Anna Karina is a noted film personality who is known mainly for her memorable roles in the French New Wave cinema movement. Apart from acting, she was into directing, writing, and singing. She was also the first wife of Jean-Luc Godard, the legendary film director of the French New Wave, and played the female lead in several of his films. 

Also read: Jean-Luc Godard: Age, family, net worth and filmography

Karina was born into a Danish family on September 20, 1940, in Frederiksberg, Denmark. She came from a humble background, with her father abandoning the family when she was still a child. Her mother owned a dress shop in Denmark and she was raised entirely by her. She was originally named Hanne Karin Baye but adopted Anna Karina as her stage name. 

She moved to France at the age of 17 and worked as a model for several magazines, including the big name Elle. She was spotted by Godard in a Palmolive advert when the filmmaker was casting for his film Breathless. He offered her a small role in the film but she refused it because of disagreements between the two.

Godard, however, offered her a role in his next film The Little Soldier where she played a pro-Algerian activist. That was the beginning of a professional relationship between Godard and Karina and the duo made a total of eight films together. 

Also read: Jean-Luc Godard: 5 lesser-known facts about the French filmmaker

Anna Karina and Jean-Luc Godard got married in 1961 and stayed together till 1967. 

Apart from films, Karina also maintained her singing career, and two of her eleven songs from Pierre Koralnik’s 1967 musical Anna were massive hits. She has also written four full-length novels. 

Anna Karina was an icon of French cinema who has left a lasting legacy beyond her works with her ex-husband Jean-Luc Godard. UK newspaper The Guardian described her as the “effervescent free spirit of the French new wave.” 

Karina died on December 14, 2019, in Paris. She was 79 years old at the time of her death.