“They may call me a sinner, but I am at peace with myself”
Brigitte Bardot was born in Paris in 1934. While still a child, Brigitte’s mtoher enrolled her and her younger sister in dance lessons which led Brigitte to want to become a dancer. In 1947, Brigitte was accepted to The National Superior Conservatory of Paris for Music and Dance. In 1949, at the invitation of an acquaintance of her mother, she modeled in a fashion show and the same year also modeled for a fashion magazine, “Jardin des Modes“. After appearing in a 1950 issue of ELLE, she was noticed by film director Roger Vadim who showed the magazine to screenwriter and director Marc Allégret, who offered Bardot the opportunity to audition for “Les lauriers sont coupés” . Bardot got the role but the film was canceled although this made her consider becoming an actress.
Brigitte Bardot made her film debut in the 1952 comedy film, “Le Trou Normand” (Crazy for Love) and in the same year married Roger Vadim, who had first noticed her. Bardot appeared in 17 films between 1952 and 1956 and received great media attention when she attended the Cannes Film Festival in 1953. Most of Bardot’s films of the 1950’s and mid-1960’s were lightweight romantic dramas where she was cast as a sex siren in some state of undress. Bardot appeared in several bit parts in English language films such as “Helen of Troy” (1954) and “Act of Love” (1954) with Kirk Douglas. Most of Bardot’s roles were in French language films which were dubbed for international release. Although the European film industry was becoming increasingly well-known, Bardot was one of the few European actresses to receive mass media attention in the United States. Along with Marilyn Monroe, Bardot was considered one of the most prominent examples of female sexuality in the 1950’s and 1960’s and when appearing in the United States, her every move was covered by the media.
Bardot’s husband, Roger Vadim, felt that Brigitte was being undersold and that her true potential was not being recognized. He therefore pushed her to appear in more serious films and in 1956, cast her in “And God Created Woman” with Jean-Louis Trintignant. The film was a huge international success and helped move Bardot into the cinematic mainstream.Despite this, Hollywood still considered Brigitte too risqué to handle although erotic films such as “Cette sacrée gamine” (That Crazy Kid, 1955) were considered acceptable as long as they were labeled as European. Furthermore, although Brigitte’s mimited English and strong French accent appealed to men, they were not suitable for the rapid-fire Hollywood scripts. However, Bardot’s remaining in Europe benefited her image during the swinging 1960’s and there was a popular claim that Bardot did more for the French international trade balance than the entire French car industry.
In 1959, Bardot starred in “Babette Goes to War” with her second husband, actor Jacques Charrier and the following year starred in “Vie privée”, directed by Louis Malle. Soon after this, Bardot withdrew to the seclusuin of southen France although continued to appear in films such as Jean-Luc Godard’s “Contempt” in 1963 and other films with famous actors such as “Shalako” starring Sean Connery. During the 1960’s and 1970’s, Bardot also appeared in various musical shows and recorded popular songs such as “Le Soleil De Ma Vie” (which became the cover of Stevie Wonder’s “You Are the Sunshine of My Life“) and “Je t’aime… moi non plus“. In 1965 Brigitte who was incredibly popular in the U.S., starred in “Dear Brigitte” alongside James Stewart.
Brigitte retired from making films in 1973, just before her fortieth birthday, deciding that she preferred a life out of the public eye. In 1986, Bardot established the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals and became a vegetarian. Today Brigitte is a strong animal rights activist and a major opponent of seal hunting and the consumption of horse meat. Bardot is currently having a new animal rescue facility built on her property where she plans to house stray animals.
Despite wishing to stay out of the public eye, Bardot has failed in this by becoming embroiled in political and legal issues, by making controversial comments, for example, about the growing number of mosques in France. In 2008, Bardot was convicted of inciting racial and religious hatred in relation to a letter she wrote objecting to the ritual slaughter of sheep for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha for which she was fined.
Brgitte has been married four times and has one son with second husband, actor Jacques Charrier, although she didn’t raise him. Brigitte has also had numerous affairs including with the sculptor, Miroslav Bozek, even posing for some of his sculptures.
