Émilie Dequenne, Belgian Cannes Best Actress winner, dies aged 43

Belgian actress Émilie Dequenne, Cannes Best Actress winner, dies at 43 following rare adrenal cancer battle.

Émilie Dequenne, the acclaimed Belgian actress who won Best Actress at Cannes in 1999 for her breakout role in Rosetta, has died aged 43. Her agent, Danielle Gain, confirmed she passed away in a hospital near Paris on Sunday evening after a battle with a rare adrenal gland cancer, first revealed publicly in October 2023.

Born on 29 August 1981 in Belœil, Belgium, Dequenne began studying drama at the age of 12 at the Music & Spoken Word Academy in Baudour. She later joined the La Relève Theatre troupe, which helped launch her acting career. At 17, she was cast by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne in the lead role of Rosetta, a performance that won her global acclaim and the coveted Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival. The film also earned the Dardenne brothers their first Palme d’Or.

Following her Cannes success, Dequenne enjoyed a prolific career across Belgian and French cinema. She starred in notable films such as The Brotherhood of the Wolf, The Housekeeper, and The Bridge of San Luis Rey alongside Gabriel Byrne and Robert De Niro. She earned a César Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Love Affair(s) (2020), and won a Magritte Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of a nurse caught in political turmoil in This Is Our Land (2018).

Her role in Our Children (2012), a harrowing psychological drama directed by Joachim Lafosse, received critical acclaim and added to her list of accolades. More recently, she appeared in Close, the Oscar-nominated film by Lukas Dhont, and TKT, a 2023 Belgian drama on high school bullying.