Françoise Fabian

Born Michele Cortes de Leone y Fabianera to a Spanish father and Polish mother, Francoise Fabian trained at the Algerian Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, then moved to Paris; there she attended the Conservatory and debuted onstage in the early ‘50s. She debuted onscreen in Memoires d’un Flic (1955), going on to a fairly busy screen career as a leading lady in French and some Italian films. In the late ‘60s she began to gain international recognition with outstanding performances in such films as Luis Bunuel’s Belle de Jour (1967) and Eric Rohmer’s My Night At Maud’s (1969). She is the widow of film director Jacques Becker. —allmovie guide