Pierre Deny, ’Emily in Paris’ Star, Dies at 69 After ALS Battle
French actor Pierre Deny, who appeared in seasons three and four of Netflix’s Emily in Paris series, has died. He was 69.
Deny, who played JVMA CEO and fashion boss Louis de Léon in the Lily Collins-starring drama, died on May 25 after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), his family confirmed in a statement to TF1, the French broadcaster.
“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 (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Charcot’s Disease,” Deny’s daughters said in their statement.
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News of his death comes nearly a week after Netflix announced Emily in Paris will end after its sixth season now shooting in Greece. Season five ended with Emily choosing to return to Paris after opening a Rome office of the marketing agency she works for and starting (and ending) a new romantic relationship.
Deny was a veteran actor in France, having began in theater in the 1980s before becoming a mainstay in domestic TV series like Julie Lescaut and the soap opera Demain Nous Appartient (Tomorrow is Ours), where he played the role of Dr. Renaud Dumaze in over 500 episodes.
Besides Emily in Paris, his recent roles include an episode of the TF1 series Camping Paradis in 2025. Tributes poured in from fellow actors who appeared alongside Deny on screen after the news of his death.
French actress and singer Sylvie Vartan, who appeared with Deny in Isabelle Margault’s stage play Ne Me Regardez Pas Comme Ca in 2015, wrote in an Instagram post, “So sad to hear of the passing of Pierre Deny. 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.”
In another Instagram post, Luce Mouchel, who starred alongside Deny in Tomorrow is Ours, wrote: “Pierre, seven years of filming together, taking the train together, having lunch at the canteen together, sometimes confiding, inviting each other from time to time and congratulating you for your hidden cooking talent, meeting our girls, clapping at the theater, calling each other ‘Doctor’ usually, and I forget. A short decade of shared life that should not have ended so quickly and so brutally. I’m thinking of your daughters and their exceptional courage. Thinking of you, my last visit and your sparkling eyes, rest in peace, Dr. Dumaze.”
The Hollywood Reporter reached out to Netflix for comment.
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