Marie Trintignant


Marie Trintignant was a French actress.

Early life

Trintignant was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, the daughter of actor Jean-Louis Trintignant and his second wife, French film director, producer, and screenwriter Nadine Marquand. She first appeared on screen aged four in her mother's film My Love, My Love. When Marie's baby sister Pauline died when Marie was eight, she became withdrawn and virtually stopped speaking. Her parents divorced in 1976. Throughout her early life, she was afflicted by severe shyness, but by her mid-teens, she decided to become an actress. She had a strong affection for animals and considered becoming a veterinarian, but in the end pursued a career in acting.

Family

Trintignant was the mother of four sons: Roman with drummer Richard Kolinka, Paul with actor François Cluzet, Léon with Mathias Othnin-Girard and Jules with her husband, director Samuel Benchetrit.

Death

Marie Trintignant was severely injured in a beating on 26 July 2003 in Vilnius, Lithuania by her then-boyfriend Bertrand Cantat, lead singer with the French rock group Noir Désir. Cantat repeatedly punched Marie Trintignant in the head, leading to her death six days later in a clinic in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France by cerebral edema. She was 41. Cantat was convicted of murder and served four years in prison.

Awards

Though she never received France's most prestigious acting honor, the César Award, Trintignant was nominated for it five times, for her roles in:
She also appeared in the film noir Série noire of 1979. Not long before her death she sang a duet in the song "Pièce montée des grands jours" on an album with the same title by French folksinger Thomas Fersen in 2003.