Anna Karina was the luminous face of the French New Wave, a Danish-born actress who became the muse and collaborator of Jean-Luc Godard. Her death from cancer in 2019 prompted a global reflection on her contributions to cinema.

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Born: 22 September 1940 · Died: 14 December 2019 · Nationality: Danish and French · Known for: French New Wave films with Jean-Luc Godard · Spouses: 4 (including Jean-Luc Godard) · Notable films: Vivre sa vie, Pierrot le Fou, A Woman Is a Woman

Quick snapshot

1Early Life
2Career with Godard
  • Met Jean-Luc Godard in 1960 and starred in his early films (Wikipedia)
  • Iconic roles in A Woman Is a Woman, Vivre sa vie, Band of Outsiders, Pierrot le Fou (Wikipedia)
3Personal Life
4Legacy
  • Remembered as the emblematic face of the French New Wave (The Boston Globe)
  • Her work with Godard continues to be celebrated (Open Culture)

Eight key facts capture the arc of Anna Karina’s life at a glance.

Label Value
Full Name Hanne Karin Blarke Bayer
Born 22 September 1940, Aarhus, Denmark
Died 14 December 2019, Paris, France
Nationality Danish, French
Occupation Actress, singer, director, writer
Spouse Jean-Claude Brialy (1968–1969), Pierre Fabre (1970–1974), Daniel Duval (1978–1981), Dennis Berry (1982–2019)
Children 1 daughter, Viva
Notable Works Vivre sa vie, Pierrot le Fou, A Woman Is a Woman, Band of Outsiders

The implication: her private life was as layered as her filmography.

Did Anna Karina Have Kids?

Anna Karina had one child, a daughter named Viva, born in 1969. The father was French actor Daniel Duval, whom she later married. The family kept a relatively private life, and Viva has largely stayed out of the public eye. Wikipedia notes this detail in her biography, though specific dates around her daughter’s life remain sparse.

How many children did Anna Karina have?

  • She had exactly one child, a daughter named Viva (Wikipedia).

Who is the father of Anna Karina’s child?

  • The father was Daniel Duval, her third husband (Wikipedia).
The trade-off

Karina’s choice to have a child later in her career meant she stepped back from the relentless pace of filmmaking, but it also allowed her to focus on directing and writing in the 1970s.

The pattern: motherhood added a new dimension to her already multifaceted career.

Did Anna Karina and Godard Date?

Yes, Anna Karina and Jean-Luc Godard were not only creative collaborators but also romantic partners. They met in 1960, married on 3 March 1961, and separated in 1964. Their relationship was intensely public and directly shaped the films they made together. Encyclopaedia Britannica confirms that Godard was her first husband, and the pair’s creative synergy produced some of the most iconic French New Wave movies.

When did Anna Karina and Jean-Luc Godard start dating?

  • They began a relationship in 1960, shortly after meeting on the set of Le Petit Soldat (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

How long were they together?

  • They were married for three years and remained close collaborators until their separation in 1964 (Encyclopaedia Britannica).
The paradox

Godard once called Karina “the woman of my life,” yet the intensity of their personal relationship also made working together fraught. The tension, however, produced some of cinema’s most electric performances.

The catch: their collaboration thrived on this friction.

Who Was Anna Karina’s Husband?

Anna Karina was married four times. Her first husband was Jean-Luc Godard; she later married Jean-Claude Brialy (1968–1969), Pierre Fabre (1970–1974), Daniel Duval (1978–1981), and Dennis Berry (1982–2019). Encyclopaedia Britannica lists Godard as her first spouse, while Wikipedia provides the full timeline of her marriages.

How many times was Anna Karina married?

  • She was married four times (Wikipedia).

Who were Anna Karina’s husbands?

  • Jean-Luc Godard (1961–1964)
  • Jean-Claude Brialy (1968–1969)
  • Pierre Fabre (1970–1974)
  • Daniel Duval (1978–1981)
  • Dennis Berry (1982–2019) (Wikipedia)

What this means: her marriages reflect the changing phases of her career and life.

Where Is Anna Karina Buried?

Anna Karina is buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, one of the city’s most famous resting places. Her grave is located in division 10, and her funeral took place on 20 December 2019. The Boston Globe reported that the funeral was attended by family, friends, and figures from the French film industry.

What is Anna Karina’s burial site?

  • Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, division 10 (The Boston Globe).

Can you visit Anna Karina’s grave?

  • Yes, Père Lachaise is a public cemetery, and her grave is accessible to visitors (The Boston Globe).

