Who was Anna Karina and how did she die?
AN icon of the French New Wave cinema, Anna Karina has sadly passed away at the age of 79.
Her agent confirmed the devastating news as she died in hospital with her husband Dennis Barry by her side. Here’s the lowdown on the French actress.
Who was Anna Karina?
Anna Karina was born on 22nd September 1940 in Denmark.
The actress endured a difficult childhood as her parents separated just a year after she was born.
After living with her grandparents and then being admitted into foster care, the Dane described the feeling of ‘wanting to be loved’ as a child.
She began her career at the age of 14 and Danish short film by Ib Schmedes, which won a prize at Cannes and by the 18, she left home to begin a journey to the French capital of Paris.
Her acting career really took off when she met legendary French film director Jean-Luc Godard, who spotted her in a series of Palmolive ads, which showed her posing in a bath.
The Dane turned down a role in the movie Breathless but played a role in Goddard’s 1960 movie Le Petit Soldat (The Little Soldier) and that propelled her career to great heights.
What were her famous films?
Anna won an award for the best actress at the 1961 Berlin Film Festival for her role in A Woman Is A Woman.
She then went on to star in predominantly French films during the 60s and 70s, including Godard’s Pierrot le Fou, Vivre Sa Vie and Alphaville.
Her other film roles included The Nun, The Stranger, The Magus where she starred alongside Sir Michael Caine, Bread and Chocolate and Chinese Roulette.
Since the turn of the millennium, Karina featured in the 2008 musical road movie Victoria as well as 2002’s The Truth About Charlie, a more modern rendition of 60s movie Charade.
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How did Anna Karina die?
The famous actress passed at the age of 79.
Her agent Laurent Balandras told AFP that Anna died ‘in a Paris hospital of the effects of cancer’.
Tributes have been sent to the actress, including one from Culture Minister Franck Riester.
The politician tweeted: ‘Today, French cinema has been orphaned. It has lost one of its legends.’