Eva Norvind (born Eva Johanne Chegodayeva Sakonsky on May 7, 1944 in Trondheim, Norway - Died May 14, 2006, in Zipolite, Mexico) was a Norwegian-born Mexican writer, documentary producer, director, sex therapist/ dominatrix, and former actress of the cinema of Mexico. She was the mother of telenovela actress Nailea Norvind and the sister of composer and singer/songwriter Georg Kajanus.

Biography

Eva Norvind was the daughter of Russian prince Paul Chegodayef Sakonsky and Finnish sculptor Johanna Kajanus, who won the bronze medal for sculpture at the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (1937). Eva, her mother and her brother moved to France when Eva was 15 years old. The following year she won the second prize in the beauty contest at the Cannes Film Festival which enabled her to win a minor role in the film Saint Tropez Blues. She then joined the cast of the Folies Bergère and changed her stage name to Eva Norvind. She also appeared in A School for Scandal at the Comédie-Française.

In 1962, Eva moved to Canada and then to New York City where at the age of 18 she worked as a Playboy Bunny and a Can-Can dancer. She finished high school in 1964 and then moved to Mexico City to study Spanish when she was recruited as an actress. She made seven films in Mexico, her last one being Báñame mi amor in 1968.

Norvind was the object of controversy in Mexico, when on the highly censored national television she spoke in defense of birth control. The government of Mexico then asked her to leave the country within 24 hours but with the help of the National Association of Actors she was able to stay in the country, although she was forbidden from appearing on television for one year. She performed in two plays, En el closet, no and Machiavelli's La mandragola (The Mandrake).

In 1968, she became a photographer covering fashion and celebrity news - traveling to Paris and New York City. She also wrote film articles and worked on distribution of Mexican films to Scandinavia and vice versa.

In 1970, Eva gave birth to her daughter Nailea Norvind in Mexico City and returned to New York City in 1980 to study film at New York University (NYU), graduating in 1982 with a Bachelor in Fine Arts degree. In 1985, she became interested in erotic power exchange and two years later founded Taurel Associates, an umbrella company for counselling, 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 obtained her Master's Degree in Human Sexuality from NYU. The following year, a movie about her life entitled Didn't Do It For Love was made by German filmmaker Monika Treut. She appeared in that film as well as in the 1999 film Tops & Bottoms.

In 1999, John McTiernan hired Norvind to coach Rene Russo for her assertive sexual image in The Thomas Crown Affair for which she got screen credit. Norvind also pursued graduate studies in Forensic Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. In 2003, she provided sexual consultation for the film 'Distress'.

Norvind died on 14 May 2006, drowned in the waters off the beaches of Zipolite, in Oaxaca, Mexico. At the time of her death, she was writing, directing and producing a documentary about severely handicapped Mexican actor and musician Jose Flores, entitled Born Without ("Nacido sin").

Eva Norvind: "My goal is to inspire people to live to their full potential, by exploring the life of Jose Flores. Born without arms and other limbs, Jose supports his large family by playing the harmonica throughout Mexico. In the face of adversity, he shows great courage and spiritual strength.

This is a film with multiple layers. It is about sharing, daring and being grateful for what we have. It is also an exploration of social values, some of them controversial. Many of Jose's choices have been strongly criticized by his family and people around him. As a result, this is also a film about self discovery: a way to explore what we judge ... and what we choose to accept and forgive."

In March 2007, Born Without won Best International Documentary at the Festival Internacional de Cine Contemporaneo de la Ciudad De Mexico (FICCO), Best Documentary Feature at the Vancouver International Film Festival 2008 and the Audience Award for Best International Feature at the 2009 LA Film Festival.