Jeanne Moreau, French film icon, dies aged 89

French actress Jeanne Moreau had died aged 89. Picture; Getty

French film icon Jeanne Moreau has died at the age of 89.

Her agent confirmed that the actress had died in Paris on the morning of July 31.

She made her debut in 1947 and went on to star in films such as Seven Days... Seven Nights (1960), Viva Maria! (1965), and The Old Lady Who Walked in the Sea (1992).

Moreau was awarded a BAFTA Fellowship in 1996, and had a cameo in Richard Curtis’ 2003 film Love Actually - she can be seen entering a taxi at Marseille Airport.

Born in Paris on January 23 1928 to a French father and English mother, Moreau appeared in over 130 films, and is the only actress to have twice chaired the Cannes Film Festival jury, in 1975 and 1995.

Among the directors she worked with during her 65-year career were Michelangelo Antonioni, Orson Welles - who described her as ‘the greatest actress in the world’ - Luc Besson and Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

Her last cinematic appearance was as Frida, in the 2012 film Une estonienne à Paris, directed by Ilmar Raag.

Moreau picked up more than 20 awards, including an lifetime achievement Oscar in 1998, as well as awards from the Cannes Film Festival, BAFTA, the Venice Film Festival and the Cesar Awards.