Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot BRIH bar-DOH; French born 28 September 1934), commonly known by her initials B.B., is a French former film star, singer, and fashion model who later became an advocate for animal welfare. Known for her roles as free-spirited and sensual characters, she became an iconic figure of the sexual revolution. Despite retiring from show business in 1973, she continues to hold a significant place in popular culture. Throughout her career, she appeared in 47 movies, took part in musical productions, and released over 60 songs. In 1985, she was honored with the Legion of Honour.

Raised in Paris, Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot initially trained to be a ballet dancer. Her film career began in 1952, but she rose to global fame in 1957 with her performance in And God Created Woman (1956), which captivated French thinkers and earned her the label “sex kitten.” Philosopher Simone de Beauvoir examined Bardot’s influence in her 1959 essay The Lolita Syndrome, portraying her as a trailblazer in women’s history and a symbol of existential freedom. Bardot received the David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actress in 1961 for The Truth (1960). She later played a leading role in Jean-Luc Godard’s Le Mépris (1963). Her performance in Louis Malle’s Viva Maria! (1965) earned her a nomination for the BAFTA Best Foreign Actress Award. French President Charles de Gaulle once described Bardot as “an export from France as vital as Renault automobiles.” After stepping away from her acting career in 1973, Bardot became an advocate for animal rights and established the Brigitte Bardot Foundation. She is known for her bold demeanor, outspoken nature, and passionate speeches on behalf of animal welfare. On several occasions, she has been fined for public insults. Bardot has also stirred controversy in the political realm, having been penalized six times as of November 2021 for provoking racial hostility due to her criticisms of immigration and Islam in France, and for calling the residents of Réunion “savages.” She is married to Bernard d’Ormale, a former advisor to Jean-Marie Le Pen, the far-right French politician. Bardot holds a place on the United Nations Environment Programme’s Global 500 Roll of Honour and has received multiple awards from UNESCO and PETA. In 2011, Los Angeles Times Magazine ranked her as the second most beautiful woman in film, in their “50 Most Beautiful Women In Film” list.

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Early Life
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot was born in the 15th arrondissement of Paris during the era of the French Third Republic to Louis Bardot and Anne-Marie Mucel. Her father, originally from Ligny-en-Barrois, was an engineer and owned several factories in Paris. Her mother was the daughter of a director at an insurance company. Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot grew up in a conservative Catholic household, much like her father. As a child, she struggled with amblyopia, which caused reduced vision in her left eye. She has one younger sibling, a sister named Mijanou Bardot.

Bardot’s childhood was comfortable, as she resided in a seven-bedroom apartment in the upscale 16th arrondissement. However, she later described feeling frustrated and resentful during her early years. Her father was strict, enforcing rigid behavioral expectations such as proper table manners and insisting she wear appropriate attire. Her mother was very particular about the people Bardot associated with, leading to a lack of close childhood friendships.

Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot recalled a traumatic moment when she and her sister accidentally broke their parents’ prized vase while playing in the house. In response, her father punished them severely, giving each of them 20 lashes. He then distanced himself emotionally from the girls, insisting they address him and their mother with the formal “vous,” typically reserved for strangers or people of higher status. This event deeply impacted Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot, fueling her resentment toward her parents and setting the stage for her future rebellious attitude. During the Second World War, when Paris was under the control of Nazi Germany, Bardot remained at home more often due to increasingly strict civilian oversight. She became captivated by dancing to records, which her mother viewed as a possible route to a ballet profession. Bardot was enrolled at age seven in the private institution Cours Hattemer. She attended classes three days a week, which provided her sufficient time to pursue dance training at a neighborhood studio arranged by her mother. In 1949, Bardot gained admission to the Conservatoire de Paris. She took ballet instruction from Russian choreographer Boris Knyazev for three years. She also received education at the Institut de la Tour, a private Catholic secondary school near her residence.

