Émilie Dequenne, the Belgian actress renowned for her breakout role in the Dardenne Brothers’ Rosetta, has passed away at the age of 43. Her family confirmed to French news agency AFP that Dequenne died on Sunday after a battle with adrenocortical carcinoma, a rare form of cancer affecting the adrenal glands. She had revealed her diagnosis in October 2023.
Dequenne rose to fame at just 18 years old with her powerful portrayal of a struggling teenager in Rosetta, which won her the prestigious Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1999. The film also received the Palme d’Or that year. Following her success, she starred in a variety of films, including Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) and The Girl on the Train (2009).
In 2012, Dequenne received further acclaim for her performance in Our Children, which earned her another Cannes Best Actress prize in the Un Certain Regard section. Her career spanned across mainstream and independent films, with notable roles in Not My Type (2014), This Is Our Land (2017), and Close (2022). Her final project was the English-language disaster film Survive.
Dequenne is survived by her husband, author Michel Ferracci, and her daughter, Milla Savarese. Her death marks the end of a remarkable career that left a lasting impact on cinema.