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Jean Seberg

Jean Seberg

Otto Preminger chose her to play Joan of Arc out of nearly 18,000 hopefuls.

Kim Novak wanted to play the role eventually given to Seberg in the film musical Paint Your Wagon (1969). Actresses considered for Seberg's role in Lilith (1964) included Natalie Wood, Yvette Mimieux, Samantha Eggar, Sarah Miles and Diane Cilento.

François Truffaut wanted her for the role of Julie in his film Day for Night (1973), but she never returned his unanswered calls. Truffaut then cast Jacqueline Bisset instead.

A musical, simply titled "Jean Seberg", based on her life premiered at the Royal National Theatre, London in 1983. It was written by Julian Barry with music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Christopher Adler.

Although being still married to Dennis Berry, she went through a form of marriage to Algerian playboy Ahmed Hasni, but the ceremony had no legal force (31 May 1979).



Although her husband Romain Gary acknowledged her daughter Nina as his own, during her pregnancy she confessed that she was actually the product of an affair (during a separation from Gary) with a revolutionary student named Carlos Navarra.

Born to Edward Seberg and Dorothy Benson.

Buried in the exclusive Montparnasse cemetery, Paris, France.

Committed suicide in the back seat of an automobile in a Paris suburb. Her body wasn't found until 11 days later.

Considered one of the Nouvelle Vague's icons.

Ex-daughter-in-law of John Berry.

Gave birth to her daughter Nina Navarra (whose father is Carlos Navarra) on August 23, 1970. Nina died as a result of complications sustained from Jean overdosing on sleeping pills during her pregnancy, on 25 August 1970, two days after her birth.

Gave birth to her son Alexandre Diego Gary on July 17, 1962.

Her involvement with the Black Panther movement yielded the attention of the FBI, that spread the rumor about her pregnancy in 1970 being a child by Raymond Hewt, a Black Panther movement leader. Although Seberg initially claimed that Romain Gary was the father, she confessed that a Revolutionary student named Carlos Navarra was the father of her child. The incident may have contributed to her persistent depression over the years, and her decision to take her life in 1979.

Her second marriage to the 24-years-older Russian novelist Romain Gary was tempestuous and profoundly unhappy due to his obsessive, Svengali-like influence on her. Divorced in 1970 when she became pregnant by her lover Carlos Navarra, she committed suicide in 1979 while he took his own life by gunshot the very next year; however, Gary stated in his suicide note that Jean's suicide had nothing to do with his.

Of her own movies, she considers Lilith (1964) to be her favorite.

On every subsequent anniversary of her daughter Nina's death, Jean attempted suicide. In 1978, she somehow survived an attempt, throwing herself under a train on the Paris Metro.

Rumors flew that Jean's suicide was masterminded by the FBI but it was never proven. Buried in the Montparnasse cemetery in Paris, France, her funeral was attended by such notables as Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.

She was a close friend of Nico, and David Keller.

Turned down the Katharine Ross roles in The Graduate (1967) and The Stepford Wives (1975).

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