Anouk Aimée, a legendary actress known for her iconic roles in French cinema during the 1960s, has passed away at the age of 92. Her career spanned over six decades, leaving a lasting impact on the film industry and solidifying her status as a cultural icon.
With her captivating beauty and undeniable talent, Anouk Aimée rose to fame in the 1960s with roles in films such as "La Dolce Vita" and "8 1/2" directed by Federico Fellini. Her ability to portray complex characters with depth and emotion endeared her to audiences around the world.
Aimee's elegant sophistication had already made her a star of such European masterpieces as Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" (1960) and "8 1/2" (1963), and she was unforgettable as the ageing showgirl in Jacques Demy's heartbreaking musical "Lola" (1961).
Fellini in particular revered her, saying her "face has the same intriguing sensuality as that of (Greta) Garbo, (Marlene) Dietrich or (Cindy) Crawford, these great mysterious queens, these priestesses of femininity.
"Anouk Aimee represents the kind of woman who worries you to death," he said.
French Culture Minister Rachida Dati wrote on X: "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."
Aimée was born Nicole Françoise Florence Dreyfus in Paris in 1932.
Her father was Jewish, although she was raised Catholic, and after German troops marched into the city eight years later her family sent her to the countryside where they hoped she would be safer, and changed her name, according to AFP.
She made her screen debut in her early teens in the 1946 movie La Maison Sur La Mer (The House Under The Sea on its US release) and adopted her character's name, Anouk, as her own.
Aimée was also nominated for an Oscar for that role, as was Lelouch for his direction. The movie picked up two Oscar wins, for best foreign language film and for Lelouch’s screenwriting.
Aimée’s movie career spanned eight decades, from the 1940s to a reunion with Trintignant in 2019, again under Lelouch’s direction, in “The most beautiful years of a life.”
Read more
Stanley Cup final: Oilers edge Panthers 3-2 Nvidia becomes world’s most valuable company in S&P 500 , dethroning MicrosoftSarah H
Also on site :
- Massachusetts woman goes to factory outlet mall, shops $130 Nike jacket. Then she takes a closer look: ‘I was just at Marshall’s and they did this’
- The longtime San Francisco bar with a spiritual connection to House of Prime Rib
- The Traitors host Claudia Winkleman teases ‘truly extraordinary’ twists as fans speculate over red cloak meaning