Eva Norvind(1944-2006)
- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Director
Former actress Eva Norvind was an independent film and video producer
as well as a psycho-sexual counselor in New York City. She was born Eva
Johanne Chegodayeva Sakonskaya in Trondheim, Norway, on May 7th, 1944,
the daughter of Russian refugee Prince Paulovic Chegodayef Sakonsky and
a Norwegian sculptress Johanna Kajanus. Besides the name Eva Norvind, she has also
worked under the pseudonyms Ava Taurel and Eva Hultgreen.
Having moved to France at age 15 with her family, she entered the field
of entertainment when she won the second prize in the beauty contest at
the 1960 Cannes Film Festival where the reward was a minor role as a
German tourist in Marcel Moussy's Saint-Tropez Blues (1961). Shortly thereafter Eva
changed her name to Eva Norvind when she became a showgirl at the
Follies Bergere and began acting at the Comedie Francaise.
In 1962 Eva moved to Canada and then to New York City, where she worked
as a showgirl and Can-Can dancer in cabarets, as well as a lunch-time
Playboy bunny. Upon finishing high school in 1964 she took a bus to
Mexico City to study Spanish over the summer and was recruited by a
television producer to act a small part in a TV variety show. Because
of her Nordic beauty, voluptuous figure, and daring attitude she
rapidly became a film actress and a sex symbol in the Mexican media.
After her first Mexican film, 'Nuestros buenos vecinos de Yucatan'
(1965), made in 1965, Eva went on to act in six more films over the
next three years; Esta noche no (1966), followed by her first co-starring role in
Pacto de sangre (1966), and Juan Pistolas (1966), where she played the sheriff's wife opposite
Javier Solis. Other films include Santo contra la invasion de los
marcianos (1966), Baname mi amor (1966), and her last Mexican film Don
Juan 67 (1966), with Mauricio Garces.
After a highly publicized scandal in 1966 when she spoke of birth
control on national TV, the Mexican government ordered Eva to leave the
country within 24 hours. With help from the actors union she was able
to remain in Mexico, but was forbidden all work on television for one
year and any kind of work for 4 months. She did return to the theatre,
acting in 'En el Closet, no' and Machiavelli's 'La Mandragola.'
In 1968, still living in Mexico, she became a freelance photographer
covering fashion and celebrity news in Paris and New York. She also
worked as a journalist specializing in film, covered international film
festivals and got Latin American exclusives with major Hollywood talent
from Paramount and Universal Pictures. She then worked in film
distribution, buying European films for the Mexican Cineteca and
selling Mexican films to Scandinavian Television.
In 1980, Eva returned to New York to study film production at NYU,
where she received her BFA in 1982. She produced shorts and promotional
films within the health field, and worked as associate producer of
feature films in the development stage with Ziegler Films in Berlin and
the Kibbutz Association in Israel.
In 1985, she became fascinated with the exploration of erotic power
exchange and invented a pseudonym for herself as dominatrix Ava Taurel.
In 1987 she founded Taurel Enterprises, Inc, the umbrella company for
counseling, erotic role play and video production for health related
services. She gave lectures at national conferences worldwide, to both
health professionals and lay audiences. In 1996 she received her MA in
Human Sexuality and Health Education from NYU and pursued graduate
studies in Forensic Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Her controversial life and work has been documented in many books and
feature films; In 1996 she was featured in 'Whipped', a documentary by
Iana Porter and Sasha Waters which premiered at The Chicago Underground
Film Festival and was screened at the Anthology Film Archives in NYC
two years later. In 1997, feminist filmmaker Monika Treut made 'Didn't
Do It for Love' (1997), a documentary about Eva's life, which
premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, followed by the Berlin
International Film Festival, among others.
In 1999, Eva appeared in 'Tops & Bottoms' (1999), by Christine
Richie. She has been featured in many magazines as well as books like
'How to Be Hap Hap Happy Like Me' by Merrill Markoe, Marianne Macy's
'Working Sex' (1996), Bill and Gloria Brame's 'Different Loving', and
Luisa Valenzuela's 'La travesia' (2002) and 'Black Novel with
Argentines' (2003).
In 1999, John McTiernan hired her to coach Rene Russo for her assertive
sexual image in 'The Thomas Crown Affair' for which she got screen
credit.
In 2002, she was featured in a documentary film directed by Radovan
Tadic, made for French and German cable television. She recently
optioned a screenplay by Tadic for a feature film that she planned to
produce with him as director.
Eva lived in New York and Connecticut but travelled frequently. She was
fluent in English, French, Spanish, German, Swedish and Norwegian, and
conversed in Russian and Italian. She was the sister of Georg Kajanus,
London based singer and composer, and she was the single mother of
Mexican actress Nailea Norvind.
