Anouk Aimée

Born into a theatrical family, Anouk Aimee was trained in acting and dancing at the Bauer-Therond school. In films from the age of 14, Ms. Aimee (usually billed merely as Anouk) was elevated to international stardom in 1949's Lovers of Verona, specifically written for her by Jacques Prevert. Possessed of an aloof, haunting beauty, Anouk has given her best performances under the knowing direction of such European masters as Federico Fellini (La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2) and Jacques Demy (Lola, The Model Shop). She has also worked extensively in English language films; she did her bit for the Resistance in Anatole Litvak's The Journey (1959), essayed the title role in George Cukor's Justine (1969), and portrayed the worldly-wise Simone Lowenthal in Robert Altman's Ready to Wear (1994). Her most famous screen assignment, and the one that earned her an Academy Award nomination, was the role of Anne Gauthier in Claude Lelouch's A Man and a Woman (1966). Looking every bit as alluring as she had in '66, Anouk Aimee reprised this role in 1986's A Man and a Woman: Twenty Years Later.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide