Iconic French actress Emmanuelle Riva has died, aged 89

The actress passed away after a battle with cancer.

French icon Emmanuelle Riva has passed away at the age of 89. Her career spanned an incredible seven decades, beginning acting in 1957 with TV’s ‘Enigme de l’histoire, before one of her most renowned role just two years later with Alain Resnais’ ‘Hiroshima Mon Amour’.

For over half a century she appeared in various films and television programmes, with notable performances in ‘Three Colours: Blue’ and ‘Leon Morin, Priest’.

2012’s ‘Amour’, directed by Michael Haneke, saw Riva get her first and only Oscar nomination for Best Actress. She won a BAFTA for her devastating portrayal of a married woman suffering from an aggressive form of dementia and narrowly missed out on the Academy award.

As well as a host of prizes and awards she won elsewhere for the aforementioned role, Riva did win Best Actress at the 1962 Venice Film Festival for her role in ‘Therese Desqueyroux’.

Even when in her late 80s, Riva continued to astound audiences with her dedication to the film industry, with ‘Amour’ being arguably her most acclaimed role in her illustrious career.

Since 2012 she’s been busy appearing in six films, with three of them – ‘Marie and the Misfits’, ‘Lost in Paris’, ‘Les Vacanes’, and 2017’s ‘Alma’ – still to be released.

In total, Emmanuelle Riva amassed 89 acting credits throughout her lengthy, fruitful acting career.