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Robert Altman. Her role in Claude Lelouch’s “A Man and a Woman” earned her the Golden Globe for Best Actress in 1967. The film, a complex romance, also starred Jean-Louis Trintignant, who passed away in 2022.
Aimée’s performance in “A Man and a Woman” garnered her an Oscar nomination, while the film itself won two Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Screenplay. Her collaboration with Lelouch and Trintignant continued into 2019 with “The Most Beautiful Years of a Life.”
Aimée’s illustrious career began in the 1940s and included notable roles in Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” and “8 1/2.” Fellini once described her as a woman who leaves you “flustered and confused—to death,” placing her among cinema’s great, mysterious queens alongside Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich.
Aimée was born Nicole Françoise Florence Dreyfus on April 27, 1932. Her journey into acting began serendipitously at the age of 13 when director Henri Calef spotted her on a Paris street and offered her a role. She adopted the name Anouk from her character in her first film, “The House Under the Sea,” and “Aimée,” meaning “loved” in French, from poet Jacques Prévert.
Throughout her career, Aimée worked with a variety of directors, including Jacques Demy, Sidney Lumet, and Robert Altman. She starred in Demy’s “Lola” and reprised her role in the Los Angeles-set “Model Shop.” Despite opportunities in Hollywood, Aimée remained primarily a European film actress, turning down roles such as Vicki Anderson in “The Thomas Crown Affair.”
Aimée’s personal life included four marriages, the longest being to British actor Albert Finney from 1970 to 1978. She received numerous accolades, including Best Actress at Cannes for “A Leap in the Dark” in 1980 and a lifetime achievement award at the Césars in 2002.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo paid tribute to Aimée, calling her “the symbol of elegance, talent, commitment.” Aimée once shared her acting philosophy, saying, “The secret is to listen. Just listen to what the other characters say. And don’t take it too seriously. So, no regrets.”
Anouk Aimée’s legacy as a captivating and enigmatic presence in cinema will be remembered by fans and colleagues alike. Her contributions to film, marked by her elegance and talent, have left an indelible mark on the industry.
