Nathalie Baye, the acclaimed French performer who broke out in “Day for Night” and later appeared in “Catch Me If You Can” and “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” has died. She was 77.
Baye died Friday evening at her home in Paris following complications related to Lewy body dementia, her family told Agence France-Presse.
Born July 6, 1948, in Mainneville, Normandy, Baye trained at the Conservatoire national supérieur d’art dramatique in Paris and began her film career in the early 1970s. She went on to become a central figure in French cinema, earning four César Awards over a career spanning more than five decades.
Her early work included collaborations with François Truffaut in “Day for Night” and Jean-Luc Godard in “Every Man for Himself.” She also starred in notable French titles, including “The Return of Martin Guerre” and “Venus Beauty Institute.”
In the U.S., Baye appeared in the Emmy-winning television film “And the Band Played On,” which chronicled the early years of the HIV/AIDS crisis. She was widely recognized by international audiences for her role in Steven Spielberg’s “Catch Me If You Can,” portraying the mother of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character opposite Christopher Walken and Tom Hanks.
More recently, she appeared in “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” sharing the screen with Maggie Smith in one of her final film roles. Baye also made a memorable appearance in the French series “Call My Agent!,” where she appeared alongside her daughter, Laura Smet, who has also gained international attention with a role in the upcoming season of “The White Lotus.”
Baye is survived by Smet and her family.
