With Simone Signoret and Jeanne Moreau, Annie Girardot was one of the major female stars in France during the 1960s and 70s. With her gamine-like sensuality, the actress first became established as a stage comedienne. In contrast, her film roles, notably those for directors Claude Lelouch and Andre Cayatte tapped a darker quality, casting her as women of dubious morality who seemed doomed to a violent end. Girardot first gained international attention with Luchino Visconti's intensely dramatic family saga, "Rocco and His Brothers" (1960). Lelouch first utilized her as Yves Montand's estranged
