Nadia Farès, who was found “at the bottom of a Parisian pool” a few days ago, has sadly not survived. The actress, aged 57, passed away on Friday, April 17, 2026, her two daughters Cylia and Shana Chasman announced. “It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of Nadia Farès this Friday,” they said to AFP. “France has lost a great artist, but for us, it is above all a mother that we have lost.”
In addition to the statement to AFP, her daughter Cylia had posted a heartfelt message on Instagram: “Mom. This grief, I will never recover from. I wake up praying it’s a nightmare and that you are still among us,” she wrote in the poignant text. “I know you did your best to stay. I sat by your bed, begged you, implored you to stay, but the universe took you away even so. It hurts so much to say goodbye, but mom, I will make you so proud,” it can also be read.
A week earlier, on April 11, Nadia Farès was found unconscious at the bottom of the pool at the Blanche sports center in Paris. Rushed to the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in critical condition, she was admitted with a life-threatening prognosis and placed in an artificial coma.
Born in 1968, Nadia Farès grew up in Nice before moving to Paris to start her acting career. Upon her arrival, she took on various odd jobs and auditions. It wasn’t until the 1990s that she gained recognition: she landed her first role on television in the series “Navarro,” followed by “L’Exilée.”
In 1993, the actress ventured into cinema with the film “Elles n’oublient jamais” directed by Christopher Frank. Her career took off from there, with numerous television and film productions.
Film enthusiasts discovered her in “Dis-moi oui” (1995), “Les Rivières pourpres” (2000), “Nid de guêpes” (2002), and Josiane Balasko’s “L’ex-femme de ma vie” (2005). In fiction, she appeared in “L’Empire du Tigre” (2006) and the series “Quatre pour un loyer” (1995) and “Revivre” (2009).
In the 2010s, Nadia Farès decided to take a break from her acting career to focus on her two daughters, whom she had with her husband Steven Chasman. She created a family sanctuary in the United States, away from the French media frenzy. Nadia Farès always made an effort to keep her personal life private.
Nadia Farès made a comeback in 2016 with the series “Marseille” on Netflix, which was a huge success. She continued with the mini-series “Les Ombres rouges” (2019), followed by roles in “La Promesse” (2021) and “Luther” (2021).
She also returned to the big screen, joining the cast of Claude Lelouch’s film “Chacun sa vie” (2017) and starring alongside Mel Gibson in “On the line” (2022). Her last film was in 2025, in the movie “Toujours possible” directed by Jacques Ouaniche, where she acted with Amanda Lear. A long filmography to revisit.
