Jean Seberg was an American actress who achieved fame and success in the American and European film industries. Seberg lived half of her life in France, starring in several hit movies in the country. Seberg may not be as popular as other legendary actresses among new-generation movie audiences, but she was an icon and wielded influence in the 60s and 70s.
Seberg was one of the prominent individuals targeted by the FBI COINTELPRO operation. Seberg died on August 30, 1979, with the cause of death as Probable suicide. In honor of her work, pop singer Madonna recreated Seberg’s characteristic look in her 1986 “Papa Don’t Preach” music video. Here are 8 things you didn’t know about Breathless‘ Jean Seberg.
1. The Movies You Know Jean Seberg From
Jean Seberg gained international recognition in Jean-Luc Godard’s 1960 French crime drama À Bout de Souffle (English: Breathless). Seberg played the American girlfriend, Patricia, of the movie’s main character, Michel Poiccard/Laszlo Kovacs. Poiccard’s character, a wandering criminal, was played by Paul Belmondo. Seberg is also remembered for playing the titular character Lilith Arthur in the American drama Lilith (1964). Seberg starred alongside American actor Warren Beatty. Seberg played Tanya Livingston, a widow, and Burt Lancaster character’s later love interest, in the air disaster drama Airport (1970). The movie was a commercial hit, earning $128.4 million on a $10.2 million budget.
2. Jean Seberg’s First Experiences Of Acting
Jean Seberg was born in Marshalltown, Iowa, on November 13, 1938. While a teenager, Seberg babysat actress Mary Beth Hurt, who was eight years younger. Seberg had a passion for the arts from when she was younger. When she graduated from High School, Seberg got admitted to the University of Iowa to study Dramatic Arts. Seberg later changed her major to filmmaking. She appeared in a few summer stock plays as her first acting experience.
3. Jean Seberg’s Career Almost Ended Before It Began
Jean Seberg’s first appearance in a film was as St. Joan of Arc in Otto Preminger’s historical drama Saint Joan (1957). Otto Preminger organized a $150,000 talent search show to get the perfect actress for the role. Of the 18,000 applicants, Seberg was chosen to play Joan of Arc, despite her lack of acting experience. It became one of the most anticipated movies of the year. The movie was a critical and commercial flop.
To make up for its failure, Preminger promised Seberg a lead role in his next film. True to his word, Seberg was cast as a 17-year-old Cécile in the 1958 British-American Technicolor film Bonjour Tristesse (Hello, Sadness). Seberg received negative critical reviews for her performance which almost ended her career. To salvage what was left of it, Seberg renegotiated her contract with Preminger and signed with Columbia Pictures instead.
4. The Nominations & Awards Jean Seberg Has Received
As an icon in filmmaking, Jean Seberg was nominated for a British Academy Film Award and a Golden Globe Award. Seberg was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role in the 1962 British Academy Film Award for her performance in Breathless. Three years later, in 1965, Seberg received a nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama at the Golden Globe Awards. Seberg’s nomination was for her work in Lilith.
5. Jean Seberg Dated Career Co-Stars
Jean Seberg was married three times. Seberg married lawyer and film director François Moreuil in 1958. The couple met while Seberg was filming Bonjour Tristesse. They divorced in 1960. Two years later, in 1862, Seberg married Romain Gary. Gary was known for his works as a novelist, film director, and diplomat. The couple became estranged and divorced in 1970. Seberg’s third husband was Dennis Charles Berry. Berry was an American-French film director, screenwriter, and actor.
Seberg didn’t officially divorce Berry, making her marriage blessing rites with Ahmed Hasni invalid. Seberg was also romantically involved with several of her co-stars. Seberg was linked to having had affairs with Clint Eastwood, Warren Beatty, Ricardo Franco, Fabio Testi, Carlos Ornelas Navarra, and Carlos Fuentes.
6. Jean Seberg Lost Two Roles To The Same Actress
Jean Seberg was considered for the role of Larissa Ameliava “Lara” Antipova in the commercially successful epic historical romance movie Doctor Zhivago (1965). The role eventually went to actress Julie Christie. In the 1966 dystopian drama Fahrenheit 451, Jean Seberg was considered to play one of the lead roles. However, François Truffaut decided that Julie Christie would play both Linda Montag and Clarisse’s roles.
7. Other Movies Jean Seberg Was In
Being a successful European and American actress meant Jean Seberg starred in successful movies on both continents. Seberg’s first successful English movie after her first two failures was The Mouse That Roared (1959). Seberg also starred in the American crime drama Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960). Seberg’s first Italian movie was the 1962 Congo Vivo, where she played the character of Annette. Jean Seberg‘s final film role was in the German-Austrian feature film Die Wildente (1976), where she played Gina Ekdal.
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