Jean Seberg

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Jean Seberg was an American actress who helped popularize the French New Wave with her performance in Breathless (1960).

Early life
Jean Dorothy Seberg was born on November 13, 1938, in Marshalltown, Iowa. Her family was Lutheran with Swedish, English, and German roots. She studied drama at the University of Iowa and began acting in small roles.

Rise to fame
Seberg’s film debut came in Saint Joan (1957) as Joan of Arc, after Otto Preminger discovered her in a talent search. Although the film drew mixed reviews, it helped launch her career. She followed with Bonjour Tristesse (1958) in France and then achieved international fame in Breathless (1960), directed by Jean-Luc Godard, where she played Patricia opposite Jean-Paul Belmondo. The role made her a star in Europe and the United States.

Film work and life in Europe
She appeared in many films across the United States and Europe, including The Mouse That Roared (1959), Lilith (1964) with Warren Beatty, A Fine Madness (1966), Paint Your Wagon (1969), and Airport (1970). She spent much of her career in Paris and other parts of Europe, though she also worked in Hollywood.

Personal life
- First husband: François Moreuil (married 1958, divorced 1960).
- Second husband: Romain Gary (married 1962, divorced 1970). They had a son, Alexandre Diego Gary, born in 1962 in Barcelona.
- Third husband: Dennis Berry (married 1972; separated 1976).
- Partner: Ahmed Hasni (1979).

FBI harassment and later years
In the late 1960s, Seberg supported civil rights causes, including the Black Panther Party. The FBI retaliated through a covert COINTELPRO campaign aimed at discrediting her, planting rumors and spying on her while she lived in France and traveled abroad. In 1970, false reports about her pregnancy spread in the press, deeply affecting her. She later said these events contributed to serious mental strain.

Death and legacy
Seberg disappeared from her Paris apartment on August 30, 1979. Her body was found on September 8, 1979, in a car near her home. Police ruled her death a probable suicide. She was 40. She is buried at Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris. Her life and the FBI’s actions toward her drew renewed attention to government surveillance of artists and activists.

Seberg’s work, especially Breathless, left a lasting mark on cinema, influencing many actors and filmmakers. Her story has continued to inspire books, films, and film festivals, including an annual Jean Seberg International Film Festival in her hometown of Marshalltown, Iowa.