Emilie Dequenne, a popular actress, has sadly passed away aged 43.
Émilie Dequenne has sadly passed away aged 43. Credit: Sylvain Lefevre / Getty
Dequenne, an acclaimed Belgian actress, passed away following a battle with a rare form of cancer.
The actress, known for her roles in BBC’s The Missing and the Cannes-winning film Rosetta, died on Sunday in a hospital just outside of Paris, her family and agent confirmed, per the Daily Mail.
In October 2023, Dequenne publicly revealed that she had been diagnosed with adrenocortical carcinoma, a rare and aggressive cancer of the adrenal gland.
Despite the devastating diagnosis, she fought with resilience, and in April 2024, she shared an uplifting health update: “I was close to forgetting because I was leaving the hospital today after 13 days… What a tough battle,” she wrote on social media.
Her announcement that she was in complete remission gave fans hope that she was on the road to recovery.
She even spoke about her determination to return to her career and embrace life once again.
But tragically, her health took a turn for the worse when the cancer relapsed later that year.
The Belgian actress died following a battle with cancer. Credit: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis / Getty
On December 1, 2024, Dequenne acknowledged her deteriorating condition during an interview on French television show TF1, saying: “I know I will not live as long as planned.”
Born on August 29, 1981, in Belgium, Dequenne’s career skyrocketed in 1999 when she starred in the Dardenne brothers’ film Rosetta.
Her powerful performance earned her the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival – a role that cemented her as a rising star in European cinema.
Over the years, she showcased her versatility in a range of films, including Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001, directed by Christophe Gans), A Housekeeper (2002, directed by Claude Berri), The Very Merry Widows (2003, directed by Catherine Corsini), The Girl on the Train (2009), and Our Children (2012, which won her the Un Certain Regard award at Cannes).
She also attended the 2010 Cannes Film Festival for the Special Screening of Franck Richard’s The Pack.
In 2024, she returned to Cannes to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her Rosetta victory and to promote her final film, Survive, an English-language disaster movie.
Dequenne leaves behind her husband and her daughter. Credit: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis / Getty
In what would become her final role, Dequenne starred in Survive, a dystopian drama centered on a mother protecting her family.
Shockingly, she later revealed that she had no idea she was sick while filming.
Speaking to The Action, she reflected on how being a mother shaped her approach to the film: “I can’t explain, but when you became a mother, it’s like your strength and your power and your braveness completely changed. And you see life through another vision.
“And that’s what completely attracted me when I read the script, is that for me, it was really realistic, actually despite the fact that, of course, it’s dystopic and I love that.”
Dequenne also spoke about the bond she formed with the child actors on set, describing how they became a real family off-screen: “We had dinner together. When we came back, we were in the same car to go to the set. We were together, always together.
“And I still got them on the phone. Lisa, who plays my daughter, she’s become a very good friend to my daughter. Sometimes she comes home, she sleeps over, and we spend time together.”
She is survived by her husband, Michel Ferracci, and her daughter.
