Downton Abbey star Nathalie Baye dead at 77 after dementia diagnosis
Downton Abbey star Nathalie Baye died on Friday, April 17, at age 77, it has been confirmed.The iconic French actress passed away at her home in Paris, her family told French news agency AFP. Nathalie died after her battle with Lewy body dementia, which she was reportedly diagnosed with last summer.Lewy body dementia is a neurodegenerative disease that can affect movement, cause confusion, depression, and hallucinations. Nathalie's career spanned over 50 years, beginning in the 1970s with a role in the television series Au théâtre ce soir, but her breakthrough role was in Francois Truffaut's Day For Night in 1973.She appeared in more than 80 movies, including the 2022 film Downton Abbey: A New Era, in which she played French aristocrat Madame de Montmirail, whose husband was an old friend of Maggie Smith's character, Violet Crawley.She also played Leonardo DiCaprio's mother in Steven Spielberg's 2002 film Catch Me If You Can, and was a 10-time César Awards nominee, France's equivalent to the Oscars.She won her first César Award in 1981 for Best Supporting Actress in Every Man for Himself, a second Best Supporting Actress award in 1982 for Strange Affair, a Best Actress award in 1983 for La Balance, and another Best Actress award in 2006 for The Young Lieutenant.The celebrated actress worked with famed directors, including Maurice Pialat, Claude Sautet, and Jean-Luc Godard.Nathalie is survived by her daughter, actress Laura Smet, 42, whose dad was legendary French musician Johnny Hallyday, who had a four-year relationship with Nathalie from 1982 until 1986.French president Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the late star, writing: "We loved Nathalie Baye so much. She accompanied, through her voice, her smiles, and her reserve, these last decades of French cinema, from François Truffaut to Tonie Marshall."He added: "An actress with whom we loved, dreamed, and grew up. We think of her family and her loved ones."Culture Minister Catherine Pégard told AFP that Nathalie had "lit up a long chapter in the history of French cinema with her talent and radiant personality."
