Anne Wiazemsky

Anne Wiazemsky (14 May 1947 – 5 October 2017) was a French actress and novelist. Through her mother, she was the granddaughter of novelist and dramatist François Mauriac. She made her cinema debut at the age of 18, playing Marie, the lead character in Robert Bresson's "Au Hasard Balthazar" (1966), and went on to appear in several of Jean-Luc Godard's films, among them "La Chinoise" (1967), "Week End" (1967), and "One Plus One" (1968).
Early life.
Wiazemsky was born on 14 May 1947 in Berlin, Germany. Her father Yvan Wiazemsky, a French diplomat, was a Russian prince who had emigrated to France following the Russian Revolution. Her mother Claire Mauriac was daughter of François Mauriac, a winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Wiazemsky spent her early years abroad following her father's postings around the world, including Geneva and Caracas before returning to Paris in 1962. She graduated from the high school Ecole Sainte Marie de Passy in Paris.
Career.
Acting.
Wiazemsky made her on screen acting debut at the age of 18, playing Marie, the lead character in Robert Bresson's "Au Hasard Balthazar" (1966) after being introduced to the director by actress Florence Delay. The film premièred at the 1966 Venice Film Festival where it won the OCIC (International Catholic Organization for Cinema) Award, the San Giorgio Prize, and the New Cinema Award. It has since been listed by critics as one of the greatest films of all time. Filmmaker and "Cahiers du Cinema" critic Jean-Luc Godard wrote a glowing review for the film, writing that "everyone who sees this film will be absolutely astonished [...] because this film is really the world in an hour and a half."
Wiazemsky subsequently developed a relationship with Godard, and married him one year later, in 1967. She starred in several of his films, including "La Chinoise" (1967), "Week End" (1967), and "One Plus One" (1968).
In the 1980s, she began to turn to work behind the camera. In 1994, she co-wrote the script "Go Home", which starred Claire Denis in 1960s France. She began to direct television documentaries.
Writing.
In addition to acting, Wiazemsky wrote several novels, including "Canines" (1993), "Une Poignée de Gens" (1998), and "Aux Quatre Coins du Monde" (2001). "Hymnes à l'Amour" was filmed in 2003 as "Toutes ces belles promesses" ("All the Fine Promises"), directed by Jean-Paul Civeyrac and starring Valérie Crunchant and Bulle Ogier. Her novel "Jeune Fille" (2007) was based on her experience of starring in "Au Hasard Balthazar".
In 2015, she wrote the novel "Un An Après" (“One Year After”), which chronicled her time shooting Godard's film "La Chinoise" to when their relationship soured"." It was developed into a feature film, "Le Redoubtable", by "The Artist" director Michel Hazanavicius and Wiazemsky was played by Stacy Martin.
Personal life.
During the 1966 filming of "Au Hasard Balthazar", director Robert Bresson proposed to her several times, though she refused. In 1967, she married Jean-Luc Godard, and subsequently starred in several of his films; the marriage officially ended in divorce in 1979, though the couple had separated as early as 1970.
In 1971, Wiazemsky signed the Manifesto of the 343, which publicly declared she had an abortion as a way to advocate for reproductive rights, even though the procedure was illegal in France at the time.
Death.
Wiazemsky died of breast cancer on 5 October 2017, aged 70.