French cinema has lost one of its defining faces. Nathalie Baye has died at the age of 77, her family confirmed, marking the end of a career that stretched across more than five decades and shaped modern French film in ways that were often subtle, but lasting.

She passed away on April 17, 2026, at her home in Paris after a long illness. The cause was reported as Lewy body dementia, a condition that had gradually taken her out of public life in recent years.