French actress Marina Vlady, acclaimed for her roles in classical cinema and New Wave features and winner of the best actress prize at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival, died on Thursday at her home in Ivry at the age of 88.
The death of the celebrated performer was announced by her family to the Agence France-Presse news agency. Her children shared that she passed away at home, surrounded by her loved ones and her animals
, while honoring her memory by describing a long and beautiful life well filled. Relatives did not disclose an exact cause of death for the actress, singer, and writer.
Vlady Begins Acting Career in France
Born Catherine Marina de Poliakoff-Baïdaroff on May 10, 1938, in Clichy, France, she grew up surrounded by artistic influences. Her father worked as an opera singer, and her mother, Militsa Envald, performed as a ballerina after the family arrived in France following the Russian Revolution. Destined for the stage alongside her three sisters, she began her acting career at a young age, making an early film appearance in 1949 in the film Summer Thunderstorm under the name Vlady, adopted in honor of her father. Before taking to film sets, she spent time as a student dancer at the Paris Opera. Her early milestones included winning the Suzanne-Bianchetti award following her performance in André Cayatte’s 1954 feature Before the Deluge.
Her career quickly expanded across French and Italian cinema during the 1950s, featuring in titles such as The Devil’s Daughter, Crime and Punishment, and The Damned Go to Hell. Under the direction of Robert Hossein, whom she married at the age of 17, she appeared in four films, including The Bastards Go to Hell, Pardon Our Offenses, Toi, le venin, and Night of Spies. A major career milestone arrived when she earned recognition for her leading role in Jean Delannoy’s cinematic adaptation of The Princess of Cleves, based on the classic work by Madame de La Fayette. Throughout her career, she appeared in nearly 80 films, balancing popular commercial projects with demanding auteur cinema.
Cannes Win Brings International Acclaim
International acclaim solidified in 1963 when she won the best actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in Marco Ferreri’s The Conjugal Bed, an achievement that also earned her a Golden Globe. Her versatile screen presence drew directors of the French New Wave and international cinema, including Jean-Luc Godard, with whom she worked on Two or Three Things I Know About Her.
Beyond the silver screen, her artistic pursuits extended into music, literature, and the stage. She recorded musical albums alongside her sisters and authored 13 books, including autobiographical works and memoirs. Theater remained a vital creative outlet starting in the 1960s, particularly her frequent interpretations of Anton Chekhov’s heroines alongside her sisters in productions such as The Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard.
Vlady Advocates for Abortion and Housing Rights
Alongside her artistic output, Vlady maintained a steady commitment to political and social activism. In 1971, she joined other prominent figures by signing the Manifesto of the 343, a public petition advocating for women’s abortion rights in France. Later in life, she championed causes supporting undocumented migrants and housing rights, co-founding the association for housing rights known as DAL alongside her final partner, oncologist Léon Schwartzenberg.
Her personal life frequently intersected with the cultural currents of Europe. Her most legendary relationship was with Soviet poet, actor, and singer Vladimir Vysotsky, whom she met in Moscow in 1967 before marrying him in 1970. Because Vysotsky faced censorship under the Soviet regime, the couple split their time between France and Moscow.
Following their final phone conversation on July 23, 1980, during which Vysotsky planned a visit to France, he died in Moscow in July 1980 at the age of 42. Decades later, following the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, she expressed sharp condemnation of the conflict in a 2022 interview, criticizing authoritarian political structures.