Born in Denmark, she embarked on a journey to the City of Light, Paris, at the tender age of 18. It was in this fashion capital that she crossed paths with the renowned designers Coco Chanel and Pierre Cardin, ultimately launching her illustrious career as a top model.
Her path to stardom continued to unfold when she met the iconic filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, with whom she was set to make a cameo appearance in the groundbreaking film Breathless, released in 1960. However, the film's explicit content, which required her to appear nude, led her to decline the offer. Undeterred, she went on to marry Godard the following year, and her association with the "Nouvelle Vague" movement, alongside directors Jacques Rivette and Agnès Varda, cemented her status as a leading lady of French cinema.
In 1967, the celebrated musician Serge Gainsbourg penned his only film musical, Anna, specifically for her, featuring the hit single "Sous le soleil exactement". This marked a significant milestone in her career, followed by a brief foray into Hollywood, where she appeared in a few films before returning to Paris.
The latter half of her career was marked by her transition from acting to directing. Following her divorce from Pierre Fabre, she wrote and directed the critically acclaimed film Vivre ensemble in 1973. She later remarried, this time to Dennis Berry, and continued to make a lasting impact on the world of French cinema.