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Brigitte Bardot

 
Who2 Biography: Brigitte Bardot, Actor
 
Brigitte Bardot
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  • Born: 28 September 1934
  • Birthplace: Paris, France
  • Best Known As: Sexy French star of And God Created Woman

French actress Brigitte Bardot appeared in husband Roger Vadim's 1956 movie And God Created Woman and became a star. Under Vadim's guidance during their marriage (1952-57), Bardot went from a child-woman teen model to an international sex symbol. Throughout the 1960s, her image was that of the blonde and wild -- but innocent -- "sex kitten" of the screen. The image is easier to recall than most of her films, with some exceptions, including The Truth (1960) and Jean-Luc Godard's Contempt (1963). She retired from films in 1974, but -- a popular figure in France -- she still makes headlines on occasion in her role as a champion for animals. She was convicted in 2008 of violating France's anti-racism laws for publicly condemning Muslims who slaughter sheep for the celebratory feast of Aid el-Kebir (Eid al-Adha).

Roger Vadim later married Jane Fonda... Other bombshell movie stars of the 1950s included Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida... Pop songs she recorded in the 1960s with Serge Gainsbourg saw a resurgence in popularity in the 1990s, after Gainsbourg's death in 1991.

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Artist: Brigitte Bardot
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Similar Artists:

Jane Birkin, Françoise Hardy, Sheila, Patricia Avila, France Gall, Barbara, Patrick Juvet, Anna Karina

Followers:

Performed Songs By:

Gérard Bourgeois

Formal Connection With:

Serge Gainsbourg, Jean Yatove
  • Active: '50s, '60s, '70s
  • Genres: Rock
  • Instrument: Vocals
  • Representative Albums: "The Best of Bardot," "Bubble Gum," "Best of BB"
  • Representative Songs: "Bonnie and Clyde," "La Madrague," "Contact"

Biography

The archetypal sex kitten, Brigitte Bardot was the first foreign-language star ever to attain a level of international success comparable to America's most popular homegrown talents. While the vast majority of her motion pictures failed to rank even remotely close to the best of her native France's prodigious New Wave-era output, they proved a major breakthrough in establishing a market for foreign films in English-speaking countries; indeed, for all of the acclaim deservedly heaped on the more gifted actors and directors of her day, perhaps no other factor was more crucial to the far-reaching success of world cinema than Bardot's sultry allure. Born September 28, 1934 in Paris, she was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist; while studying ballet, she was approached with the offer to begin modeling, and by 1950 her image had already graced the cover of Elle magazine. There she was spotted by director Marc Allegret, who had earlier discovered the young Simone Simon. Soon Allegret's assistant, Roger Vadim, contacted Bardot for a role in the picture Les Lauriers Sont Coupes; while Allegret did not cast the young model in his film, Vadim became immediately smitten by her pouty sensuality, and in 1952 he became her husband. That same year Bardot made her film debut in Jean Boyer's comedy Le Trou Normand; a series of bit roles followed before she appeared in Warner Bros.' 1955 production of Jean of Arc. The studio was sufficiently impressed to offer a seven-year contract, but she refused to accept her largest role to date opposite Jean Marais and Isabelle Pia in Futures Vedettes.

After travelling to Britain to appear in 1955's Doctor at Sea, Bardot returned to France to begin work on her first starring role in 1956's La Lumiere d'en Face; the film's producer, Christine Gouze-Renal, subsequently became her mentor and handled her career for a number of years. While still largely an unknown, Bardot soon enjoyed a string of hits, including Cette Sacree Gamine, Mi Figlio Nerone and En Effeuillant la Marguerite, which positioned her as France's top sex symbol by 1957. As Bardot's popularity continued to soar, producer Raoul J. Levy offered Vadim the opportunity to direct his wife in Et Dieu Crea la Femme, an erotic melodrama co-starring Jean-Louis Trintignant. The film made Bardot an international star, earning over $4 million in the U.S. alone; as rumors swirled about a possible affair between her and Trintignant, her marriage to Vadim began to crumble, although their respective careers remained intertwined for years to come.

