Jean Seberg

For the musical, see Jean Seberg (musical).

Jean Seberg
A black-and-white photograph of a woman wearing a headscarf, staring off to the side with her mouth agape.
Seberg in 1969
Born
Jean Dorothy Seberg

(1938-11-13)November 13, 1938
Marshalltown, Iowa, U.S.
DiedAugust 30, 1979(1979-08-30) (aged 40)
Paris, France
Cause of deathProbable suicide[1]
Body discoveredSeptember 8, 1979
Resting placeMontparnasse Cemetery
Alma materUniversity of Iowa
OccupationActress
Years active1957–1979
Spouses
François Moreuil
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(m. 1958; div. 1960)​
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(m. 1962; div. 1970)​
​
(m. 1972)​
PartnerAhmed Hasni (1979)[2]
Children2 (1 deceased)

Jean Dorothy Seberg (/ˈsiːbɜːrɡ/;[3] French: [ʒin sebɛʁɡ];[4] November 13, 1938 – August 30, 1979) was an American actress. She is considered an icon of the French New Wave as a result of her performance in Jean-Luc Godard's 1960 film Breathless.[5][6]

Seberg appeared in 34 films in the United States and Europe, including Saint Joan, Bonjour Tristesse, Lilith, The Mouse That Roared, Breathless, Moment to Moment, A Fine Madness, Paint Your Wagon, Airport, Macho Callahan, and Gang War in Naples. Seberg was among the best-known targets of the FBI's COINTELPRO project.[7][8] Her targeting was in retaliation for her support of the Black Panther Party, a smear directly ordered by J. Edgar Hoover.[9][10][verification needed]

Seberg died at the age of 40 in Paris, the French police ruling her death a probable suicide.[1] Seberg's second ex-husband, Romain Gary, called a press conference shortly after her body was found, at which he blamed the FBI's campaign against Seberg for her mental demise. Gary mentioned how the FBI had planted false rumors in the media that Seberg's pregnancy by Carlos Navarra in 1970 was by a Black Panther, and how the trauma had resulted in her overdosing on sleeping pills while pregnant. Gary stated that Seberg had attempted suicide on numerous anniversaries of the infant's death, August 25.[11] At the time of her death, Seberg was separated – though not divorced – from third husband Dennis Berry.

  1. ^ a b Coates-Smith, Michael; McGee, Garry (2012). The Films of Jean Seberg. McFarland. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-7864-9022-6. Retrieved November 26, 2016. Final cause of death was left as 'probable suicide,' ...
  2. ^ "F.B.I. Admits Planting a Rumor To Discredit Jean Seberg in 1970" The New York Times, September 15, 1979.
  3. ^ "Say How: S". National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS).
  4. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Breathless / À bout de souffle (1960) – Trailer (english subtitles)". UniFrance. November 20, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  5. ^ Sharf, Zack (March 14, 2018). "Kristen Stewart to Play 'Breathless' Star and French New Wave Icon Jean Seberg in 'Against All Enemies'". IndieWire. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  6. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (March 14, 2018). "Kristen Stewart To Play Icon Jean Seberg In Political Thriller 'Against All Enemies'; Jack O'Connell, Anthony Mackie Also Star". Deadline. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  7. ^ "The Jean Seberg Affair Revisited". Los Angeles Times. March 22, 2009.
  8. ^ "FBI 'persecution led to suicide' of actress Jean Seberg". The Australian. August 24, 2009.
  9. ^ Maslin, Janet (July 12, 1981). "Star and Victim". The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  10. ^ Jallon, Allan M. (April 14, 2002). "A journalistic lapse allowed the FBI to smear actress Jean Seberg". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  11. ^ "Jean Seberg not reason for novelist's suicide, note says". Lakeland Ledger. December 4, 1980. p. 12D. Retrieved December 2, 2012.