Oscar-nominated French actress Emmanuelle Riva has died at the age of 89.

Riva, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 2013 for her role in the film Amour, died in a Paris clinic on Friday after a long illness, according to her agent.

The actress was a well-known face in French cinema over her 60 year career starring in films including Alain Resnais' acclaimed Hiroshima Mon Amour in 1959 and more recently the Palme d'Or winning Amour about an aging Parisian couple dealing with the aftermath of a stroke.

French president Francois Hollande paid tribute to Riva and said she "deeply marked French cinema" and "created intense emotion in all the roles she played".

Riva was still working up until last year, shooting for upcoming film Alma which is still being filmed and edited, and will also appear on the big screen in Paris Pieds Nus (Paris Barefoot) being released in France in March.