Early Life
Brigitte Bardot was born in Paris, France on September 28, 1934, to an upper-middle-class family. As a child, she began to study ballet. At the age of seven, Bardot attended private school three days a week and otherwise studied at home. This gave time for lessons at Madame Bourget’s dance studio – a ballet school – three days a week.
After World War II concluded, Bardot was accepted to the Conservatoire de Paris. For three years she attended ballet classes by Russian choreographer Boris Knyazev, where she was given the nickname Bardot “Bichette” (“Little Doe”).
Model Beginnings
In 1949 Bardot modeled in a fashion show as well as for the fashion magazine “Jardin des Modes,” which was managed by journalist Hélène Lazareff. At 15, she appeared on a 1950 cover of Elle and was noticed by movie director, Roger Vadim, while babysitting.
Vadim showed the magazine to director and screenwriter Marc Allégret, who begged Bardot to audition for Les lauriers sont coupés. Although Bardot got the role, the film was canceled. However, the experience made her consider becoming an actress. Her relationship with Vadim, who attended the audition, influenced her career and life. They married in 1952.
Early 1950s Acting Career
Bardot made her screen debut in 1952 in the highly popular comedy, Le Trou Normand. She also played the lead in Manina, The Girl in the Bikini, also released the same year. Bardot had a small role in The Long Teeth, released in 1953, followed by a leading role in the comedy, His Father’s Portrait, released the same year.
Act of Love, released in 1953 was Bardot’s first Hollywood-financed film. Shot in Paris, it co-starred Kirk Douglas. She received media attention when attending the Cannes Film Festival that year. Bardot also had a leading role in the Italian melodrama, Concert of Intrigue and the French adventure, Caroline and the Rebels, released in 1954 and 1955, respectively.
Bardot’s first sizeable English language role, Doctor at Sea, was released in 1955 and was the third most popular movie at the British box office that year. The rising star also had a small role the same year in The Grand Maneuver, followed by larger roles in The Light Across the Street in 1955 and Helen of Troy, playing Helen’s handmaiden, released in 1956.
Bardot dyed her hair blonde in 1956 for the Italian movie Mio figlio Nerone, co-starring Alberto Sordi and Gloria Swanson. The film, released in 1956, established her signature look. Superstardom was around the corner for the doe-eyed vixen.
Superstardom and Relationship Trouble
Bardot’s next three films, Naughty Girl, Plucking the Daisy, and The Bride Is Much Too Beautiful, all released in 1956, gained her acclaim and a large fan following, but it was her next film, And God Created Woman, released in 1957 and directed by Vadim, that turned her into an international superstar.
During the filming of this movie, Bardot began an affair with co-star Jean-Louis Trintignant. The two began to live together while Bardot was still married, and remained together for two years. The relationship was strained due to Trintignant’s military service, which led Bardot to have an affair with musician Gilbert Bécaud.
Bardot followed up And God Created Woman with La Parisienne and The Night Heaven Fell, both released in 1958. Also released was In Case of Adversity, which premiered in the US in 1959, and co-starred Jean Gabin.
Around this time, Bardot’s break-up with Trintignant caused the actress to suffer a nervous breakdown in Italy. She recovered a few weeks later and started an affair with actor Jacques Charrier. Bardot quickly became pregnant.
The couple were married shortly thereafter, and their son – Bardot’s only child – Nicolas-Jacques Charrier, was born on January 11, 1960. After they divorced in 1962, Nicolas was raised by Charrier’s parents. Nicolas had little contact with his mother until adulthood.
Mainstream Movies and Singing Career
During the 1960s, Bardot began a singing career that produced plenty of hits in France, as well as the rest of Europe. Her hit songs included Harley Davidson, Je Me Donne À Qui Me Plaît, and Bubble Gum. Bardot would continue to release music well into the 1970s.
Movies Bardot appeared in during this period paired her up with some famous co-stars. The actress starred in Le Mépris, released in 1964, with Jack Palance and directed by Jean-Luc Godard. She also starred in Une Ravissante Idiote with Anthony Perkins and released the same year.
In 1968, Bardot would co-star with Sean Connery and Honor Blackman (Goldfinger) in Shalako. This film would re-team Bardot with director Edward Dmytryk. As the 1960s drew to a close Bardot’s career began to wane. As the 1970s approached so did a new chapter in the actress’s life.
Final Movie Roles
In the early 1970s, Bardot transitioned into more comedic roles. These movies included: Les Novices and The Bear and the Doll, both released in 1970; as well as The Legend of Frenchie King, a western co-starring her sexy, Italian counterpart Claudia Cardinale, and released in 1971.
Life After Movies
In 1973, Bardot retired from the acting industry, after appearing in the comedy The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot, released in late-1973. She would make the announcement during the post-production of the film.
In 1974 Bardot appeared nude in Playboy magazine. She was forty when she did this photoshoot. Since then, she has spent most of her time during her post-acting life, fighting for animal rights. Subsequently, in 1986, she started the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals.
Bardot has had some controversy regarding her right-wing political beliefs. Said controversy was largely centered around her opposition to Muslim immigration in France. In 2017, Bardot went as far as to endorse Marine Le Pen in the French Presidential Election calling her:
“THE JOAN OF ARC OF THE 21ST CENTURY.”
