Nathalie Marie Andrée Baye (July 6, 1948 – April 17, 2026) was a French film, television, and stage actress. She began her career in 1970 and has appeared in more than 80 films. A ten-time César Award nominee, her four wins were for Every Man for Himself (1980), Strange Affair (1981), La Balance (1982), and The Young Lieutenant (2005). Her other films include Day for Night (1973), Catch Me If You Can (2002), Tell No One (2006), and The Assistant (2015). In 2009, she was appointed a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. Baye was born in Mainneville, Eure, Normandy to Claude Baye and Denise Coustet, two painters. At 14, she joined a school of dance in Monaco. Three years later she went to the United States. On returning to France, she continued with dance but also registered for the Simon Course and was admitted to the Conservatoire, from where she graduated in 1972 with a second prize in comedy, dramatic comedy, and foreign theatre. Her second cinema appearance was in Two People (1973), directed by Robert Wise. She became better known as the script girl in Day for Night (La Nuit américaine, 1973) by François Truffaut. Throughout the 1970s, she played the good girlfriend or nice provincial girl in film and television. She won her first César, as best supporting artist, for Every Man for Himself (Sauve qui peut (la vie), 1980) directed by Jean-Luc Godard. There then followed The Return of Martin Guerre (Le Retour de Martin Guerre, 1982) and La Balance (also 1982). Baye won two more César Awards, Best Supporting Actress, for Strange Affair (Une étrange affaire, 1981), and Best Actress for La Balance, 1982). Her four-year relationship with Johnny Hallyday made them a celebrity couple and their daughter is Laura Smet, now an actress. After changing her image by playing a streetwalker in La Balance, she widened her scope with more obscure characters in J'ai épousé une ombre (1983) and En toute innocence (1988). In 1986, she returned to the theatre with an interpretation of Adriana Monti. In 1999, she was voted Best Supporting Actress at Venice Film Festival for Une liaison pornographique and starred in Vénus Beauté (Institut) (2000) by Tonie Marshall which won multiple César Awards including Best Film. She has worked with Claude Chabrol and Steven Spielberg. Source: Article "Nathalie Baye" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Filmography

