Marie-José Benhalassa (22 April 1940 – 10 October 2019), known professionally as Marie-José Nat, was a French actress. Among her notable works in cinema were the sequel films Anatomy of a Marriage: My Days with Jean-Marc and Anatomy of a Marriage: My Days with Françoise (1963), directed by André Cayatte. In 1974, she received a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film Violins at the Ball.

Early life and family

Benhalassa was born in Bonifacio, Corse-du-Sud, to a Kabyle Berber father, Abdelkader Benhalassa, and a Corsican mother, Vincentine (Biancarelli).

In 1960, she married the actor Roger Dumas and divorced him in 1962. She then married French director Michel Drach with whom she had three sons, David, Julien and Aurélien. They divorced in 1981. She had a relationship of several years with the actor Victor Lanoux. On 30 September 2005 she married the painter, writer and songwriter Serge Rezvani in her third marriage.

She died in Paris of cancer at age 79.

Training

After secondary studies at the Ajaccio high school, Benhalassa entered the cours Simon in Paris.

She was made a chevalier of the Légion d'honneur on 31 December 2004, chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite on 18 November 2002 and promoted to the rank of officer on 14 November 2011, commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of which she was a member from 1 March 2001 until April 2012.

Roles

Theatre

  • 1958: Virage dangereux by John Boynton Priestley, directed by Raymond Rouleau, Théâtre Michel
  • 1959: Blaise by , directed by Jacques Mauclair, Théâtre des Nouveautés
  • 1966: Médor by Roger Vitrac, directed by Maurice Jacquemont, with Bernard Noël, studio des Champs-Élysées
  • 1984: Désiré by Sacha Guitry, directed by Jean-Claude Brialy, with Jean-Claude Brialy an Bernadette Lafont, Théâtre Édouard VII
  • 1985: Voisin voisine after Jerome Chodorov directed by Pierre Mondy, with Victor Lanoux, Théâtre du Palais-Royal, then in 1986 at Théâtre Montansier
  • 1990: Avec ou sans arbres by Jeannine Worms, directed by Albert-André Lheureux, with Henri Garcin, Théâtre Hébertot

Film

Among her notable works in cinema were the sequel films Anatomy of a Marriage: My Days with Jean-Marc and Anatomy of a Marriage: My Days with Françoise (1963), directed by André Cayatte.