--- name: "Emmanuelle Riva" canonical: "https://film.one/person/emmanuelle-riva" fi1m_id: "emmanuelle-riva" imdb_id: "nm0728938" tmdb_id: 267962 wikidata_id: "Q436996" roles: ["Actor"] born: "24 February 1927" died: "27 January 2017" reviewed_on_fi1m: 3 average_fi1m_score: 88 average_as: "actor" average_over: 3 updated: "2026-09-25T08:37:34.469597+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Emmanuelle Riva ## Identity Emmanuelle Riva - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/emmanuelle-riva - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** emmanuelle-riva - **IMDb ID:** nm0728938 - **TMDB ID:** 267962 - **Wikidata ID:** Q436996 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmanuelle_Riva, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q436996, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0728938/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/267962 Actor. Born 24 February 1927 in Cheniménil, Vosges, France. Died 27 January 2017. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 24 February 1927, Cheniménil, Vosges, France - **Died:** 27 January 2017 - **Active:** 1959–2012 - **Also known as:** Paulette Germaine Riva, Paulette Riva, Emmanuele Riva - **BAFTA Film Awards:** 1 BAFTA (1 won) - **Average Fi1m score:** 88, as actor, over 3 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1950s 87 (1), 1990s 88 (1), 2010s 88 (1) - **Fi1m against the critics:** 88 to 78 across 3 titles - **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 0 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 2 of 3 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Drama 3, Romance 2, History 1 - **Screen time:** 5 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $31m across 3 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmanuelle_Riva, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q436996, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0728938/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/267962 ## Streaming the US now - **HBO Max:** [*Three Colors: Blue*](https://film.one/film/three-colors-blue.md) (88) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Emmanuelle Riva > Emmanuelle Riva’s precise physical acting and measured voice reward close attention. We value her refusal to make vulnerable women easy to pity: in *Amour*, she keeps Anne’s wishes clear even when they make caring for her harder. In *Amour* (2012), Anne’s physical effort takes time, and Emmanuelle Riva makes us sit through it. She keeps Anne’s wishes clear even when satisfying them makes caring for her harder. We were frightened by the strain she made visible in Anne’s body. Nothing in her performance suggests that suffering ought to make a woman meek or grateful; she is too attentive to what Anne wants for that. *Hiroshima mon amour* (1959), her breakthrough lead for Alain Resnais, made particular use of her cadenced voice and small gestures. She could convey someone thinking as well as feeling, without needing large movements to spell either out. She went on to work with Jean-Pierre Melville in *Léon Morin, Priest* (1961) and Georges Franju in *Thérèse Desqueyroux* (1962). Film roles became less frequent as she concentrated on theatre, with later appearances including the mother in Krzysztof Kieślowski’s *Three Colours: Blue* (1993). *Amour* brought her back to prominence in a leading role, giving her physical precision sustained attention. Haneke benefits from collaborators who give Riva room to work. Editors Monika Willi and Nadine Muse let the performances establish the pace, while Darius Khondji’s restrained photography keeps our attention on the occupants of the Paris flat. Jean-Vincent Puzos’s production design makes it a believable home, and there is no music from outside the scenes to prompt our response. Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant make the affection credible without that assistance. Our reservation is the waiting: Haneke sometimes prolongs it until the confinement feels punitive, though the actors have already made the difficulty clear. Calling Riva restrained only gets us so far. The voice in *Hiroshima mon amour* and the bodily effort in *Amour* both demand that we pay attention to feelings the characters cannot easily settle. Her quietness does not promise us calm, and her precision can make watching more uncomfortable. Choose *Amour* for Riva and Trintignant, but do not expect their affection to make the evening comfortable. ## Biography Emmanuelle Riva was a French actress. Born Paulette Germaine Riva on 24 February 1927 in Cheniménil, she trained at the Centre d'Art Dramatique in Paris and began her career on stage before making her screen debut in the late 1950s. She is known for her leading role as Elle in *Hiroshima mon amour* (1959), for which she received a BAFTA nomination, and for her performance as Anne in *Amour* (2012), which earned her BAFTA and César awards and an Academy Award nomination. Other notable films include *Léon Morin, Priest* (1961), *Thérèse Desqueyroux* (1962), for which she won the Volpi Cup at Venice, *Three Colors: Blue* (1993) and *Venus Beauty Institute* (1999). Riva died on 27 January 2017 in Paris. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (3) - *Amour* (2012), Fi1m 88, as Anne — [page](https://film.one/film/amour.md) - *Three Colors: Blue* (1993), Fi1m 88, as Mother — [page](https://film.one/film/three-colors-blue.md) - *Hiroshima Mon Amour* (1959), Fi1m 87, as Elle — [page](https://film.one/film/hiroshima-mon-amour.md) ## Complete filmography (70) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Belmondo: The Incorrigible* (2022), Actor - *Marx Can Wait* (2021), as Mother (archive footage) (uncredited) - *Alma* (2021), Actor - *Lost in Paris* (2017), as Martha - *A Greek Type of Problem* (2013), as Granny - *Wide-Awake* (2012), as The Superwoman - *Amour* (2012), as Anne — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/amour.md) - *Skylab* (2011), as Mrs. Prévost - *A Man and His Dog* (2009), as Femme église - *The Great Alibi* (2008), as Geneviève Herbin - *My Son* (2006), as Grandmother / La grand-mère - *Eros Therapy* (2004), as Emma - *Green Paradise* (2004), as La mère de Lucas - *C'est la vie* (2001), as Dominique - *Médée* (2001), as Le choeur - *Venus Beauty Institute* (1999), as Tante Lyda - *XXL* (1997), as Sonia Stern - *Capitaine au long cours* (1997), as Clémentine / Calypso - *Arthur Rimbaud, l'homme aux semelles de vent* (1995), as Vitalie Rimbaud - *Éclats de famille* (1995), as Maguerite - *God, My Mother's Lover and the Butcher's Son* (1995), Actor - *A che punto è la notte* (1994), series, as Professoressa Chaldiny - *A Shadow of a Doubt* (1993), as Grandmother - *Three Colors: Blue* (1993), as Mother — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/three-colors-blue.md) - *Far from Brazil* (1992), as Juliette - *For Sasha* (1991), as Mrs. Malka - *The Passion of Bernadette* (1990), as Mother Marie-Thérèse Vauzou - *The Tribulations of Balthazar Kober* (1988), as Mother - *Funny Boy* (1987), as Micky's Mother - *Resist or the Captives of Aigues-Mortes* (1985), Actor - *Liberty at Night* (1984), as Mouche - *Un delitto* (1984), as Madame Louise - *A Man of My Measure* (1983), as Lisa Leibovitch - *The Eyes, the Mouth* (1982), as Madre - *Is There a Frenchman in the House?* (1982), as Adélaïde Tumelat - *The Games of Countess Dolingen* (1981), as Une invitée - *Les Jeunes Filles* (1979), as Andrée Hacquebaut - *Les Jeunes Filles* (1978), series, Actor - *The Devil in the Heart* (1976), as Mrs. Bouvier, the mother - *La mort de l'utopie* (1975), as La tragédienne - *Au long de rivière Fango* (1975), as Mathilde - *Ariane* (1974), as Pasiphae - *I Will Walk Like a Crazy Horse* (1973), as Madame Rey - *Le Cygne* (1972), as Dame Gritie - *Gates of Fire* (1972), as The Baroness - *Proust, l'art et la douleur* (1971), as Narrator (voice) - *Man of Desire* (1971), as Valentine - *The Modification* (1970), as Henriette - *Safari 5000* (1969), Actor - *La forêt noire* (1968), as Maria Richter - *Risky Business* (1967), as Suzanne Doucet - *Bitter Fruit* (1967), as Soledad - *La Fin de la nuit* (1966), as Thérèse Desqueyroux - *Le Coup de grâce* (1966), as Sophie - *L’Or et le plomb* (1966), as World's woman - *Thomas the Impostor* (1965), as la princesse de Bormes - *I Kill, You Kill* (1965), as Lucia Rossi Perozzi (segment "La donna che viveva sola") - *The Big Hit* (1964), as Clémence Grandval - *Caterina* (1963), as Caterina - *The Hours of Love* (1963), as Maretta - *Therese* (1962), as Thérèse Desqueyroux - *Climates of Love* (1962), as Isabelle - *Léon Morin, Priest* (1961), as Barny - *Kapo* (1960), as Terese - *Adua and Her Friends* (1960), as Marilina - *Recourse in Grace* (1960), as Germaine Tourier - *The Eighth Day* (1960), as Françoise - *Hiroshima Mon Amour* (1959), as Elle — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/film/hiroshima-mon-amour.md) - *The Possessors* (1958), as la secrétaire de Noël - *Les Énigmes de l'Histoire* (1956), series, Actor ## Gallery - ![Emmanuelle Riva](https://film.one/media/person/83341/gallery-2af06d6c669d.jpg) Emmanuelle Riva — Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Emmanuelle_Riva_Cannes_2012.