Belgian actor Emilie Dequenne dies at 43 after cancer battle

Belgian actor Emilie Dequenne, best known for her award-winning debut in Rosetta, has died at the age of 43. Her agent, Danielle Gain, confirmed the news, stating that Dequenne passed away on March 16 evening in a hospital near Paris.

Dequenne had revealed in October 2023 that she was battling a rare form of adrenal gland cancer. Her death marks the loss of a widely respected actress who had a significant impact on European cinema.

Rising to fame at just 17, Dequenne won the Best Actress award at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival for her role in Rosetta, a film that also secured the Dardenne brothers their first Palme d’Or. Her performance as a struggling teenager living in poverty earned widespread acclaim and set the stage for a prolific career.

Throughout the 2000s, Dequenne became a sought-after actress, appearing in major films such as The Brotherhood of the Wolf and The Housekeeper. She later transitioned into English-language cinema with The Bridge of San Luis Rey, sharing the screen with Hollywood icons like Robert De Niro and Gabriel Byrne.

Her versatility was further recognised in 2021 when she won a César Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Things We Say, The Things We Do. Her final big-screen appearance came in the 2023 Belgian drama TKT, where she portrayed the mother of a bullied teenager.