French actor Lise Bourdin, known for 'Love in the Afternoon,' dies
French actress Lise Bourdin, a standout from the Golden Age of French cinema, passed away at 99 on November 28—just two days before her 100th birthday.
Best known for her role as Madame X in Billy Wilder's Love in the Afternoon (1957), she died at home in Labastide-d'Armagnac, surrounded by her loved ones.
Who was she?
Born Louise Marie Odette Bourdin-Perrier in 1925, Bourdin first made waves as a fashion model, appearing in Harper's Bazaar and Marie-Claire.
She transitioned to acting with Children of Love (1953), starred alongside Sophia Loren in The River Girl (1954), and appeared on TV's Sherlock Holmes.
After her final film The Last Blitzkrieg (1959), she chose to step away from acting, once saying, "I told myself that I would never have the career I deserved, so I stopped."
Her story is a reminder that even stars sometimes walk away on their own terms.