Dubbed “B.B.” by the press, the French actress was one of the most beautiful and sought-after women in the world in the 1950s and 1960s. In her career, she became a sex symbol and alongside Gunter Sachs, to whom she was married from 1966 to 1969, she became the central figure of the jet set. Brigitte Bardot celebrated her breakthrough in 1956 with the film “…and eternally lures the woman”, alongside Curd Jürgens. Her love for Saint Tropez soon gave the small fishing village an international reputation. In 1973 she abruptly ended her career as a film actress, in which she appeared in over 15 films. She first attracted public attention in 1976 as a staunch opponent of the slaughter of seals. In the years that followed, she became a committed activist for animal rights and founded the “Foundation Brigitte Bardot”, which campaigns for animal rights worldwide. In France she was also popular as a singer…
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot was born on September 28, 1934 in Paris.
Bardot grew up in wealthy and sheltered circumstances with her parents, who were entrepreneurs. Already in her childhood she was a strikingly pretty appearance. She was considered well-bred and took ballet lessons alongside school. At the age of 15, Bardot began her career as a model in Paris. At that time, she initially presented hats. Within a few months, she became one of the most sought-after models in the French capital, appearing on the covers of the most prestigious fashion magazines. There she was discovered by the French director Marc Allégret for the film. She developed a love affair with his colleague Roger Vadim. They married on December 20, 1952, when Bardot had reached the age of 18.
Now her husband also became her protege, trying to further promote his wife’s career. So there were rumors that Vadim had only invented some Bardot scandals to increase their popularity. The film with Allégret planned before the marriage did not materialize. Bardot was in front of the camera for “Le Trou Normand” in 1952, which Jean Boyer directed. Despite numerous bad reviews, in which not only her work but also her looks were offended, male audiences in particular wanted to see more of Bardot. After further productions she stood in front of the camera for “Ein Akt der Liebe” with Kirk Douglas. With this strip, she made a name for herself as a serious young actress. Meanwhile, the tabloids have dubbed her a sex symbol, with reports calling her “B.B.” called. In 1954, Bardot and Leni Riefenstahl planned to work together on the film “The Red Devils”, which was never realized. She was regularly in front of the camera for French productions, and often made up to three films a year.
Bardot celebrated her international breakthrough in 1956 alongside Curd Jürgens in the Vadim film “…and eternally lures the woman”. From then on her name was at the top of international film, even in America she was elevated to the sex symbol par excellence and the European answer to Marilyn Monroe. With producers, her name became a guarantee of success and so she almost exclusively cast leading roles. Works such as “The Parisian” or “With a Woman’s Weapons” were created in 1957. The marriage with Roger Vadim, which was divorced on December 6, 1957, suffered primarily from the steadily increasing success. In 1958 the film “A Woman Like Satan” was made and a year later the strip “Do you want to dance with me?”. Shortly thereafter, Bardot married Jacques Charrier, who was two years his junior, and began to take on serious roles in 1960 with the film “The Truth”. The reason for this was also the attempt to polish her wicked image, which she had suffered from since her second marriage, because according to disreputable press reports, marital disputes regularly flared up. A situation from which she had to suffer primarily mentally; on her 26th birthday, Bardot attempted suicide.
After recovering, she divorced Jacques Charrier after a year of marriage. Sami Frey became her new friend and life partner, and other successful works such as “Galante Liebesgeschichten” and “Private Life” followed. However, her mental state remained unstable. She also began to suffer from constant persecution by the paparazzi. Bardot nevertheless continued her film work. In 1968, the western “Shalako” was created alongside Sean Connery. At the beginning of the 1970s, Bardot’s acting activities came to a standstill: her last works were films like “The Rum Street” or “Don Juan 73”. In her career, Brigitte Bardot was said to have had more than a dozen other lovers in addition to marriages. Her best-known marriage, however, was to the German Gunter Sachs from 1966 to 1969. During this time, public appearances by the couple provided the material for countless headlines in tabloid magazines. However, she also worked as a singer. The title “Harley Davidson” from 1967 is particularly well known.
Their Serge Gainsbourg-written album Initials B.B. was released in 1968. Bardot lived mainly in the southern French fishing town of St. Tropez, while the big film stars cavorted in Monte Carlo. Their presence brought the small fishing village on the Mediterranean coast to the attention of the international show and glamor world, making it their meeting place. To this day, the Bardot is traded as the discoverer of St. Tropez. Bardot’s face and character shaped the taste and style of the 1960s and 1970s zeitgeist. As an actress, her name is one of the most successful exponents of French cinema, alongside colleagues such as Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon. After her film career, she turned to animal and environmental protection. She uses her popularity to change the law in favor of seal protection and other animal welfare measures. After achieving great success in this field from the mid-1970s, she became one of the most accepted activists in the fight to protect endangered species. She was also successful in the fight against her breast cancer in the 1980s. Brigitte Bardot settled in St. Tropez and Paris.
