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Photo of Marie-José Nat

Marie-José Nat

Actor
Died October 10, 2019 (79 years)
Marie-José Benhalassa (22 April 1940 – 10 October 2019), known professionally as Marie-José Nat, was a French actress. Among her notable works in cinema were the sequel films Anatomy of a Marriage: My Days with Jean-Marc and Anatomy of a Marriage: My Days with Françoise (1963), directed by André Cayatte. In 1974, she received a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film Violins at the Ball.

Benhalassa was born in Bonifacio, Corse-du-Sud, to a Kabyle Berber father, Abdelkader Benhalassa, and a Corsican mother, Vincentine (Biancarelli).

In 1960, she married the actor Roger Dumas and divorced him in 1962. She then married French director Michel Drach with whom she had three sons, David, Julien and Aurélien. They divorced in 1981. She had a relationship of several years with the actor Victor Lanoux. On 30 September 2005 she married the painter, writer and songwriter Serge Rezvani in her third marriage.

She died in Paris of cancer at age 79.

After secondary studies at the Ajaccio high school, Benhalassa entered the cours Simon in Paris.

Benhalassa began her career as a cover-girl and haute-couture model. In 1955, she won a competition from the magazine Femmes d'aujourd'hui which allowed her to become Jean-Claude Pascal's partner in a photo comics entitled L'amour est un songe.

Denys de La Patellière offered her her first major role in 1959 in Rue des prairies alongside Jean Gabin, in which she played his daughter. The following year, she performed in a comedy sketch by René Clair alongside Claude Rich and Yves Robert, and obtained a major role in La Vérité by Henri-Georges Clouzot, playing Brigitte Bardot's rival opposite Sami Frey.

In 1965, she married filmmaker Michel Drach; they had three children and divorced in 1981. She starred in several of her husband's films: Amelie or The Time to Love (1961), Elise, or Real Life (1970) and Les violons du bal (1974), inspired by his childhood experiences during World War II. She was also known for Train of Life (1998), Litan (1982) and The Dacians (1966) with Jean Sorel, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Victor Lanoux and Bernadette Lafont as acting partners.

In 2001, Nat was a member of the jury at the 36th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2001, and at the 24th Cabourg Film Festival in 2010.

She was the very first person to appear on the front cover of Télé 7 Jours in its current name on March 26, 1960.

Nat was awarded Best Actress at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival for her performance in Violins at the Ball, and the film was nominated for the Golden Palm award.

She was made a chevalier of the Légion d'honneur on 31 December 2004, chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite on 18 November 2002 and promoted to the rank of officer on 14 November 2011, commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres as a member of the conseil de l'ordre of which she was a member from 1 March 2001 until April 2012.

Source: Article "Marie-José Nat" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Known For
  • The Truth
  • Train of Life
  • The Dacians
  • Litan
  • Anatomy of a Marriage
  • Rue de Paris
  • La disubbidienza
  • Éducation sentimentale
  • Anatomy of a Marriage
  • Journal d'une femme en blanc
  • Murder in Batz
  • Embassy
  • La menace
  • Les violons du bal
  • Le paria
  • Diamond Safari
  • The Seven Deadly Sins
  • Les gens de Mogador
  • Black River
  • Elena's Gift

Filmography

2015
Murder in Batz · as Jeanne Gourvennec
2004
Elena's Gift · as Elena
2004
2004
Colette, une femme libre (TV Series) · as Sido
1998
Train of Life · as Sura
1998
1997
Night of Destiny · as Mme Slimani
1996
Terre indigo (TV Series) · as Mathilde Vallogne
1993
1990
Black River · as Mme Ginette
1982
Litan · as Nora
1981
La disubbidienza · as Madre Di Luca
1974
Tell Me You Love Me · as Charlotte Le Royer
1974
Les violons du bal · as She, Michel's Wife
1972
Les gens de Mogador (TV Series) · as Julia Angellier
1972
Embassy · as Laure
1970
Elise, or Real Life · as Elise Le Tellier
1969
L'opium et le bâton · as Farroudja
1969
Le paria · as Lucia
1967
My Love, My Love · as Cameo Appearance
1966
The Dacians · as Meda
1966
Diamond Safari · as Electre
1965
Journal d'une femme en blanc · as Claude Sauvage
1964
Anatomy of a Marriage · as Françoise Dubreuil
1964
Anatomy of a Marriage · as Françoise
1963
Un coup dans l'aile · as Nicole
1962
Éducation sentimentale · as Anne Arnoux
1962
The Seven Deadly Sins · as La Jeune Femme (segment "la Colère")
1961
Le mariage de Figaro · as Chérubin
1961
La menace · as Josepha
1960
Love and the Frenchwoman · as Line, La Jeune Mariée (le Mariage)
1960
The Truth · as Annie Marceau
1959
Rue de Paris · as Odette
1959
1959
La nuit de Tom Brown · as Dorothy "dot" Brown
1958
Adieu ma jolie · as Léone
1957
1956
Club of Women · as Cast
1956
Crime and Punishment · as La Jeune Fille Du Bal

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