The Hollywood world is in mourning this week after actress Emmanuelle Riva, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2012 for her role in Amour, past away at the age of 89.
The New York Times reported that her death was confirmed by her agent, Anne Alvares Correa, who said the cause was cancer.
Riva was perhaps best known for her role in the 1959 classic Hiroshima Mon Amour, which put her at the center of the French New Wave of cinema. Riva won the French equivalent of an Oscar for the film, which brought her international fame.
Riva spent the next few years worked sporadically between movies, television, and the stage, as she was very picky with which parts she took. Later in life, she regretted this.
“I refused as many offers as I accepted,” she told The New York Times in 2013. “I refused commercial roles. But it was wrong, I have been too extreme, and I don’t say it was good.”
Finally, she got her best part in years in Amour, in which she played an elderly woman who is failing both mentally and physically. This role once again brought her international acclaim.
Rest in peace, Emmanuelle!