In her fourth marriage, she married Bernard d’Ormale in 1992. Since then she has been criticized for her statements against Muslims, immigrants, homosexuals and the unemployed. In May 2003, Bardot returned to television for the first time in seven years with a special dedicated to her. As part of the program, she also presented her book entitled “Ein Schrei/Ruf in der Stille” (Un cri dans le silence). She was fined several times for inciting racial hatred. On August 8, 2010, Arte broadcast a themed evening about the actress, entitled “Brigitte Bardot, the bombshell”.
Filmography
1952: Summer Nights with Manina
1952: Le trou normand
1954: Dark red star of Venus
1954: Betrayal
1955: Doctor Ahoy!
1955: The Great Maneuver
1955: Paris Air
1955: Greed for love
1955: The beautiful Helena
1955: Ripe on young flowers
1956: A daisy is defoliated
1956: Nero’s Great Nights
1956: And the woman always lures
1956: The Parisian
1956: The Bride Was Far Too Beautiful
1956: En cas de malheur
1958: It’s always night in her eyes
1958: With a Woman’s Guns
1958: A Woman Like Satan
1959: Babette goes to war
1959: Would you like to dance with me
1960: The Truth
1960: One Night Affair
1960: Trained in freedom
1961: Private Life
1961: Gallant Love Stories
1962: The Rest Pillow
1963: The Seductress
1963: The Contempt
1965: Beloved Brigitte
1965: Viva Maria!
1966: Two weeks in September
1968: Extraordinary Stories
1968: Shalako
1968: Masculin/Feminine
1969: Oh, those women
1970: The Novices
1970: The Bear and the Doll
1971: Petroleum Chicks
1971: Rum Boulevard
1972: Don Juan 73
What was Brigitte Bardot known for?
Brigitte Bardot, (born September 28, 1934, Paris, France), French film actress who became an international sex symbol in the 1950s and ’60s. Bardot was born to wealthy bourgeois parents, and at the age of 15 she posed for the cover of Elle (May 8, 1950), France’s leading women’s magazine.
What has Brigitte Bardot done for animals?
Describing the achievements of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, her organisation dedicated to the protection of animals, she said: “We have financed the construction of a wild animal hospital in Chile, as well as a park to care for mistreated bears in Bulgaria, for koalas in Australia, for elephants in Thailand, and for …
How many times did Bridget Bardot marry?
In between are the details of three failed marriages, suicide attempts and countless love affairs with the likes of Sami Frey, Sacha Distel, Warren Beatty, Nino Ferrer and her former husbands _ director Roger Vadim, actor Jacques Charrier and millionaire Gunter Sachs.
How old is Bridget Bardot now?
88 years
September 28, 1934
What happened to Brigitte Bardot son?
In an interview with Le Monde published on 19 January, Brigitte Bardot also praises her son: Nicolas-Jacques Charrier is now 57 years old, and he is wonderful. He forged himself a life in Norway, and he succeeded. He loves children, cares a lot about his family, and me too at the same time, she says.
What is Brigitte Bardot doing these days?
Bardot now spends a good portion of her time advocating for animal rights with the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals, which she started in 1986. When she was making movies, she would oftentimes, pick up stray animals.
Who made Saint Tropez famous?
“The most beautiful woman in the world” may have chosen to leave the limelight in 1973, at the peak of her fame and beauty, to dedicate her life to animals, yet Brigitte Bardot has never ceased to be an iconic figure on the French Riviera.
Why did Brigitte Bardot retire?
Bardot retired from acting in 1973 to focus on her work campaigning for animal rights, and founded the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals in 1986.
Is Brigitte Bardot vegan?
Brigitte Bardot Is Smart, A Ballerina, Turns Down Hollywood, Goes Vegetarian, Saves the Animals, and Is Generous with Her Fans.
What does Brigitte Bardot eat?
Brigitte Bardot is not a vegetarian, she, herself, declared she eats fish.
How tall is Brigitte Bardot?
1.66 m
Is Brigitte Bardot married?
Bernard d’Ormale
1992
Gunter Sachs
1966–1969
Jacques Charrier
1959–1963
Roger Vadim
1952–1957
How many dogs does Brigitte Bardot have?
No fewer than 60 cats, though, have found refuge in Miss Bardot’s own home in St. -Tropez — with 15 dogs, sheep, goats, a horse, a mare and a donkey.
How many pets does Brigitte Bardot have?
“My 15 dogs and 50 cats keep me constantly busy and give me plenty of worries — they get ill, they get old … but they also give me great joy,” she says. “They keep me going.”
Is Brigitte Bardot an animal activist?
Bardot, now 84, rose to sex symbol status as an actress in the 1950s. She starred in numerous films and was also famous as a singer and fashion model but in recent decades has become better known as an outspoken campaigner for animal welfare.