Pierre Deny, French actor who played a luxury-brand exec in ‘Emily in Paris,’ dies at 69
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- French actor Pierre Deny, known to U.S. viewers as luxury-brand executive Louis de Léon on “Emily in Paris,” has died of ALS at 69.
- Primarily a television star in France, Deny logged nearly 70 roles in TV and film, notably on daytime hit “Tomorrow Is Ours,” where co-stars mourned a generous colleague and beloved on-screen doctor.
- His death comes amid a wave of high-profile ALS cases, including “Grey’s Anatomy” actor Eric Dane, “Straight Outta Compton” actor A. Russell Andrews and reality-TV star Jenny Slatten.
Pierre Deny, a French actor known in the United States for his portrayal of a luxury-brand executive in the streaming series “Emily in Paris,” has died at age 69.
“It is with deep emotion that we announce the passing of Pierre Deny, which occurred this Monday following a sudden and severe case of ALS,” his daughters said in a statement to the French news service AFP (via Le Parisien).
The actor shared a touching message to his two teenage daughters in an interview released on Netflix hours after his death, part of the docuseries ‘Famous Last Words.’
Primarily a television actor, Deny was born July 12, 1956. He had almost 70 film and TV credits to his name, per IMDb, plus dozens of theater roles under his belt.
“So sad to hear of the passing of Pierre Deny,” actor Sylvie Vartan wrote in French on Instagram, posting a photo of herself with Deny on stage in “Ne me regardez pas comme ça!” (Don’t Look at Me Like That!). “I shared some great moments with him on stage in Isabelle Mergault’s play. He was a generous actor and a sensitive and funny man. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this painful time.”
Deny appeared in three episodes of “Emily in Paris,” playing Louis de Léon, chief executive of fictional luxury conglomerate JVMA, in Seasons 3 and 4. But he was better known in France for his hundreds of episodes as Dr. Renee Dumaze on the popular daytime drama “Tomorrow Is Ours.”
“Pierre, seven years of filming together, taking the train together, having lunch together in the cafeteria, sometimes confiding in each other, occasionally inviting each other over and congratulating you on your hidden talent as a cook, introducing our daughters, going to applaud each other at the theater, habitually calling each other ‘doctor,’ and so much more,” former co-star Luce Mouchel, who plays Dr. Marianne Delcourt on “Tomorrow Is Ours,” wrote in French on Instagram.
Jenny Slatten, 68, who married Sumit Singh, 38, in Season 1 of TLC’s ‘90-Day Fiancé: The Other Side,’ has been diagnosed with ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
“A little over a decade of shared life that shouldn’t have ended so quickly and so brutally. I’m thinking of your daughters and their exceptional courage. I’m thinking of you, of my last visit and your sparkling eyes. Rest in peace, Dr. Dumaze.”
Deny also appeared in 44 episodes of the soap “Cinq soeurs” (Five Sisters) and 28 episodes of the crime drama “Une femme d’honneur” (A Woman of Honor).
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that a person needs to walk, talk, swallow and breathe, according to the ALS Assn. With no cure available, most people die within three to five years of their first symptoms.
“Grey’s Anatomy” actor Eric Dane died from complications of ALS in February at age 53 after announcing his diagnosis the previous April. “Straight Outta Compton” actor A. Russell Andrews announced this month that he is “living with ALS” at age 64. And last week, Jenny Slatten of “90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way” shared her ALS diagnosis with the world. She is 68.
