R.I.P. Anouk Aimée, Oscar-nominated star of A Man And A Woman

The enigmatic French actress also starred in La Dolce Vita,, and many other films. She was 92.

R.I.P. Anouk Aimée, Oscar-nominated star of A Man And A Woman
Anouk Aimée Photo: Hulton Archive

Anouk Aimée—the alluring French star of such films as Claude Lelouch‘s A Man And A Woman, Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, and Jacques Demy’s Lola—died on Tuesday. The news was confirmed by her daughter, Manuela Papatakis, in a post on Instagram. “With my daughter, Galaad, and my granddaughter, Mila, we are immensely saddened to announce the decease of my mother, Anouk Aimée,” Papatakis wrote. “I was at her bedside when she passed away this morning at her home in Paris; With infinite love.” Aimée was 92.

Described by multiple outlets as “aloof,” “sensual,” and “regal,” Aimée gained international renown as the enigmatic center of many international films, as well as a few produced in the U.S. Born Nicole Françoise Sorya Dreyfus to two actor parents, Aimée was discovered the old fashioned way at only 13 years old by director Henri Calef, who cast her in his 1947 film, La Maison Sous La Mer. She was billed only as Anouk, her character’s name, in the film. The last name Aimée, meaning “loved,” was added later (per New York Times).

From that first role, Aimée went on to a renowned and incredibly fruitful career. She starred in over 50 films, including The Lovers Of Verona (1949), which first brought her into the international spotlight, Fellini classics La Dolce Vita (1960), in which she played an Italian heiress, and 8 1/2 (1963), in which she played the protagonist’s estranged wife, as well as Jacques Demy’s Lola (1961), and Model Shop (1969).

Perhaps her most iconic role, however, was in then 28-year-old director Claude Lelouch’s Un Homme Et Une Femme, or A Man And A Woman (1966). In the film, she plays a young widow named Anne Gauthier, who falls in love with a race car driver played by Jean-Louis Trintignant. A Man And A Woman went on to win the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Story And Screenplay. Aimée earned a Best Actress nomination for her performance and went on to win a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for Best Foreign Actress. She also received the Best Actress award at Cannes in 1980 for her work in Marco Bellocchio’s Salto Nel Vuoto (released in the U.S. as A Leap In The Dark or Leap Into The Void). In 2002, she was awarded an honorary César, the French equivalent of an Oscar, for lifetime achievement.

Aimée was married and divorced four times throughout her life: to Edouard Zimmermann, director and writer Nikos Papatakis, with whom she had her daughter, actor and composer Pierre Barouh, who she met on the set of A Man And A Woman, and British actor Albert Finney. She is survived by her daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter.

 
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