Anouk Aimée

Anouk Aimée

Active - 1947 - 2020  |   Born - Apr 27, 1932 in Paris, France  |   Genres - Drama, Comedy, Romance

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Biography by AllMovie

Born into a theatrical family, Anouk Aimee was trained in acting and dancing at the Bauer-Therond school. In films from the age of 14, Ms. Aimee (usually billed merely as Anouk) was elevated to international stardom in 1949's Lovers of Verona, specifically written for her by Jacques Prevert. Possessed of an aloof, haunting beauty, Anouk has given her best performances under the knowing direction of such European masters as Federico Fellini (La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2) and Jacques Demy (Lola, The Model Shop). She has also worked extensively in English language films; she did her bit for the Resistance in Anatole Litvak's The Journey (1959), essayed the title role in George Cukor's Justine (1969), and portrayed the worldly-wise Simone Lowenthal in Robert Altman's Ready to Wear (1994). Her most famous screen assignment, and the one that earned her an Academy Award nomination, was the role of Anne Gauthier in Claude Lelouch's A Man and a Woman (1966). Looking every bit as alluring as she had in '66, Anouk Aimee reprised this role in 1986's A Man and a Woman: Twenty Years Later.

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Factsheet

  • Studied dancing and acting in Paris and England.
  • Took her stage name from the character she played in her film debut, La Maison Sous la Mer, in 1947. Director Jacques Prévert later suggesting adding Aimée as her last name.
  • Her role in Lovers of Verona (1949) was written specifically for her.
  • Became only the fifth French actress nominated for an Academy Award when she was nominated for A Man and a Woman (1966).