MARCH 7, 2022

 

 

Jean Seberg: Actress, Activist, Icon

Aired: March 2022

Produced by Emmy-nominated and award-winning filmmaker Garry McGee (McMarr Ltd.), and Emmy-award-winning filmmakers Kelly Rundle and Tammy Rundle (Fourth Wall Films), Jean Seberg: Actress, Activist, Icon tells the true story of Hollywood and heartbreak. The documentary goes behind the scenes of her rocky life in the international film spotlight, her civil rights activism that drew FBI attention, and her mysterious death in Paris in 1979.

Born in Marshalltown, Iowa, Jean Seberg was an actress who appeared in 34 films in Hollywood and in 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.

Despite her long list of film credits, she is best known for her humanitarian efforts. During the late '60s, Seberg provided financial support to groups supporting civil rights, such as the NAACP and Native American school groups, including a Tama settlement near Marshalltown, Iowa. As a result, under the leadership of J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI launched a smear campaign against her. Ultimately she left the United States and went to France. Seberg died at the age of 40 in Paris, with police ruling her death a probable suicide.

In popular culture, a 1983 musical based on her life played at the National Theatre in London. In 1986 pop singer Madonna recreated Seberg's iconic "Breathless" look in her music video Papa Don't Preach. In 1991, actress Jodie Foster, a fan of Seberg's performance in Breathless, purchased the film rights to Played Out: The Jean Seberg Story. In addition, numerous documentaries, Amazon's original film Seberg (2020) that focuses on her battle against the FBI, with the title role played by Kristen Stewart; and this documentary film by Fourth Wall Films, have explored her life and humanitarian efforts. Since 2011, Seberg's hometown of Marshalltown, Iowa, has held an annual Jean Seberg International Film Festival.