Bernadette Lafont (28 October 1938 – 25 July 2013) was a French actress who appeared in more than 120 feature films. She has been considered "the face of French New Wave". In 1999 she told ''The New York Times'' her work was "the motor of my existence".

Career

Bernadette Lafont had her debut in ''

Les Mistons ''Les Mistons'' (''The Mischief Makers'') is a short film directed by François Truffaut in 1957. It was his second film after '' Une Visite'' in 1955 but it is considered his "first short film of any real consequence". Truffaut simply called it ...

'' ("The Mischief Makers") in

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

and became part of the

Nouvelle Vague French New Wave (french: La Nouvelle Vague) is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconocla ...

in the 1960s because of her films with François Truffaut and Claude Chabrol. In 1986 Lafont was awarded a

César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * Ce ...

for ''

An Impudent Girl ''An Impudent Girl'' (french: L'Effrontée) is a 1985 French film directed by Claude Miller. It stars Charlotte Gainsbourg, who won the César Award for Most Promising Actress, and Bernadette Lafont, who won the César Award for Best Actress in a S ...

(L'Effrontée)''. In the following year, she was again nominated, this time for ''

Masques The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masq ...

''. For her long service to the French motion picture industry, she was awarded an

Honorary César The César Award is France's national film award. Recipients are selected by the members of the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma. The following are the recipients of the Honorary César award since 1976. Recipients 1970s 1980s 199 ...

in 2003 . In May 2007, she chaired the jury for the fifth edition of the Award for Education presented at the 60th

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

. She was made an Officer of the Legion of Honor on 14 July 2009. Her complete filmography includes TV shows, and she also worked successfully as a stage actress. Her last film ''Paulette'', released in 2013, was a success in and outside France.

Personal life

Lafont had three children with her husband Diourka Medveczky: David, Elisabeth and Pauline (1963–1988). In 1971, Lafont signed the

Manifesto of the 343 The Manifesto of the 343 (), was a French petition signed by 343 women "who had the courage to say, 'I've had an abortion. It was an act of civil disobedience, since abortion was illegal in France, and by admitting publicly to having aborted, they ...

, which publicly announced she had an illegal abortion.

Death

Lafont died from complications of heart failure following

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

on 25 July 2013 at Nimes, France the age of 74. Her body was cremated and her ashes were given to her family

Selected filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lafont, Bernadette 1938 births 2013 deaths Best Supporting Actress César Award winners César Honorary Award recipients French film actresses Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres People from Nîmes 20th-century French actresses 21st-century French actresses Signatories of the 1971 Manifesto of the 343