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Nathalie Baye

Nathalie Baye

Actor · Died April 17, 2026, aged 77 · Mainneville, Eure, France

Venice award winner

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.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 6, 1948
Died
April 17, 2026 (aged 77)
From
Mainneville, Eure, France
Works as
Actor
Titles
45 on MovieCove · 105 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Down 38% in 30 days

What are Nathalie Baye's films like?

Across their 46 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama20 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy17 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile
: browse their Documentary movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 94th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
29%
Self
26%
Morality
12%
Survival
10%
Society
10%
Ideas
7%
Power
6%
Family bonds15 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love12 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity11 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose6 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception7 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief5 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 45 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 20 · Serious 9 · Dark 16

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 29 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 9

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 11 · Charged 22 · Intense 12

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 21 · Shifting 20 · Whiplash 4

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 23 · Some laughs 14 · Funny 8

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 24 · Even-paced 18 · Relentless 3

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 19 · Engaged 20 · Full focus 6

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 12 · Affecting 19 · Heavy 14

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 27 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 10

Roles they play

27 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 8 of 27 analyzed roles.

Ally
8 of 27
Hero
7 of 27
Shapeshifter
4 of 27
Shadow
3 of 27
Threshold guardian
3 of 27
Mentor
2 of 27
Show the 27 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
21
Tense
17
Warm
19
Contemplative
14
Joyful
7
Other
40

How their films linger

Thought-provoking20 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy12
  • Bittersweet17
  • Tragic6
  • Ambiguous10
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Nathalie Baye's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 45 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Nathalie Baye's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

105 credits, 45 with a MovieCove page; 37 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Mother Valley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    as Hélène

  • Alibi.com 2(2023)

    as Mme Martin

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Downton Abbey: A New Era(2022)

    as Mme de Montmirail

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Haute Couture(2021)

    as Esther

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Lui(2021)

    as Mother

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • My Best Part(2020)

    as Bernadette Meyer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Criminal: France(2019)

    Show 1 episode · as Caroline Solal

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • Thomas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Anne Lancrey

  • Nox (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 6 episodes · as Catherine Susini

  • The Guardians(2017)

    as Hortense Sandrail

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Médée (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as The mother

  • Alibi.com(2016)

    as Marlène Martin

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • It's Only the End of the World(2016)

    as Martine

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Moka(2016)

    as Marlène

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Préjudice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Mother

  • The Assistant(2015)

    as Marie-France

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • SK1(2014)

    as Frédérique Pons

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Actor

  • Lou! Journal infime(2014)

    as Jeanne (La grand-mère)

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Wrestling Queens(2013)

    as Colette

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Laurence Anyways(2012)

    as Julienne Alia

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Spin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 6 episodes · as Anne Visage

  • Bye Bye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Cécile

  • Hitler in Hollywood(2010)

    as Nathalie Baye

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Small World(2010)

    as Elisabeth Senn

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Beautiful Lies(2010)

    as Mady

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Great Restaurant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Une cliente du restaurant

  • Together Is Too Much (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Marie-France

  • Face(2009)

    as Nathalie

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • God's Offices (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Anne

  • Marie-Octobre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Marie-Hélène Dumoulin / Marie-Octobre

  • A French Gigolo(2008)

    as Judith

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Off and Running (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Irène Montier-Duval

  • The Price to Pay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Odile Ménard

  • Acteur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Camille

  • Michou d'Auber (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Gisèle

  • Tell No One(2006)

    as Elysabeth Feldman

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • La Californie(2006)

    as Maguy

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • My Son(2006)

    as Mother / La mère

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Young Lieutenant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Commandant Vaudieu

  • L'un reste, l'autre part(2005)

    as Fanny

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • I've Been Waiting So Long (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Jeanne

  • France Boutique (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Sofia

  • Feelings(2003)

    as Carole

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Flower of Evil(2003)

    as Anne Charpin-Vasseur

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Catch Me If You Can(2002)

    as Paula Abagnale

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • L’enfant des lumières (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 2 episodes · as la comtesse Diane de Breyves

  • Absolutely Fabulous (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Patricia 'Patsy' Laroche

