French actor Pierre Deny, known to American viewers for his role on Emily in Paris, has died. He was 69.
Deny died Monday, May 25, after what his family described as a sudden and severe case of ALS.
His daughters confirmed the heartbreaking news in a statement shared with French outlet TF1.
“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,” they said.
Deny appeared in seasons 3 and 4 of Netflix’s Emily in Paris, playing Louis de Léon, the powerful father of Nicolas de Léon, played by Paul Forman, and the CEO of JVMA.
His character became part of one of the show’s more serious storylines as Emily in Paris moved beyond romance and fashion into family drama, workplace power struggles and scandal inside the luxury business world.
Deny also appeared in three episodes of the hit Netflix series, which helped introduce him to a broader international audience.
But long before Emily in Paris, Deny had already built a long career in French television and theater.
He began acting in the 1980s and became best known in France for roles in TV shows including Sous Le Soleil, Une femme d’honneur and Cinq soeurs.
He also starred in more than 300 episodes of the French soap opera Demain Nous Appartient, appearing on the show from its 2017 premiere through 2023.
His most recent credits included the French series Camping Paradis and Le Fil d’Ariane.
Following news of his death, French actress and singer Sylvie Vartan paid tribute to Deny on Instagram.
“I shared some great moments with him on stage in Isabelle Mergault’s play,” she wrote on May 26. “He was a generous actor and a sensitive and funny man.”
She added, “My thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this painful time.”
Deny’s death comes as a shock to fans who watched him across decades of French television and, more recently, on one of Netflix’s biggest international hits.
He leaves behind a career that stretched from French soaps and stage work to a role in the glossy world of Emily in Paris, where he reached viewers far beyond France.