Romy Schneider was one of the most important film divas of European cinema, with a vibrant yet tragic life. But what happened to her only daughter?
The main love story in Romy’s life was her affair with Alain Delon. When they met, Romy was already a true star, and Delon was just an aspiring actor, although the Frenchman was three years older than the Austrian beauty.
But Romy began acting early. She wasn’t even 15 when a producer offered her a role alongside her mother, the renowned actress Magda Schneider, in the film “When White Lilies Bloom.” And when Romy was 17, she was cast as Princess Elisabeth of Bavaria, nicknamed Sissi – a series of films about her that would become iconic and make the young actress famous throughout Europe.
Her relationship with Delon was passionate—Schneider called him “the man of her life”—but ultimately brought Romy considerable pain. Alain was not known for his fidelity. Everything fell apart when Romy learned from the newspapers about Alain’s mistress, Nathalie Barthélemy, whom he soon married.
Schneider then married German director Harry Mayen. They had a son, David. But Romy couldn’t forget Delon. Her marriage eventually fell apart. She then tried to find happiness with her personal secretary, Daniel Biasini, with whom she had a daughter, Sarah. But that marriage, too, failed.
The actress’s son, as is well known, died tragically when he was only 14 years old. This completely devastated the actress. She tried to overcome the pain and loneliness with alcohol and antidepressants. On May 29, 1982, Romy’s heart stopped.
The legendary actress’s memory is preserved today by her daughter, Sarah. In 2021, she published a book about Schneider, “La Beauté du Ciel.” She wrote it at 43, the age at which her mother died. Sarah also hosts retrospectives of her famous mother’s films.
Biasini continued the family line: like her grandmother and mother, she also became an actress. She first studied art and history at the Sorbonne in Paris, then acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in Los Angeles and the Actors Studio in New York. Today, Sarah performs in the theater in Paris and also writes plays.