  • Barnie's Minor Annoyances (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Lucie

  • To Mathieu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Claire

  • Tomorrow's Another Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Sophie

  • An Affair of Love(1999)

    as Her

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Venus Beauty Institute(1999)

    as Angèle Piana

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Beware of My Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Muriel

  • Paparazzi(1998)

    as Nicole, de l'agence Magma

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Food of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Michele

  • Enfants de salaud (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Sophie

  • Les Enfoirés 1996 - La Soirée des Enfoirés (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Actor

  • The Machine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Marie Lacroix

  • And the Band Played On(1993)

    as Dr. Françoise Barre

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Mensonge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Emma

  • Les contes sauvages (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • The Voice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Lorraine

  • From Time to Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Madame de Pompadour

  • The Man Inside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Christine

  • Every Other Weekend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Camille Valmont

  • C'est la vie(1990)

    as Lena

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Massacre Play (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as Bella

  • No Harm Intended (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Catherine Duchêne

  • Engagements of the Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Alice

  • Honeymoon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Cécile Carline

  • Beethoven's Nephew (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Leonore

  • Detective(1985)

    as Françoise Chenal

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Rive droite, rive gauche(1984)

    as Sacha Vernakis

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Our History(1984)

    as Donatienne Pouget / Marie-Thérèse Chatelard / Geneviève Avranche

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • I Married a Shadow(1983)

    as Hélène

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • La Balance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as Nicole Danet

  • The Return of Martin Guerre(1982)

    as Bertrande de Rols

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Short Memory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as Judith Mesnil

  • Strange Affair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Nina Coline

  • The Red Shade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Anna

  • Stepfather(1981)

    as Charlotte

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • La provinciale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Christine Delumet

  • Every Man for Himself(1980)

    as Denise Rimbaud

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • A Week's Vacation(1980)

    as Laurence Cuers

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Rat Race (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    as Brigitte Ozendron

  • Madame Sourdis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as Adèle Sourdis

  • Mon Premier Amour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Fabienne

  • The Green Room (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Cecilia Mandel

  • Monsieur Papa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    as Janine

  • Solemn Communion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    as Jeanne Vanderberghe

  • The Man Who Loved Women(1977)

    as Martine Desdoits

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Mado (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as Catherine

  • The Honeymoon Trip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as Sophie

  • The Last Woman(1976)

    as la fille aux cerises

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Fill 'er Up with Super(1976)

    as Charlotte

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Cinéma 16 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Show 1 episode · as Fabienne

  • Esquisse d'une jeune femme sens dessus dessous (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as Fabienne Veyrier, the young woman

  • Un jour, la fête (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as Julie

  • The Slap (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as Christine Abeillé

  • The Mouth Agape(1974)

    as Nathalie

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • L'Inconnu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Actor

  • Day for Night(1973)

    as Joelle, the Script Girl

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Faustine and the Beautiful Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Giselle

  • Les Cinq Dernières Minutes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Show 1 episode · as Gisèle

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 105 titles from 1958 to 2023; peak year 2016.

Biggest box office

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

$352M worldwide

Highest rated

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

19582023

Peak 2016 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 9 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1973Screen debut· Day for Night
  • 1974First top-billed film· The Mouth Agape
  • 2016Career best· It's Only the End of the World

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting105 of 105: 105 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score59th

By decade

1950s1 · acting1970s18 · acting1980s19 · acting1990s16 · acting2000s23 · acting2010s22 · acting2020s6 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 29% of 55 roles
7378839303081318

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

Won a Venice award in 1999, Best Actress.

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Nathalie Baye's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 60th percentile, the median of all 44; across their 44 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 44

Approval · how many liked their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 44

Reach · how many have seen their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 44

Midcredits score across 45 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th22
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

22 of their 45 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser22
  • Broadly Agreed7
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · actor

Face (2009)

76th percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Midcredits 99th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the acting 78/100 in their films, across 36 reviewed titles; fans 82, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Nathalie Baye's work okay for kids?

Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Sex & Nudity10 titles31–72 · median 48 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 55 · moderateMedian of all films: 36

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Nathalie Baye work with?

People who share at least 2 of Nathalie Baye's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alain Sarde shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles