Actor Émilie Dequenne, the Belgian star whose career included several TV series and dozens of films including the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner “Rosetta,” has died.
Charlotte Tourret, a press representative for Dequenne, mourned the actor on Instagram. “You were an example for us all, by your extraordinary force, your courage,” Tourret said in her tribute translated from French to English. “You are an inspiring woman, a great soul, a great actress and I will remember your laughing eyes and your light.”
Tourret added: “I love you forever my Émilie.”
Dequenne’s family confirmed to Agence France-Presse that the actor died Sunday in a hospital outside of Paris after her battle with a rare cancer. Dequenne revealed in 2023 that she was diagnosed with adrenocortical carcinoma and had shared her cancer journey with fans on social media until the weeks preceding her death. She was 43.
Dequenne was born in Belœil, Belgium, in 1981 and studied drama at the Académie de Musique de Baudour. She began her professional acting career at 18 with a starring role in brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s “Rosetta.” The coming-of-age drama follows Dequenne’s titular character and her efforts to escape her trailer-park upbringing for a better life.
“Rosetta,” which former Times critic Kenneth Turan dubbed “a triumph of humanistic cinema,” premiered at the 1999 Cannes Film Fesitval and won the coveted Palme d’Or, and Dequenne won the actress award.
In his review, Turan praised “the gift of Dequenne’s magical acting and the Dardennes’ masterful and sure-handed writing and directing that her [Rosetta’s] intensity and determination…coupled with the almost biblical spareness of her wants, make her a person we care terribly about.”
With a festival darling under her belt, Dequenne was in high demand and had collected more than 20 acting credits for French films and TV movies — including “A Song of Innocence” and opposite Catherine Devenue in “The Girl on the Train” in the early aughts. Later in her career, Dequenne would go back to Cannes to promote two films and celebrate a milestone for “Rosetta.” She returned to the French Riviera in 2012 for “Our Children” and took home the Un Certain Regard actress prize.
Her third appearance at Cannes was for “Close” in 2022. Lukas Dhont, who directed Dequenne in the drama, remembered his star on Instagram. He recalled precious moments from behind the scenes and said the late actor was “never afraid to move into the unknown, into the dark.”
Dhont added: “I can’t put into words how much I’ve learned from you. What an honour to be by your side. I will carry you with me Émilie, Rosetta, Sophie, and all the other women you’ve portrayed so carefully.”
Dequenne revisited “Rosetta” at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival for the movie‘s 25th anniversary celebration. In an emotional interview with French talk show “C à Vous,” she spoke about celebrating the film’s milestone amid her cancer battle.
“I needed to return,” she said.
Her final film credits include 2024 films “Retro Therapy,” “Survive” and “TKT.”
She is survived by her husband, director and producer Michel Ferracci, and daughter Milla Savarese.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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