Hélène Gordon-Lazareff, editor of the magazines Elle and Le Jardin des Modes, recruited Bardot in 1949 as a beginner fashion model. On 8 March 1950, 15-year-old Bardot featured on the cover of Elle, which led to a film proposal for Les Lauriers sont coupés from director Marc Allégret. Her parents objected to her pursuing an acting path, but her grandfather was encouraging, remarking, “If this little girl is destined to become a prostitute, cinema will not be to blame. At the casting, Bardot encountered Roger Vadim, who later informed her that she had not secured the part. They later fell in love. Her parents strongly resisted their romance; her father told her one evening that she would continue her studies in England and that he had already purchased her a train ticket for the next day. Bardot responded by placing her head inside a gas oven with the flame on; her parents intervened and eventually agreed to the relationship, on the condition that she wed Vadim when she turned 18.

Career
Early Years: 1952–1955
Bardot was featured on the front of Elle once more in 1952, which earned her an opportunity for a minor role in the comedy film Crazy for Love that same year, directed by Jean Boyer and starring Bourvil. She earned 200,000 francs (approximately 575 US dollars in 1952) for the brief appearance as the cousin of the protagonist.[33] Bardot secured her second screen role in Manina, the Girl in the Bikini (1952), directed by Willy Rozier. She also took on parts in the 1953 films The Long Teeth and His Father’s Portrait.

Bardot took a small part in an American-funded production being filmed in Paris in 1953, Act of Love, starring Kirk Douglas. She attracted press attention when she appeared at the Cannes Film Festival in April 1953. Bardot landed a prominent role in 1954 in an Italian drama, Concert of Intrigue, and in a French action film, Caroline and the Rebels. She portrayed a flirtatious pupil in 1955’s School for Love, opposite Jean Marais, under the direction of Marc Allégret.

Bardot took on her first notable English-speaking part in 1955 in Doctor at Sea, portraying the romantic interest of Dirk Bogarde. The film ranked as the third highest-grossing title in the UK that year.

Bardot had a minor role in The Grand Maneuver (1955), directed by René Clair, supporting Gérard Philipe and Michelle Morgan. Her character had greater presence in The Light Across the Street (1956), directed by Georges Lacombe. She also appeared in another American film, Helen of Troy, playing Helen’s servant.

For the Italian production Mio figlio Nerone (1956), brunette Bardot was requested by the filmmaker to appear as a blonde. She colored her hair instead of using a wig; she was so satisfied with the outcome that she chose to keep the look.

Rise to Fame: 1956–1962
Bardot subsequently starred in four films that catapulted her to fame. The first was a musical titled Naughty Girl (1956), where she portrayed a rebellious schoolgirl. Directed by Michel Boisrond and co-written by Roger Vadim, the film was a major hit, ranking as the 12th most-watched movie in France that year.
Next came the comedy Plucking the Daisy (1956), also penned by Vadim. This was followed by The Bride Is Much Too Beautiful (1956), in which Bardot starred alongside Louis Jourdan.

Her breakthrough performance came in the melodrama And God Created Woman (1956). The film marked Vadim’s directorial debut and featured Bardot with Jean-Louis Trintignant and Curt Jurgens. Centered on a provocative young woman in a conservative small town, the movie achieved widespread acclaim—not only in France but globally—becoming one of the top ten films in Britain in 1957.
In the U.S., it broke records as the highest-earning foreign-language film of its time, grossing $4 million. Author Peter Lev described this figure as “astonishing for a foreign film at that period.” The role made Bardot an international sensation. As early as 1956, she was dubbed the “sex kitten,” a label that would follow her throughout her career. The film shocked American audiences, and in some cases, theater owners were arrested merely for showing it.
Writing in Life magazine in June 1958, Paul O’Neil commented on Bardot’s global appeal:

“Brigitte Bardot’s rise to prominence was helped by factors beyond her natural gifts. Much like the European sports car, she arrived in the U.S. at a time when audiences were craving something edgier and more authentic than the usual American fare.” During the early stage of her career, professional photographer Sam Lévin’s portraits helped shape Bardot’s image of sensual allure. British photographer Cornel Lucas captured images of Bardot in the 1950s and 1960s that became iconic representations of her public identity.

