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 ("The Mischief Makers") in 1958 and became part of the Nouvelle Vague 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 for An Impudent Girl (L'Effrontée). In the following year, she was again nominated, this time for Masques. For her long service to the French motion picture industry, she was awarded an Honorary César 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. 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, which publicly announced she had an illegal abortion.
Honors and awards
Officier of the Order of Legion of Honour Officier of the Ordre National du Mérite Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Death Lafont died from complications of heart failure following heart attack on 25 July 2013 in Nîmes, France at the age of 74. Her body was cremated and her ashes were given to her family.
Selected filmography Year Title Role Director 1958 Les Mistons Bernadette Jouve François Truffaut Le Beau Serge Marie Claude Chabrol La Tour, prends garde ! Uncredited Georges Lampin 1959 Web of Passion Julie, the waitress Claude Chabrol 1960 L'Eau à la bouche Prudence Jacques Doniol-Valcroze Les Bonnes Femmes Jane Claude Chabrol 1961 Wise Guys Ambroisine Claude Chabrol 1962 Un clair de lune à Maubeuge Charlotte Jean Chérasse 1965 The Sleeping Car Murders Georgette's sister Constantin Costa-Gavras How to Keep the Red Lamp Burning Sophie Georges Lautner Pleins feux sur Stanislas Rosine Lenoble Jean-Charles Dudrumet 1967 Lamiel Pauline Jean Aurel The Thief of Paris Marguerite, the waitress Louis Malle 1968 Le Révélateur the mother Philippe Garrel The Lost Generation Marie András Kovács 1969 La Fiancée du pirate Marie Nelly Kaplan 1970 Elise, or Real Life Anna Michel Drach 1971 To Catch a Spy Simone Dick Clement Out 1 Sarah Jacques Rivette and Suzanne Schiffman 1972 Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me Camille Bliss François Truffaut Trop jolies pour être honnêtes Bernadette Richard Balducci 1973 The Mother and the Whore Marie Jean Eustache The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot Rosemonde Nina Companeez 1975 A Happy Divorce Jacqueline, the nurse Henning Carlsen Zig Zag Pauline László Szabó1976 Noroît Giulia Jacques Rivette 1978 Violette Nozière Violetta's cellmate Claude Chabrol Surprise Sock Bernadette Jean-François Davy La tortue sur le dos Camille Luc Béraud 1979 Il ladrone Appula Pasquale Festa Campanile La Gueule de l'autre Gisèle Brossard Pierre Tchernia 1983 Cap Canaille Mireille Kebadjan Juliet Berto and Jean-Henri Roger A Good Little Devil Betty Jean-Claude Brialy 1984 Canicule Ségolène Yves Boisset The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak the Queen Just Jaeckin 1985 An Impudent Girl Léone Claude Miller 1986 Inspecteur Lavardin Hélène Mons Claude Chabrol 1987 Waiting for the Moon Fernande Olivier Jill Godmilow Masques the masseuse Claude Chabrol 1988 Une nuit à l'Assemblée Nationale Madame Dugland Jean-Pierre Mocky 1991 Dingo Angie Cross Rolf de Heer 1996 Le Fils de Gascogne herself Pascal Aubier 1997 Genealogies of a Crime Esther Raoul Ruiz 2006 Prête-moi ta main Geneviève Costa Éric Lartigau 2007 Les Petites vacances Danièle Olivier Peyon Broken English Madame Grenelle Zoe Cassavetes Nos 18 ans Adèle Frédéric Berthe 2008 48 heures par jour Mélina Catherine Castel 2012 Paulette Paulette Jérôme Enrico 2013 Attila Marcel Aunt Annie Sylvain Chomet
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