Bardot's popularity with American audiences was unprecedented for a non-English speaking actress, and after Levy cut a reported $225,000 three-picture deal with Columbia for her services, she next starred in the sex romp Une Parisienne, followed by Vadim's Les Bijoutiers du Clair de Lune. After much deliberation, plans were finally announced for Bardot's English-language debut Paris by Night, to be helmed by Vadim and starring Frank Sinatra; the project fell through, however, and she next appeared in 1960's Babette s'en va-t-en Guerre opposite Jacques Charrier, who briefly became her second husband. While filming Henri-Georges Clouzot's La Verite later that year, Bardot attempted suicide on her 26th birthday; after production resumed, the completed film rose to become France's top moneymaker for the year, but it marked the end of her Columbia deal, and in light of her cooling popularity in the States and in Britain no other deals were immediately forthcoming.

In 1960, Bardot released a pop music album, Inside Brigitte Bardot; several other LPs, including 1963's Brigitte Bardot Sings and 1968's Special Bardot, were to follow, and she scored a number of hit singles in tandem with the infamous singer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. After she fired the original director on the 1961 comedy La Bride Sur le Cou, Vadim stepped in to complete the picture; she next starred with Marcello Mastroianni in Louis Malle's La Vie Privée, delivering a clearly autobiographical turn as a young celebrity unable to cope with the pressures of stardom. The picture was intended as Bardot's swan song, but she was quickly coerced out of retirement to star in Jean-Luc Godard's brilliant Le Mépris; while today recognized as a classic, at the time of its release the movie was the subject of very mixed reviews, with considerable editing required for release outside of France. As a result, it was a commercial disaster, and Bardot's standing as Europe's most popular actress was usurped by Sophia Loren.

After finally making an American film, 1964's family comedy Dear Brigitte, Bardot began work on Mallle's comedy Viva Maria!, which paired her opposite Jeanne Moreau. When it failed to live up to international box-office expectations, few of Bardot's subsequent films were screened outside of France; even within her native land her star continued to dim, and she did not appear in another certified hit prior to 1970's L'Ours et la Poupee. However, when the Vadim-helmed Don Juan 1973 ou Si Don Juan Etait une Femme and 1974's L' Histoire Tres Bonne et Tres Joyeuse de Colinot Trousse Chemise failed, Bardot again announced plans for retirement; this time, apart from a handful of television appearances, she made good on her promise, and consistently refused all offers to return to the screen. In later years she became something of a recluse, but continued to make occasional headlines through her ardent support of animal rights causes. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
 
Actor: Brigitte Bardot
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  • Born: Sep 28, 1934 in Paris, France
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '50s-'60s
  • Major Genres: Comedy, Drama
  • Career Highlights: Contempt, ... And God Created Woman, Les Grandes Manoeuvres
  • First Major Screen Credit: Le Trou normand (1952)

Biography

The archetypal sex kitten, Brigitte Bardot was the first foreign-language star ever to attain a level of international success comparable to America's most popular homegrown talents. While the vast majority of her motion pictures failed to rank even remotely close to the best of her native France's prodigious New Wave-era output, they proved a major breakthrough in establishing a market for foreign films in English-speaking countries; indeed, for all of the acclaim deservedly heaped on the more gifted actors and directors of her day, perhaps no other factor was more crucial to the far-reaching success of world cinema than Bardot's sultry allure.

Born on September 28, 1934, in Paris, she was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist; while studying ballet, she was approached with the offer to begin modeling, and by 1950 her image had already graced the cover of Elle magazine. There she was spotted by director Marc Allegret, who had earlier discovered the young Simone Simon. Soon Allegret's assistant, Roger Vadim, contacted Bardot for a role in the picture Les Lauriers Sont Coupes. While Allegret did not cast the young model in his film, Vadim became immediately smitten by her pouty sensuality, and in 1952 he became her husband. That same year, Bardot made her film debut in Jean Boyer's comedy Le Trou Normand; a series of bit roles followed before she appeared in Warner Bros.' 1955 production of Helen of Troy. The studio was sufficiently impressed to offer a seven-year contract, but she refused, to accept her largest role to date opposite Jean Marais and Isabelle Pia in Futures Vedettes.

