Maria Schneider

Maria-Hélène Schneider (27 March 1952 – 3 February 2011), known as Maria Schneider, was a French actress. At the age of 19, she became world famous for her performance opposite Marlon Brando in Bernardo Bertolucci's controversial film Last Tango in Paris (1972). Schneider worked in more than 50 films and television productions between 1969 and 2008. Her notable film roles include Michelangelo Antonioni's The Passenger (1975), opposite Jack Nicholson, René Clément's Wanted: Babysitter (1975), Daniel Schmid's Violanta (1976), Nouchka van Brakel's A Woman Like Eve (1979), Daniel Duval's Memoirs of a French Whore (1979), Boris Szulzinger's Mama Dracula (1980), Jacques Rivette's Merry-Go-Round (1981), Enki Bilal's Bunker Palace Hôtel (1989), Marco Bellocchio's The Conviction (1991), Cyril Collard's Savage Nights (1992), Franco Zeffirelli's Jane Eyre (1996), and Josiane Balasko's A French Gigolo (2008). Throughout her career, she was a strong advocate for improving the work of women in film. In 2001, Schneider was the guest of honor at the 23rd Festival Créteil Films de Femmes.