• 2023Alibi.com 2 — Mme Martin
• 2023Mother Valley — Hélène
• 2022Downton Abbey: A New Era — Mme de Montmirail
• 2021Haute Couture — Esther
• 2021Him — Mother
• 2020My Best Part — Bernadette Meyer
• Criminal: France — Caroline Solal
• Nox — Catherine Susini
• 2018Thomas — Anne Lancrey
• 2017Alibi.com — Marlène Martin
• 2017Médée — The mother
• 2017The Guardians — Hortense Sandrail
• 2016It's Only the End of the World — Martine
• 2016Moka — Marlène
• 2015Préjudice — Mother
• 2015SK1 — Frédérique Pons
• 2015The Assistant — Marie-France
• 2014Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui
• 2014Lou! — Jeanne (La grand-mère)
• 2013Queens of the Ring — Colette
• 2012Laurence Anyways — Julienne Alia
• Spin — Anne Visage
• 2011Bye Bye — Cécile
• 2011Hitler in Hollywood — Nathalie Baye
• 2010Beautiful Lies — Mady
• 2010Small World — Elisabeth Senn
• 2010The Great Restaurant — Une cliente du restaurant
• 2010Together Is Too Much — Marie-France
• 2009Visage — Nathalie
• 2008A French Gigolo — Judith
• 2008God's Offices — Anne
• 2008Marie-Octobre — Marie-Hélène Dumoulin / Marie-Octobre
• 2008Off and Running — Irène Montier-Duval
• 2007Acteur — Camille
• 2007Michou d'Auber — Gisèle
• 2007The Price to Pay — Odile Ménard
• 2006La Californie — Maguy
• 2006My Son — Mother / La mère
• 2006Tell No One — Elysabeth Feldman
• 2005One Stays, the Other Leaves — Fanny
• 2005The Young Lieutenant — Commandant Vaudieu
• 2004I've Been Waiting So Long — Jeanne
• 2003Feelings — Carole
• 2003France Boutique — Sofia
• 2003The Flower of Evil — Anne Charpin-Vasseur
• 2002Catch Me If You Can — Paula Abagnale
• L’enfant des lumières — la comtesse Diane de Breyves
• 2001Absolutely Fabulous — Patricia 'Patsy' Laroche
• 2001Barnie's Minor Annoyances — Lucie
• 2001To Mathieu — Claire
• 2000Tomorrow's Another Day — Sophie
• 1999An Affair of Love — Her
• 1999Venus Beauty Institute — Angèle Piana
• 1998Beware of My Love — Muriel
• 1998Paparazzi — Nicole, de l'agence Magma
• 1997Food of Love — Michele
• 1996Enfants de salaud — Sophie
• 1996Les Enfoirés 1996 - La Soirée des Enfoirés
• 1994The Machine — Marie Lacroix
• 1993And the Band Played On — Dr. Françoise Barre
• 1993Les contes sauvages — Narrator (voice)
• 1993Mensonge — Emma
• 1992From Time to Time — Madame de Pompadour
• 1992The Voice — Lorraine
• 1990C'est La Vie — Lena
• 1990Every Other Weekend — Camille Valmont
• 1990The Man Inside — Christine
• 1989Massacre Play — Bella
• 1988No Harm Intended — Catherine Duchêne
• 1987Engagements of the Heart — Alice
• 1985Beethoven's Nephew — Leonore
• 1985Detective — Françoise Chenal
• 1985Honeymoon — Cécile Carline
• 1984Our Story — Donatienne Pouget / Marie-Thérèse Chatelard / Geneviève Avranche
• 1984Rive droite, rive gauche — Sacha Vernakis
• 1983I Married a Shadow — Hélène
• 1982La Balance — Nicole Danet
• 1982Short Memory — Judith Mesnil
• 1982The Return of Martin Guerre — Bertrande de Rols
• 1981Beau Pere — Charlotte
• 1981La provinciale — Christine Delumet
• 1981Strange Affair — Nina Coline
• 1981The Red Shade — Anna
• 1980A Week's Vacation — Laurence Cuers
• 1980Every Man for Himself — Denise Rimbaud
• 1980Rat Race — Brigitte Ozendron
• 1979Madame Sourdis — Adèle Sourdis
• 1978Mon Premier Amour — Fabienne
• 1978The Green Room — Cecilia Mandel
• 1977Monsieur Papa — Janine
• 1977Solemn Communion — Jeanne Vanderberghe
• 1977The Man Who Loved Women — Martine Desdoits
• 1976Fill 'er Up with Super — Charlotte
• 1976Mado — Catherine
• 1976The Honeymoon Trip — Sophie
• 1976The Last Woman — la fille aux cerises
• Cinéma 16 — Fabienne
• 1975Esquisse d'une jeune femme sens dessus dessous — Fabienne Veyrier, the young woman
• 1975Un jour, la fête — Julie
• 1974The Mouth Agape — Nathalie
• 1974The Slap — Christine Abeillé
• 1973Day for Night — Joelle, the Script Girl
• 1973L'Inconnu
• 1972Faustine and the Beautiful Summer — Giselle
• Les Cinq Dernières Minutes — Gisèle

Appearances as themselves (37)

• 2025Jacques Villeret, drôlement tragique — Self
• 2024Jean-Pierre Léaud: The Child of Cinema — Self - Actress
• 2023Godard Cinema — Self
• 2023Godard by Godard — Self (archive footage)
• 2023Nicole Garcia, actrice-cinéaste — Self
• 2022Bacri, comme un air de famille — Self
• Il était une fois Champs-Élysées — Self (archive footage)
• 2022Le soir où j'ai reçu le César 2022 — Self
• 2022Sheila, toutes ces vies-là — Self (archive footage)
• 2021Conversation avec Nathalie Baye — Self
• 2021Sous le soleil de Pialat — Self
• Bonsoir bonsoir! — Self
• 2019Soirée Pyjama — Self - Guest
• 2016Xavier Dolan: Bound to Impossible — Self
• Call My Agent! — Self
• 2011Bon vent Claude Goretta — Self
• Club social — Self
• On n'est pas couché — Self - Guest
• 2004François Truffaut, une autobiographie — Self
• 2002A Day in the Life of French Cinema — Self
• Vivement dimanche — Self
• 1996François Truffaut: The Man Who Loved Cinema - Love & Death — Self
• 1996François Truffaut: The Man Who Loved Cinema - The Wild Child — Self
• 1993François Truffaut: Stolen Portraits — Self
• Matin Bonheur — Self
• Sacrée soirée — Self
• Téléthon — Self
• Victoires de la musique — Self
• Champs-Elysées — Self
• 1981Sauve la vie (qui peut) — Self (archive footage)
• 1981Voyage à travers un film (Sauve qui peut (la vie)) — Self
• 1979Scénario de 'Sauve qui peut la vie' — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• Ciné regards — Self
• Cérémonie des César — Self - Presenter, Self - President
• Les Rendez-vous du dimanche — Self
• Spécial cinéma — Self
• Le Grand Échiquier — Self