At the time of her death, Eva was making a documentary about severely
handicapped Mexican actor and musician Jose Flores, entitled 'Born
Without'.
as well as a psycho-sexual counselor in New York City. She was born Eva
Johanne Chegodayeva Sakonskaya in Trondheim, Norway, on May 7th, 1944,
the daughter of Russian refugee Prince Paulovic Chegodayef Sakonsky and
a Norwegian sculptress Johanna Kajanus. Besides the name Eva Norvind, she has also
worked under the pseudonyms Ava Taurel and Eva Hultgreen.
Having moved to France at age 15 with her family, she entered the field
of entertainment when she won the second prize in the beauty contest at
the 1960 Cannes Film Festival where the reward was a minor role as a
German tourist in Marcel Moussy's Saint-Tropez Blues (1961). Shortly thereafter Eva
changed her name to Eva Norvind when she became a showgirl at the
Follies Bergere and began acting at the Comedie Francaise.
In 1962 Eva moved to Canada and then to New York City, where she worked
as a showgirl and Can-Can dancer in cabarets, as well as a lunch-time
Playboy bunny. Upon finishing high school in 1964 she took a bus to
Mexico City to study Spanish over the summer and was recruited by a
television producer to act a small part in a TV variety show. Because
of her Nordic beauty, voluptuous figure, and daring attitude she
rapidly became a film actress and a sex symbol in the Mexican media.
After her first Mexican film, 'Nuestros buenos vecinos de Yucatan'
(1965), made in 1965, Eva went on to act in six more films over the
next three years; Esta noche no (1966), followed by her first co-starring role in
Pacto de sangre (1966), and Juan Pistolas (1966), where she played the sheriff's wife opposite
Javier Solis. Other films include Santo contra la invasion de los
marcianos (1966), Baname mi amor (1966), and her last Mexican film Don
Juan 67 (1966), with Mauricio Garces.
After a highly publicized scandal in 1966 when she spoke of birth
control on national TV, the Mexican government ordered Eva to leave the
country within 24 hours. With help from the actors union she was able
to remain in Mexico, but was forbidden all work on television for one
year and any kind of work for 4 months. She did return to the theatre,
acting in 'En el Closet, no' and Machiavelli's 'La Mandragola.'
In 1968, still living in Mexico, she became a freelance photographer
covering fashion and celebrity news in Paris and New York. She also
worked as a journalist specializing in film, covered international film
festivals and got Latin American exclusives with major Hollywood talent
from Paramount and Universal Pictures. She then worked in film
distribution, buying European films for the Mexican Cineteca and
selling Mexican films to Scandinavian Television.
In 1980, Eva returned to New York to study film production at NYU,
where she received her BFA in 1982. She produced shorts and promotional
films within the health field, and worked as associate producer of
feature films in the development stage with Ziegler Films in Berlin and
the Kibbutz Association in Israel.
In 1985, she became fascinated with the exploration of erotic power
exchange and invented a pseudonym for herself as dominatrix Ava Taurel.
In 1987 she founded Taurel Enterprises, Inc, the umbrella company for
counseling, erotic role play and video production for health related
services. She gave lectures at national conferences worldwide, to both
health professionals and lay audiences. In 1996 she received her MA in
Human Sexuality and Health Education from NYU and pursued graduate
studies in Forensic Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Her controversial life and work has been documented in many books and
feature films; In 1996 she was featured in 'Whipped', a documentary by
Iana Porter and Sasha Waters which premiered at The Chicago Underground
Film Festival and was screened at the Anthology Film Archives in NYC
two years later. In 1997, feminist filmmaker Monika Treut made 'Didn't
Do It for Love' (1997), a documentary about Eva's life, which
premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, followed by the Berlin
International Film Festival, among others.
In 1999, Eva appeared in 'Tops & Bottoms' (1999), by Christine
Richie. She has been featured in many magazines as well as books like
'How to Be Hap Hap Happy Like Me' by Merrill Markoe, Marianne Macy's
'Working Sex' (1996), Bill and Gloria Brame's 'Different Loving', and
Luisa Valenzuela's 'La travesia' (2002) and 'Black Novel with
Argentines' (2003).
In 1999, John McTiernan hired her to coach Rene Russo for her assertive
sexual image in 'The Thomas Crown Affair' for which she got screen
credit.
In 2002, she was featured in a documentary film directed by Radovan
Tadic, made for French and German cable television. She recently
optioned a screenplay by Tadic for a feature film that she planned to
produce with him as director.
Eva lived in New York and Connecticut but travelled frequently. She was
fluent in English, French, Spanish, German, Swedish and Norwegian, and
conversed in Russian and Italian. She was the sister of Georg Kajanus,
London based singer and composer, and she was the single mother of
Mexican actress Nailea Norvind.
At the time of her death, Eva was making a documentary about severely
handicapped Mexican actor and musician Jose Flores, entitled 'Born
Without'.