Nadia Farès obit

Nadia Farès Dies: ‘The Crimson Rivers’ Actress Was 57

 She was not on the list.

Moroccan French actress Nadia Farès, who last week was found unconscious in a swimming pool and has been in a coma ever since, died yesterday at the age of 57.

Her daughters confirmed her death, caused by cardiac arrest, in a statement to Agence France-Presse.

“It is with immense sadness that we announce the death this Friday of Nadia Farès. France has lost a great artist, but for us, it is above all a mother that we have just lost,” Cylia and Shana Chasman wrote.

The Marrakesh-born actress is best known for her breakout role in 2000’s The Crimson Rivers, the acclaimed Mathieu Kassovitz-directed conspiracy thriller in which she starred opposite Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel.

Born Dec. 20, 1968, Farès grew up in Nice before moving to Paris to pursue a career in film. Her first movie role came in 1992’s Les amies de ma femme (My Wife’s Girlfriends). Her other credits include action flick War (with Jet Li and Jason Statham) and horror movie Storm Warning.

In 2009, she stepped away from her career and moved to the U.S. after marrying American producer Steve Chasman. She returned to acting in 2016 with Netflix’s drama series Marseille. She and Chasman separate in 2022, whereupon she moved back to France.

Per Le Monde, Farès was gearing up to shoot her first feature film as a screenwriter and director this September. “Through hard work, questioning myself and persistence, I found a great team, we are working together on an action comedy with Studio TF1,” she told French celeb and women’s magazine Gala in an interview published in January.

She had been open about prior health issues, revealing she underwent brain surgery in 2007 due to a “far from small” aneurysm. “A ticking time bomb that needed to be treated urgently. And in four years, I’ve had three heart surgeries,” she said previously.

According to French newspaper of record Le Figaro, Farès had been found unresponsive at the bottom of a pool at a private club on Rue Blanche in the 9th arrondissement April 11. Witnesses came to her aid, alerted emergency services and performed CPR. She was then treated by firefighters and transported to the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, where she was placed in an induced coma.

Le Figaro reported that an investigation has been opened into the cause of her injuries and that “no offense has been identified at this stage.” According to another outlet, Midi Libre, CCTV footage from the sports complex is being reviewed by authorities.

Cylia Chasman posted a moving tribute to her mother on social media, which you can view below:

 

Filmography

Film

1992: My Wife's Girlfriends (by Didier Van Cauwelaert) – Béatrice de Mennoux

1994: Elles n'oublient jamais (by Christopher Frank) – Angela

1995: Policemen (by Giulio Base) – Stella

1995: Dis-moi oui... (by Alexandre Arcady) – Florence

1996: Hommes, femmes : mode d'emploi [fr] (by Claude Lelouch) – The new secretary of Blanc

1997: Les Démons de Jésus (by Bernie Bonvoisin) – Marie

1997: Sous les pieds des femmes (by Rachida Krim) – Fouzia

1999: Les Grandes Bouches (by Bernie Bonvoisin) – Esther

1999: A Monkey's Tale (Le Château des singes) (by Jean-François Laguionie) – voice of Gina

2000: The Crimson Rivers (Les Rivières pourpres) (Mathieu Kassovitz) – Fanny Ferreira

2001: Coup franc indirect (by Youcef Hamidi)

2002: The Nest (Nid de guêpes) (by Florent Emilio Siri) – Hélène Laborie

2002: Le Mal de vivre (by Jean-Michel Pascal) – Sandrine

2004: Pour le plaisir (by Dominique Deruddere) – Julie, François' wife

2005: L'Ex-femme de ma vie (by Josiane Balasko) – Ariane

2007: Insane (by Jamie Blanks)

2007: Storm Warning (by Jamie Blanks) – Pia

2007: Rogue: L'Ultime Affrontement (War) (by Philip G. Atwell) – Agent Jade Kinler

2017: Chacun sa vie et son intime conviction (by Claude Lelouch)

2019: Lucky Day (by Roger Avary)

2022: On the Line (2022 film) (by Romuald Boulanger) - Sam Dubois

2025: Tojours possible – Gaby

Television

           

This television-related list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2025)

Nadia Farès television credits

Year     Title     Role     Notes   Ref.

1990    Navarro           Sara     Episode: "Fils de périph" (S2.E1)

1991    The Exile         Jacquie Decaux           6 episodes       

1992    Le Second Voyage      Yasmina           Jean-Jacques Goron (dir)       

1992    Counterstrike   Jeanette            Episode: "No Honour Among Thieves" (S3.E6)       

1995    Le Cavalier des nuages           Melka  Gilles Béhat (dir)       

1996    Flairs ennemis Karen  Robin Davis (dir)       

2001    L'Enfant de la nuit       Eva      Marian Handwerker (dir)       

2002    Apporte-moi ton amour          Nan     Éric Cantona (dir)      

2006    L'Empire du Tigre       Gabrielle          Gérard Marx (dir)       

2009    Revivre            Emma Elbaz    6 episodes. Haim Bouzaglo (dir)       

2016    Marseille          Vanessa d'Abrantes     14 episodes     

2020    La Promesse    Inès      6 episodes