'Catch Me If You Can' Actress Was 77

Key Points:

• Nathalie Baye, the renowned French actress known for her roles in “Day for Night,” “Catch Me If You Can,” and “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” has died at the age of 77 due to complications from Lewy body dementia.
• Born in 1948 in Normandy, Baye trained at the Conservatoire national supérieur d’art dramatique in Paris and had a prolific film career spanning over five decades, earning four César Awards.
• She collaborated with prominent directors like François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard and starred in notable French films such as “The Return of Martin Guerre” and “Venus Beauty Institute.”
• Baye gained international recognition through her role in the U.S. television film “And the Band Played On” and Steven Spielberg’s “Catch Me If You Can,” where she played Leonardo DiCaprio’s character’s mother.
• Her recent work included “Downton Abbey: A New Era” and the French series “Call My Agent!,” where she appeared alongside her daughter, Laura Smet, who continues to build her own international career.