Émilie Dequenne, the acclaimed Belgian actress best known for her role in the film "Rosetta," has passed away at the age of 43 due to a rare form of cancer, adrenocortical carcinoma. Her family and agent confirmed her death, which occurred in a hospital near Paris. Dequenne's career gained significant momentum when she won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1999 for her portrayal of a troubled teenager in "Rosetta," a film that also received the prestigious Palme d’Or.
Born in 1981 in Belœil, Belgium, Dequenne studied drama at the Académie de Musique de Baudour and quickly became a prominent figure in French cinema. She gained further recognition for her role alongside Catherine Deneuve in "The Girl on the Train" in 2009 and starred in the French series "The Missing" as police officer Laurence Renauld. In 2012, she won the Un Certain Regard actress prize at Cannes for her performance in "Our Children," a psychological drama based on a tragic true story.
Throughout her career, Dequenne received multiple César Award nominations, securing the Best Supporting Actress award in 2021 for the romantic comedy "Love Affair(s)." Her recent work included a role in "Close," which was showcased at Cannes in 2022, marking a return to the festival after more than two decades since "Rosetta." Dequenne expressed a preference for European cinema over Hollywood, citing a lack of interest in the types of films produced there.
She is survived by her husband, director and producer Michel Ferracci, and their daughter, Milla Savarese.