The French actress, singer and writer Marina Vlady died on 24 September 2026 at the age of 88. Her family informed the AFP news agency of her death. According to the actress’s children, she died at her home, surrounded by her loved ones.
Marina Vlady, whose real name was Ekaterina Marina Vladimirovna Polyakova-Baidarova, was born on 10 May 1938 in Clis, near Paris, to parents who had emigrated from the Russian Empire. Her father, Vladimir Polyakov-Baidarov, was an opera singer, and her mother, Milica Enwald, was a ballerina. All four of the family’s daughters went on to pursue careers in the arts. The actress chose the stage name ‘Vlady’ in honour of her father, Vladimir.
Vlady began acting in films whilst still a child. One of her first notable roles was in André Kayatta’s film *Avant le déluge* (Avant le déluge, 1954), after which the 16-year-old actress received the French Suzanne Bianchetti Award as a promising young performer. During the same period, she starred alongside Marcello Mastroianni in Giuseppe De Santis’s film *Days of Love* (Giorni d’Amore, 1954). She gained widespread fame in Europe for her leading role in the Franco-Swedish film *The Witch* (*La Sorcière*, 1956).
One of Vlada’s most famous roles was in the film adaptation of Madame de La Fayette’s novel *La Princesse de Clèves* (1961), directed by Jean Delannoy. It was her portrayal of the Princess of Clèves that remained one of the actress’s most recognisable roles in French cinema. International professional recognition came in 1963. For her role in Marco Ferreri’s film *L’Ape regina* (*Le Lit conjugal*), Marina Vlady won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the actress worked with a number of leading European directors. Orson Welles’ *Chimes at Midnight* (1965), Jean-Luc Godard’s *Two or Three Things I Know About Her* (1967), Bertrand Tavernier’s *Let the Party Begin* (*Que la fête commence*, 1975) and Jacques Ruffio’s drama *Seven Deaths by Prescription* (Sept morts sur ordonnance, 1975). According to various estimates, Vlady appeared in more than 80 films during her career, and when her television work is taken into account, her on-screen legacy was even greater.
A special place in Marina Vlady’s biography is occupied by her relationship with the poet, actor and singer-songwriter Vladimir Vysotsky. They met in Moscow in 1967 and married in 1970. Their marriage lasted until Vysotsky’s death in July 1980. As Vladi lived mainly in France and Vysotsky in the USSR, they spent a significant part of their married life apart. The actress regularly travelled to visit him in the Soviet Union.
After Vysotsky’s death, the authorities went to great lengths to preserve his memory. In 1987, she published an autobiographical book, *Vladimir, or The Interrupted Flight*, dedicated to their relationship, their life together and the poet’s final years. The book was subsequently adapted for the theatre. Vlada was not only involved in film. She acted in the theatre, performed as a singer – notably recording songs with her sisters – and was also actively engaged in literary pursuits. In total, she wrote 13 books, including novels, memoirs and autobiographical works. In 2005, her memoir *24 images par seconde* was published.
Marina Vlady remains one of the most prominent figures in French and European cinema of the second half of the 20th century, having combined popular cinema, arthouse films, theatre, music and literature throughout her career.