
Actor · 40 credits
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.

Alibi.com 2
2023
Mme Martin

Downton Abbey: A New Era
2022
Mme de Montmirail

Haute Couture
2021
Esther

My Best Part
2020
Bernadette Meyer

Criminal: France
2019
Caroline Solal

Nox
2018
Catherine Susini

The Guardians
2017
Hortense Sandrail

Alibi.com
2017
Marlène Martin

Moka
2016
Marlène

The Assistant
2015
Marie-France

Lou!
2014
Jeanne (La grand-mère)

Queens of the Ring
2013
Colette

Laurence Anyways
2012
Julienne Alia

Spin
2012
Anne Visage

Hitler in Hollywood
2011
Nathalie Baye

Small World
2010
Elisabeth Senn

A French Gigolo
2008
Judith

Tell No One
2006
Elysabeth Feldman

My Son
2006
Mother / La mère

Feelings
2003
Carole

The Flower of Evil
2003
Anne Charpin-Vasseur

Catch Me If You Can
2002
Paula Abagnale

Venus Beauty Institute
1999
Angèle Piana

And the Band Played On
1993
Dr. Françoise Barre

C'est La Vie
1990
Lena

Detective
1985
Françoise Chenal

Our Story
1984
Donatienne Pouget / Marie-Thérèse Chatelard / Geneviève Avranche

The Return of Martin Guerre
1982
Bertrande de Rols

Beau Pere
1981
Charlotte

Every Man for Himself
1980
Denise Rimbaud

The Man Who Loved Women
1977
Martine Desdoits

The Last Woman
1976
la fille aux cerises

Cinéma 16
1975
Fabienne

Day for Night
1973
Joelle, the Script Girl