Anouk Aimee

Born: 27 April 1932
Where: Paris, France

A leading lady of several classic European films of the 1950s and 60s, Aimee, the daughter of a French theatrical family, studied acting and dancing in her native France and England before making her film debut at age 14 in "La Maison sous la mer".

She first gained notice in Andre Cayatte's "Les Amants de Verone (The Lovers of Verona) and a string of starring roles followed in which she worked in Italy, Britain and West Germany as well as France.

Aimee made her Hollywood debut as a freedom fighter in the political romance The Journey, but it was her nymphomaniac rich girl in Federico Fellini's triumph La Dolce Vita, and her long-suffering wife in his 8 1/2, which established her as a formidable screen talent.

Her work as the sexually ambivalent queen in Robert Aldrich's Sodom and Gomorrah was also a milestone of her over 50 films.

Though Aimee has never achieved the enduring international popularity of her contemporaries Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve, she has worked steadily throughout her career and has remained a strong presence in European-based productions.

Director Jacques Demy provided Aimee with two important roles: that of an enchanting cabaret dancer and single mother in Lola and as an abandoned fashion model in The Model Shop.

It was with Claude Lelouch's romantic drama A Man and A Woman, that Aimee was thrusted into the international limelight.

She received an Academy Award nomination and the film went on to win Best Foreign Film and Best Original Screenplay. She also took home a Bafta for Best Foreign Actress and a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a drama.

Aimee continued making European films during the 70s and 80s, even taking Best Actress honors at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in "Le Saut dans le vide".

However, she never duplicated the worldwide success she had in A Man and a Woman, even when she recreated her acclaimed role in Lelouch's sequel A Man and A Woman: 20 Years Later.

Aimee later made a welcome appearance as a designer in Robert Altman's take on the Parisian fashion scene, Pret-a-Porter.

She continued appearing in films and television throughout the 90s and into the millennium.