**Emmanuelle Riva** (Cheniménil, February 24, 1927 – Paris, January 27, 2017) was a French actress of great intensity and refinement.

Her film career is indissolubly linked to Alain Resnais's **_Hiroshima mon amour_** (1959), a Nouvelle Vague masterpiece that launched her as an icon of auteur cinema. Riva distinguished herself in roles of complex women, often inwardly tormented, capable of expressing profound emotions with a measured yet penetrating style.

Among her most significant works are also Jean-Pierre Melville's **_Léon Morin, Prêtre_** (1961) and Georges Franju's **_Thérèse Desqueyroux_** (1962), for which she won the Volpi Cup in Venice.

After a long and prolific career, she experienced a final, extraordinary phase with Michael Haneke's **_Amour_** (2012), a performance that earned her an Academy Award nomination and numerous international accolades. Her screen presence was always magnetic, a mix of vulnerability and strength.