Origins, real name, cult films, famous lovers… everything you need to know

Anouk Aimée, whose real name is Nicole Françoise Judith Dreyfus, was born on April 27, 1932 in Paris. She began her career at a very young age and quickly became known thanks to her role in the film The House under the sea, in 1947. Here is everything you need to know about the woman who always said that she did not choose cinema, but that cinema chose her.

Where is Anouk Aimée from?

Anouk Aimée did not have an easy childhood. She was born in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, her parents are the actors Henri Dreyfus and Geneviève Durand. Of Jewish origin (but later baptized Catholic), she was quickly sent to Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire to escape the wearing of the yellow star, during the Second World War. To go unnoticed, she adopted her middle name and called herself Françoise Durand. Later, she studied drama and dance in England. At the time, nothing predestined Anouk Aimée to the cinema, since her dream was to put on dancer’s shoes.

Anouk Aimée was only 14 years old when she was spotted by Henri Calef, director and screenwriter, while she was in a restaurant accompanied by her mother. It was a banal question that opened the doors of cinema to him. “Would you like to make films?” On the advice of her mother, the young girl launched herself and played her first role in The House under the Sea. She plays the role of Anouk. This name is the one she will adopt for the rest of her career. The poet Jacques Prévet then advised him to add the name Aimée to it. This is how her actress name was born!

Anouk Aimé: what are her biggest roles in cinema?

Very young, Anouk Aimée took on roles. The actress has had a very rich and diverse film career. But some works were more significant than others during his career. She plays in The Lovers of Verona in 1948, by André Cayette. This film establishes its success. In 1960, she played in The good life, by Frédérico Fellini. Moreover, according to her, it is thanks to this film that she will take her profession as an actress seriously.

In 1961 she played Lola in the film Lola, by Jacques Demy. In 1963, she played again for Frédérico Fellini in Eight and a half. In 1966, she became known internationally thanks to Claude Lelouch’s film, A man and a woman, in which she opposite Jean-Louis Trintignant. Her performance earned her a Golden Globe for Best Drama Actress and an Oscar nomination. She settled in Italy for a while and landed roles in several Italian productions. We can say that these films are the most significant of his career.

Anouk Aimée: who are the men in her life?

Anouk Aimée has been married several times. She is noticed by Nico Papatakis, the boss of the literary cabaret The Red Rose in Saint-Germain-des-Près. He fell under her spell on the Côte d’Azur and they married in 1951. Together, they gave birth to Manuela, now 70 years old. She then met Pierre Barouh, on the set of A man and a woman. They marry but quickly divorce. At the same time, we attribute a romance to Claude Lelouch and Anouk Aimée. The actress denies in the columns of SHE : “I never had a love affair with Claude”. A year later, she fell under the spell of Albert Finney, the British actor. They married and the actress retired from acting for a while to stay in London, with him. Then they divorced in 1978.

Did Anouk Aimée really have a relationship with Jean-Louis Trintignant?

Apart from her various marriages, Anouk Aimée has flitted around with several well-known men like Omar Sharif, Warren Beatty and Elie Chouraqui. But certain rumors persisted for a long time about a story with Jean-Louis Trintignant, who played alongside him in A man and a woman. “A man and a woman linked us forever. It’s not a simple story of cinema. We are united by intangible and invisible things until the end“, confided Anouk Aimée in the columns of JDD, in 2019. No love story, then. But a beautiful and strong friendship.