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![film frame from the Italian movie Adua e le compagne (1960)](https://film.one/media/person/83341/gallery-ae99a0532b64.png) film frame from the Italian movie Adua e le compagne (1960) — Antonio Pietrangeli (director) / Armando Nannuzzi (cinematographer), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Adua_e_le_compagne_10.png/1280px-Adua_e_le_compagne_10.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![film frame from the Italian movie Adua e le compagne (1960)](https://film.one/media/person/83341/gallery-e040f84519de.png) film frame from the Italian movie Adua e le compagne (1960) — Antonio Pietrangeli (director) / Armando Nannuzzi (cinematographer), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/Adua_e_le_compagne_23.png/1280px-Adua_e_le_compagne_23.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![film frame from the Italian movie Adua e le compagne (1960)](https://film.one/media/person/83341/gallery-b47717411e7e.png) film frame from the Italian movie Adua e le compagne (1960) — Antonio Pietrangeli (director) / Armando Nannuzzi (cinematographer), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Adua_e_le_compagne_24.png/1280px-Adua_e_le_compagne_24.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Emmanuelle Riva](https://film.one/media/person/83341/gallery-8a87bb3899b0.jpg) Emmanuelle Riva — Image via TMDB - ![Emmanuelle Riva](https://film.one/media/person/83341/gallery-151217428e0d.jpg) Emmanuelle Riva — Image via TMDB - ![film frame from the Italian movie Adua e le compagne (1960)](https://film.one/media/person/83341/gallery-35b54d112dc3.png) film frame from the Italian movie Adua e le compagne (1960) — Antonio Pietrangeli (director) / Armando Nannuzzi (cinematographer), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Adua_e_le_compagne_33.png/1280px-Adua_e_le_compagne_33.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![film frame from the Italian movie Adua e le compagne (1960)](https://film.one/media/person/83341/gallery-9947c2dd27e8.png) film frame from the Italian movie Adua e le compagne (1960) — Antonio Pietrangeli (director) / Armando Nannuzzi (cinematographer), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Adua_e_le_compagne_34.png/1280px-Adua_e_le_compagne_34.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) ## Awards ### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated - 2013: Best Actress (nominated), for *Amour* ### BAFTA Film Awards — 1 won - 2013: Best Actress in a Leading Role (won), for *Amour* ### Other awards — 12 won - César Award for Best Actress 2013: César Award for Best Actress (won), for *Amour* - London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year 2013: London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year (won), for *Amour* - Lumière Award for Best Actress 2013: Lumière Award for Best Actress (won), for *Amour* - National Society of Film Critics 2013: National Society of Film Critics (won), for *Amour* - Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress 2012: Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress (won), for *Amour* - European Film Award for Best Actress 2012: European Film Award for Best Actress (won), for *Amour* - Film Fest Gent 2012: Film Fest Gent (won) - Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress 2012: Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress (won), for *Amour* - New York Film Critics Online 2012: New York Film Critics Online (won), for *Amour* - Prix Marguerite Duras 2012: Prix Marguerite Duras (won) - Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres 1994: Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres (won) - Volpi Cup for Best Actress 1962: Volpi Cup for Best Actress (won), for *Thérèse Desqueyroux* *From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.* --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/emmanuelle-riva