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Jean Seberg

Jean Seberg

Actor · Died August 30, 1979, aged 40 · Marshalltown, Iowa, USA

Jean Dorothy Seberg (November 13, 1938 – August 30, 1979) was an American actress who lived half her life in France. She appeared in 34 films in Hollywood and in Europe, including Saint Joan, Bonjour Tristesse, Breathless, Lilith, The Mouse That Roared, Moment to Moment, A Fine Madness, Paint Your Wagon, Airport, Macho Callahan, and Gang War in Naples. She was also one of the best-known targets of the FBI COINTELPRO project. Her targeting was a well-documented retaliation for her support of the Black Panther Party in the 1960s. Seberg died at the age of 40 in Paris, with police ruling her death a probable suicide. Romain Gary, Seberg's second husband, called a press conference shortly after her death where he publicly blamed the FBI's campaign against Seberg for her deteriorating mental health. Gary claimed that Seberg "became psychotic" after the media reported a false story that the FBI planted about her becoming pregnant with a Black Panther's child in 1970. Romain Gary stated that Seberg had repeatedly attempted suicide on the anniversary of the child's death, August 25.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 13, 1938
Died
August 30, 1979 (aged 40)
From
Marshalltown, Iowa, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
17 on MovieCove · 40 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 5% in 30 days

What are Jean Seberg's films like?

Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 41st percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Thriller2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile
: browse their Thriller movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
34%
Self
19%
Power
18%
Bonds
11%
Survival
10%
Society
6%
Ideas
2%
Betrayal6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 16 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 2 · Dark 8

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 3 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 7 · Intense 6

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 9 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 3

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 8 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 7

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 7 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 4

Roles they play

12 analyzed roles

Usually the Shapeshifter: 4 of 12 analyzed roles.

Shapeshifter
4 of 12
Hero
3 of 12
Trickster
2 of 12
Shadow
2 of 12
Ally
1 of 12
Show the 12 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
11
Melancholic
7
Absurd
6
Cold
4
Contemplative
3
Other
14

How their films linger

Bittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet7
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Jean Seberg's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (2).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jean Seberg's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

40 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page; 11 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Belmondo: The Incorrigible (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Actor

  • Philippe Garrel - Portrait d'un artiste (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as archive footage

  • The Blue of the Origins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Actor

  • The Wild Duck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as Gina Ekdal, seine Frau

  • The Big Delirium (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as Emily

  • White Horses of Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as Lea Kingsburg

  • Les Hautes solitudes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Actor

  • Ballad for Billy the Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay · as The Star

  • Mousey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as Laura Richardson, formerly Anderson

  • The Corruption of Chris Miller(1973)

    as Ruth Miller

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The French Conspiracy(1972)

    as Edith Lemoine

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Camorra (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Luisa

  • This Kind of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Giovanna

  • Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!(1971)

    as Emily Hamilton

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Macho Callahan(1970)

    as Alexandra Mountford

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Dead of Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    as Joyce Grasse

  • Airport(1970)

    as Tanya Livingston

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Paint Your Wagon(1969)

    as Elizabeth Woodling

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Pendulum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Adele Matthews

  • Birds in Peru (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as Adriana

  • The Road to Corinth(1967)

    as Shanny

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • The Looters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Colleen O'Hara

  • A Fine Madness(1966)

    as Lydia West

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Line of Demarcation(1966)

    as Mary de Damville

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Moment to Moment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    as Kay Stanton

  • Diamonds Are Brittle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    as Bettina Ralton

  • Lilith(1964)

    as Lilith Arthur

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Backfire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as Olga Celan

  • Le Grand Escroc (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as Patricia

  • The World's Most Beautiful Swindlers(1964)

    as Patricia Leacock (segment "Le Grand escroc")

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • In the French Style (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    as Christina James

  • Eruption (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Annette

  • Five Day Lover(1961)

    as Claire

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Playtime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as Kate Hoover

  • Time Out for Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as Ann

  • Let No Man Write My Epitaph(1960)

    as Barbara Holloway

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Breathless(1960)

    as Patricia Franchini

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Mouse That Roared(1959)

    as Helen Kokintz

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Bonjour Tristesse(1958)

    as Cecile

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Saint Joan(1957)

    as St. Joan of Arc

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 97th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 40 titles from 1957 to 2022; peak year 1965.

Biggest box office

Airport (1970)

$100M worldwide

Highest rated

Breathless (1960)

Midcredits 95th

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
19572022

Peak 1965 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 1 MovieCove title. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1957Screen debut· Saint Joan
  • 1957First top-billed film· Saint Joan
  • 1960Breakout· Breathless

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting40 of 40: 39 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score63rdDirecting1 of 40: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting1 of 40: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing1 of 40: 0 only producing, 1 with another role

By decade

1950s3 · acting1960s20 · acting1970s15 · 15 acting · 1 crew1990s1 · acting2020s1 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 25% of 12 roles
5767

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Jean Seberg's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 63rd percentile, the median of all 17; across their 16 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 63rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Approval · how many liked their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Reach · how many have seen their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Midcredits score across 17 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 17 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser9
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · actor

Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! (1971)

67th percentile spread · 43% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Breathless (1960)

Midcredits 95th · 82% liked

Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 38. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Jean Seberg's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 31 · mildMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 22 · mildMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 28 · mildMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 54 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 14 · minimalMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Jean Seberg work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jean Seberg's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Claude Chabrol shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles