Annie Girardot was one of France’s most enduring, acclaimed and popular female star during the 1970s. The multiple-Cesar Award-winning actress died Monday after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. She was 79.

Girardot was a fantastic actress whose work ranged from popular comedy to melodrama. We recall some of her roles in Claude Lelouch‘s A Man Who Pleases Me, in which she played opposite Jean-Paul Belmondo. Or Luchino Visconti‘s Rocco And His Brothers, in which she starred with Alain Delon…

In 1996, during her accepting speech for the best supporting actress Cesar for Les Miserables, Annie Girardot said: “I don’t know if the French cinema missed me, but I missed the French cinema crazily.” Have no doubt about that, you will be missed a lot, Annie!

Annie Girardot died the same day former Hollywood actress and sex symbol Jane Russell died, Monday, Feb. 28. Some of her most memorable films include the The Paleface and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Marilyn Monroe.

Two huge stars have died. It’s always sad because it makes us realize time passes quickly and that the movie stars we love so much are not eternal…