Brigitte Bardot
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Brigitte Bardot | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot |
| Nationality | French |
| Years active | 1952-1973 |
| Spouse(s) | Roger Vadim (m. 1952–1957, divorced) Jacques Charrier (m. 1959–1962, divorced) Gunter Sachs (m. 1966–1969, divorced) Bernard d'Ormale (m. 1992–present) |
| Children | Son |
| Parent(s) | Louis Bardot (deceased) Anne-Marie (née Mucel, deceased) |
Brigitte Bardot (French IPA: [bʀi'ʒit baʀ'do]) (born 28 September 1934) is a French actress, former fashion model, singer, animal rights activist, and considered one of the most important sex symbols of the 1950s and 1960s. She was one of the few actresses from Europe who the American media paid attention to.
Life and career
Born in Paris, into a well to do family, her father was an industrialist, she received a strict education while taking ballet lessons hoping to become a classical dancer.
In 1949, she began working as a fashion model and ended up making the cover of Elle magazine in May 1950. This led to her being noticed by film director Yves Allegret who offered her a role in one of his film. The film was never made but during the audition she met his young assistant Roger Vadim, whom she married in 1952. That same year, she began her acting career and appeared in two films; Le trou normand and Manina, fille sans voile.
In the ensuing years, she appeared in bit parts in various films in France, Italy and England. Her career really took off in 1956, when she appeared in Vadim's film Et Dieu créa la femme (An God created Woman), written especially for her, which made her an instant star and an international sex-symbol. From then on, her every move made headlines around the world. In 1958, she bought a house "La Madrague" in Saint Tropez, then a quiet fishermen village, which has since then become a highly touristic destination.
Other notable films have included; En cas de malheur (1958), La vérité (1960), considered by many her best role, Vie Privée (1962), Le mépris (1963), Viva Maria (1965), etc. She also enjoyed success as a singer but mostly through recordings and television appearances.
In 1973, she decided to retire from show business and devote herself to her real passion the animal rights, which she continues today. She created her own foundation in 1986.
During the 1990s, she published her autobiography and other books in which she spoke openly about her political views on such things as immigration and Islam in France, mixed marriages and homosexuality, which created considerable controversy. She has angered many people who are part of these groups and was fined for incitation to racial hatred.
Bardot had four husbands and many other romantic partners. After her divorce from Vadim in 1957, she married actor Jacques Charrier in 1959, with whom she had a son, Nicolas (born on 11 January 1960). They divorced in 1962. Her third husband, from 1966–1969, was German millionaire Gunter Sachs. She has been married to Bernard d'Ormale, a right-wing political organizer, since 1992.
Other websites
- Brigitte Bardot on IMDb
- Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the welfare and protection of animals
- Brigitte Bardot at TV.com