Brigitte Bardot was born Camille Javal on September 28, 1934, in Paris. The daughter of well-to-do parents, she was raised to be the quintessential good girl, groomed throughout childhood to meet and marry a worthy gentlemen. Her appearance at age 15 on the cover of Elle magazine changed everything.
Bardot's cover photo was seen by aspiring film director Roger Vadim--at the time an assistant to director Marc Allegret--who determined she would be the perfect screen beauty to herald the post-war French film movement known as nouvelle vague. For her part, Bardot fell for Vadim almost immediately. Much to the disapproval of her status-conscious parents, who felt the young bohemian unsuitable for their daughter, the two were married in 1952, just after her eighteenth birthday.
Bardot and Vadim hit it big--as big as it gets--with Vadim's Et Dieu... crea la femme ("And God Created Woman") in 1956. Indeed, Vadim had recreated Bardot, having transformed her from a prim, upper-class girl into a jean-clad sexual icon. Her hair slightly disheveled, her features molded into the signature Bardot pout, she came to embody the sexually mature woman imbued with an alluring, girlish innocence. Men couldn't resist her, and the film catapulted her to stardom. She and Vadim divorced soon after, but the press lost no interest the world's original "sex kitten." Her life became public property. The coverage of her numerous affairs with men in various positions of power and influence was particularly relentless.
Bardot's career became a series of films many of which, for the most part, had only her (quite nude) beauty to show for them. Jean-Luc Goddard's 1963 Contempt , more than any other, allowed her to showcase her versatility as an actress. Bardot's presence, however, extended well beyond the screen. She became a powerful cultural icon, both in her native France and abroad. Hers was the image everyone from fashion designers to hairstylists to aspiring models wanted to emulate. The girl on the street could be seen prancing around in Bardot-styled jeans.
Bardot's life was by no means consistently glamorous. In all, she married four times, and, perhaps coincidentally, is known to have attempted suicide four times. "I really wanted to die at certain periods in my life," she has said. "Death was like love, a romantic escape. I took pills because I didn't want to throw myself off my balcony and know people would photograph me lying dead below."
She retired from films in 1974 and has since devoted herself to the protection of animals. A zealous and often militant advocate of animal rights, she has often gone to what many have considered extremes to protect animals of all species, even bats. In one victory, she helped stop the clubbing of baby seals in the Arctic. In a more publicized move, she condemned colleague Sophia Loren for signing a contract to endorse fur coats.
Bardot remains one of the worlds few living legends. If there can be said to be a Mount Olympus for sex symbols, she lives there, in that ethereal place reserved for names the likes of Garbo, Hayworth and Monroe.
-Duane Cranston
FILMOGRAPHY
1. Sorriso del grande tentatore, Il (1975)
... aka Devil Is a Woman, The (1975)
... aka Tempter, The (1975)
2. Colinot (1973)
... aka Histoire tres bonne et tres joyeuse de Colinot Trousse-chemise,
L' (1973)
3. Don Juan 73 (1973) .... Jeanne
... aka Ms. Don Juan (1973)
4. Film Portrait (1972) .... Documentary Participant
5. Boulevard du rhum (1971) .... Linda Larue
6. Petroleuses, Les (1971) .... Louise
... aka Legend of Frenchie King, The (1971)
... aka Petroleras, Las (1971)
7. Novices, Les (1970) .... Agnes
... aka Novices, The (1970)
8. Femmes, Les (1969) .... Clara
9. Ours et la poupee, L' (1969) .... Felicia
... aka Bear and the Doll, The (1969)
10. Shalako (1968) .... Countess Irini Lazaar
11. Tre passi nel delirio (1968) .... Giuseppina
... aka Histoires extraordinaires (1968)
... aka Spirits of the Dead (1968)
... aka Tales of Mystery (1968)
... aka Trois histoires extraordinaires d'Edgar Poe (1968)
12. A coeur joie (1967) .... Cecile
... aka Two Weeks in September (1967)
13. Masculin, feminin (1966) .... Woman in a Couple
... aka Masculine-Feminine (1966)
14. Dear Brigitte (1965) .... Herself
15. Viva Maria! (1965) .... Maria II
16. Ravissante Idiote, Une (1964)
... aka Adorable Idiot (1964)
... aka Agent 38-24-36 (1964)
... aka Ravishing Idiot, The (1964)
... aka Warm-Blooded Spy, The (1964)
17. Mepris, Le (1963) .... Camille Javal
... aka Contempt (1963)
18. Repos du guerrier, Le (1962) .... Genevieve
... aka Love on a Pillow (1962)
... aka Warrior's Rest (1962)
19. "Amours celebres, Les" (1961) TV Series .... Agnes Bernauer
20. Bride sur le cou, La (1961)
... aka Please Not Now (1961)
21. Vie privee, La (1961) .... Jill
... aka Very Private Affair, A (1961)
22. Verite, La (1960) .... Dominique Marceau
... aka Truth, The (1960)
23. Babette s'en va-t-en Guerre (1959) .... Babette
... aka Babette Goes to War (1959)
24. Voulez-vous danser avec moi (1959)
... aka Come Dance With Me! (1959)
25. En cas de malheur (1958) .... Yvette
... aka Love Is My Profession (1958)
26. Bijoutiers du clair de lune, Les (1957)
... aka Heaven Fell That Night (1957)
... aka Night Heaven Fell, The (1957)
27. En effeuillant la marguerite (1957)
... aka Mademoiselle Striptease (1957)
... aka Please Mr. Balzac (1957)
28. Et Dieu crea la femme (1957) .... Juliete Hardy
... aka ...And God Created Woman (1957)
... aka And Woman... Was Created (1957)
29. Parisienne, Une (1957)
30. Cette sacree gamine (1956)
... aka Mademoiselle Pigalle (1956)
... aka Mam'zelle Pigalle (1956)
31. Mariee est trop belle, La (1956)
... aka Bride Is Much Too Beautiful, The (1956)
32. Mio figlio Nerone (1956) .... Poppea
... aka Nero's Big Weekend (1956)
... aka Nero's Mistress (1956)
33. Doctor at Sea (1955) .... Helene Colbert
34. Fils de Caroline Cherie, Le (1955)
... aka Caroline and the Rebels (1955)
35. Futures vedettes (1955)
... aka Joy of Living (1955)
... aka Joy of Loving (1955)
... aka Sweet Sixteen (1955)
36. Grandes manoeuvres, Les (1955) .... Lucie
... aka Grand Maneuver, The (1955)
... aka Summer Manoeuvres (1955)
37. Helen of Troy (1954) .... Andraste
38. Lumiere d'en face, La (1954)
... aka Female and the Flesh (1954)
... aka Light Across the Street, The (1954)
39. Tradita (1954) .... Anna
... aka Night of Love (1954)
40. Acte d'amour, Un (1953) .... Mimi
... aka Act of Love (1953)
... aka Quelque part dans le monde (1953)
41. Portrait de son pere, Le (1953) .... Domino
42. Manina, la fille sans voile (1952) .... Manina
