Career
She has been considered "the face of French New Wave". In 1999 she told The New York Times her work was "the motor of my existence". Bernadette Lafont had her debut in Les Mistons ("The Mischief Makers") in 1958 and became part of the "Nouvelle Vague" in the 60"s due to her following films with François Truffaut and Claude Chabrol.
In the following year she was again nominated, this time for Masques (1987).
Foreign her long service to the French motion picture industry, in 2003 she was awarded an Honorary César. In May 2007, she chaired the jury for the fifth edition of the Award for Education presented at the 60th Cannes Film Festival.
She was made an Officer of the Legion of Honor on 14 July 2009. Her complete filmography includes television shows too.
She also worked successfully as a stage actress.
Her last film Paulette, released in 2013, was a success in and outside France.