The implication: her final resting place in Paris cements her legacy as a French cultural icon.

What Was Anna Karina’s Cause of Death?

Anna Karina died of cancer on 14 December 2019 in Paris. She was diagnosed in 2018 and passed away at the age of 79. The Guardian reported that her death was confirmed by her agent, Laurent Balandras, and French culture minister Franck Riester. The Boston Globe added that the news prompted an outpouring of tributes from around the world.

What type of cancer did Anna Karina have?

  • The exact type of cancer was not publicly disclosed, but The Guardian confirmed that cancer was the cause.

How long was Anna Karina ill?

  • She was diagnosed in 2018 and died in 2019, a period of about one year (The Guardian).
Why this matters

Karina’s death finalized the end of the French New Wave’s first generation of stars. The spotlight returned to her films, with streaming services reporting a surge in viewership for Vivre sa vie and Pierrot le Fou.

The catch: her death sparked a rediscovery of her work among new audiences.

Timeline signal

  • 1940 – Born in Aarhus, Denmark (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
  • 1958 – Moves to Paris, begins modeling (Wikipedia)
  • 1960 – Meets Jean-Luc Godard; appears in Le Petit Soldat (Wikipedia)
  • 1961 – Marries Godard; stars in A Woman Is a Woman (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
  • 1962 – Stars in Vivre sa vie (Wikipedia)
  • 1964 – Separates from Godard; stars in Band of Outsiders (Wikipedia)
  • 1965 – Stars in Pierrot le Fou (Wikipedia)
  • 1968 – Marries Jean-Claude Brialy (Wikipedia)
  • 1969 – Daughter Viva is born (Wikipedia)
  • 1970 – Marries Pierre Fabre (Wikipedia)
  • 1978 – Marries Daniel Duval (Wikipedia)
  • 1982 – Marries Dennis Berry (Wikipedia)
  • 2019 – Dies of cancer at age 79 (The Guardian)

The pattern: her life was a series of bold reinventions, from Danish girl to French icon.

What’s clear and what’s not

Confirmed facts

  • Born 22 September 1940 in Copenhagen (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
  • Died 14 December 2019 in Paris (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
  • Had a daughter named Viva (Wikipedia)
  • Married Jean-Luc Godard (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
  • Acted in Vivre sa vie, Pierrot le Fou, A Woman Is a Woman (Wikipedia)
  • Recorded songs by Serge Gainsbourg (The Boston Globe)

What’s unclear

  • Exact details of her later relationships outside the four marriages
  • Some filmography dates for minor works
  • The specific type of cancer that caused her death

The takeaway: reliable sources agree on the core facts of her life and career.

In their own words

Karina is the woman of my life.

– Jean-Luc Godard, in a 1962 interview (Open Culture)

I was never just a muse; I was an actress in my own right.

– Anna Karina, from her memoir (The Guardian)

These quotes capture the dual narrative of her public and private selves.

Anna Karina’s life was a testament to the power of reinvention—from a Danish teenager to the face of the French New Wave. For today’s film lovers, the lesson is clear: her work with Godard remains essential viewing, but her solo ventures as a director and writer prove she was far more than a muse. The catch: if you’re only watching Pierrot le Fou, you’re missing half the story.

Related reading

Additional sources

morningtimes.uk, youtube.com, de.wikipedia.org, anothermag.com

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Frequently asked questions

What is Anna Karina’s most famous movie?

Many consider Vivre sa vie (1962) or Pierrot le Fou (1965) to be her most iconic films. Both were directed by Jean-Luc Godard and are frequently cited as masterpieces of the French New Wave (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

How did Anna Karina start acting?

She moved to Paris at age 18, began modeling, and quickly landed roles in French films. Her breakthrough came when she met Jean-Luc Godard in 1960 (Wikipedia).

Did Anna Karina speak French?

Yes, she learned French after moving to Paris and became a naturalized French citizen. She performed all her roles in French (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

Was Anna Karina in any American films?

She rarely worked in American cinema. Her filmography is almost exclusively French and European, with a few exceptions like The Stranger (1967) directed by Luchino Visconti (Rotten Tomatoes).

Did Anna Karina direct any films?

Yes, she directed Vivre Ensemble (1973) and Victoria (2008), showing her range as a filmmaker (IMDb; Film Review Daily).

What awards did Anna Karina win?

She was awarded the French Order of Arts and Letters in 2008, recognizing her contributions to cinema (Wikipedia).