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 The New Wave (, ), also called the French New Wave, is a French European art cinema, art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentat ...

". 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'' ("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 thir ...

and became part of the

Nouvelle Vague The New Wave (, ), also called the French New Wave, 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 i ...

in the 1960s because of her films with

François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French filmmaker, actor, and critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. He came under the tutelage of film critic Andre Bazin as a ...

and

Claude Chabrol Claude Henri Jean Chabrol (; 24 June 1930 – 12 September 2010) was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave (''nouvelle vague'') group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues an ...

. In 1986 Lafont was awarded a César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for '' An Impudent Girl (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 An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of ...

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 Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

. She was made an Officer of the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

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 Women () is a French petition penned by Simone de Beauvoir, and signed by 343 women, all publicly declaring that they had had an illegal abortion. The manifesto was published under the title, "" (), on 5 April 1971, in iss ...

, which publicly announced she had an illegal abortion.

Death

Lafont died from complications of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

following

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

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 Officers of the Legion of Honour Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres People from Nîmes Actresses from Occitania (administrative region) 20th-century French actresses 21st-century French actresses Signatories of the 1971 Manifesto of the 343