Following And God Created Woman, Bardot appeared in La Parisienne (1957), a lighthearted comedy with Charles Boyer, directed by Boisrond. She teamed up again with Vadim for another dramatic film, The Night Heaven Fell (1958), and portrayed a femme fatale opposite Jean Gabin in In Case of Adversity (1958). That film ranked as the 13th most viewed production in France that year.
By 1958, Bardot had become the highest-earning actress in France.

She starred in The Female (1959), directed by Julien Duvivier, which performed well, but it was the wartime comedy Babette Goes to War (1959) that became a major success, ranking as the fourth most popular film in France that year. Another widely watched film was Come Dance with Me (1959), also directed by Boisrond.

Bardot’s next project was the courtroom drama The Truth (1960), directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. The film received intense media attention, during which Bardot had a romantic affair and made a suicide attempt. It turned out to be her most successful film in France, the third most popular movie of the year, and it received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.
For her performance, Bardot received the David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actress.

She reunited with Vadim for the comedy Please, Not Now! (1961), and had a part in the ensemble film Famous Love Affairs (1962).

Bardot co-starred with Marcello Mastroianni in A Very Private Affair (Vie privée, 1962), a film loosely based on her own life, directed by Louis Malle. However, even more successful was her performance in Love on a Pillow (1962).

International Projects and Music Career: 1962–1968
In the mid-1960s, Bardot took on film roles that appeared to target a more global audience. She starred in Le Mépris (1963), directed by Jean-Luc Godard, produced by Joseph E. Levine, and co-starring Jack Palance. The next year, she acted opposite Anthony Perkins in the comedic film Une ravissante idiote (1964).

Her first American film, Dear Brigitte (1965), was a light-hearted comedy featuring James Stewart as a professor whose young son develops an infatuation with Bardot. Her role in the movie was relatively minor, and it did not achieve major commercial success. In contrast, the Western-themed buddy comedy Viva Maria! (1965), directed by Louis Malle and co-starring Jeanne Moreau, was a significant success in France and internationally, although it fell short of expectations in the U.S. market.

Following a brief appearance in Godard’s Masculin Féminin (1966), Bardot experienced her first notable commercial failure in years with Two Weeks in September (1968), a French-English collaborative film. She later took on a small part in the anthology movie Spirits of the Dead (1968), sharing scenes with Alain Delon. She made another attempt at Hollywood with Shalako (1968), a Western starring Sean Connery, but it also underperformed at the box office.

In addition to her acting career, Bardot was active in music during the 1960s and 1970s, taking part in various musical performances and recording several hit songs. Most of these were in partnership with artists such as Serge Gainsbourg, Bob Zagury, and Sacha Distel. Some of her well-known tracks include:
“Harley Davidson”, “Je Me Donne À Qui Me Plaît”, “Bubble Gum”, “Contact”, “Je Reviendrai Toujours Vers Toi”, “L’Appareil À Sous”, “La Madrague”, “On Déménage”, “Sidonie”, “Tu Veux, Ou Tu Veux Pas?”, and “Le Soleil De Ma Vie” (a version of Stevie Wonder’s You Are the Sunshine of My Life).

One of the most talked-about songs was “Je t’aime… moi non plus”, a duet with Gainsbourg. Bardot begged Gainsbourg not to release the track at the time, and he respected her request. However, he later re-recorded the piece with British model and actress Jane Birkin, and that version became a widespread hit across Europe. The original Bardot version remained unreleased until 1986 and gained popularity again in 2006, becoming the third most downloaded track when Universal Music made its catalog available digitally.

Final Films: 1969–1973
Between 1969 and 1972, Bardot became the official symbol of Marianne, the national emblem representing the freedom of France—an image that had previously remained faceless until she took on the role.

Her following film, Les Femmes (1969), did not perform well at the box office, although the quirky romantic comedy The Bear and the Doll (1970) achieved more favorable results. Her final films were primarily comedic in nature, including Les Novices (1970) and Boulevard du Rhum (1971), where she starred alongside Lino Ventura.
The Legend of Frenchie King (1971) garnered more attention, partly due to Bardot sharing the screen with Claudia Cardinale.