After traveling to Britain to appear in 1955's Doctor at Sea, Bardot returned to France to begin work on her first starring role in 1956's La Lumiere d'en Face; the film's producer, Christine Gouze-Renal, subsequently became her mentor and handled her career for a number of years. While still largely an unknown, Bardot soon enjoyed a string of hits, including Cette Sacree Gamine, Mi Figlio Nerone, and En Effeuillant la Marguerite, which positioned her as France's top sex symbol by 1957. As Bardot's popularity continued to soar, producer Raoul J. Levy offered Vadim the opportunity to direct his wife in Et Dieu Crea la Femme, an erotic melodrama co-starring Jean-Louis Trintignant. The film made Bardot an international star, earning over four million dollars in the U.S. alone. Unfortunately, her marriage to Vadim did not last, although their respective careers remained intertwined for years to come.

Bardot's popularity with American audiences was unprecedented for a non-English speaking actress, and after Levy cut a reported 225,000-dollar three-picture deal with Columbia for her services, she next starred in the sex romp Une Parisienne, followed by Vadim's Les Bijoutiers du Clair de Lune. After much deliberation, plans were finally announced for Bardot's English-language debut, Paris by Night, to be helmed by Vadim with Frank Sinatra in the lead. The project fell through, however, and she next appeared in 1960's Babette s'en va-t-en Guerre opposite Jacques Charrier, who briefly became her second husband. While filming Henri-Georges Clouzot's La Verite later that year, Bardot attempted suicide on her 26th birthday. After production resumed, the completed film rose to become France's top moneymaker for the year, but it marked the end of her Columbia deal, and in light of her cooling popularity in the States and in Britain no other deals were immediately forthcoming.

In 1960, Bardot released a pop music album, Inside Brigitte Bardot; several other LPs, including 1963's Brigitte Bardot Sings and 1968's Special Bardot, were to follow, and she scored a number of hit singles in tandem with the infamous singer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. After she fired the original director on the 1961 comedy La Bride Sur le Cou, she had Vadim step in to complete the picture. She next starred with Marcello Mastroianni in Louis Malle's La Vie Privée, delivering a clearly autobiographical turn as a young celebrity unable to cope with the pressures of stardom. The picture was intended as Bardot's swan song, but she was quickly coerced out of retirement to star in Jean-Luc Godard's brilliant Le Mépris. While today recognized as a classic, at the time of its release the movie was the subject of very mixed reviews, with considerable editing required for release outside of France. As a result, it was a commercial disaster, and Bardot's standing as Europe's most popular actress was usurped by Sophia Loren.

After finally making an American film, 1964's family comedy Dear Brigitte, Bardot began work on Malle's comedy Viva Maria!, which paired her opposite Jeanne Moreau. When it failed to live up to international box-office expectations, few of Bardot's subsequent films were screened outside of France. Even within her native land her star continued to dim, and she did not appear in another certified hit prior to 1970's L'Ours et la Poupee. However, when the Vadim-helmed Don Juan 1973 ou Si Don Juan Etait une Femme and 1974's L' Histoire Tres Bonne et Tres Joyeuse de Colinot Trousse Chemise failed, Bardot again announced plans for retirement; this time, apart from a handful of television appearances, she made good on her promise, and consistently refused all offers to return to the screen. In later years she became something of a recluse, but continued to make occasional headlines through her ardent support of animal rights causes and inflammatory racial comments. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Brigitte Bardot
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(born Sept. 28, 1934, Paris, France) French film actress. She was discovered by Roger Vadim when she appeared on a magazine cover at 15 and made her film debut in 1952. Vadim crafted her "sex kitten" image for his films And God Created Woman (1956) and The Night Heaven Fell (1958), which set box-office records and made her an international star. She displayed her acting ability in such films as The Truth (1960), Contempt (1963), and Viva Maria! (1965). An animal rights activist, she established an animal welfare organization in 1987.

For more information on Brigitte Bardot, visit Britannica.com.

 
Dictionary: Bar·dot   (bär-dō') pronunciation, Brigitte
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Born 1934.

French actress whose best-known films are And God Created Woman (1956) and Shaloko (1968).


 
Quotes By: Brigitte Bardot
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Quotes:

"It is better to be unfaithful than faithful without wanting to be."

"Women get more unhappy the more they try to liberate themselves."

"I leave before being left. I decide."

"It is sad to grow old but nice to ripen."

"I am leaving the town to the invaders: increasingly numerous, mediocre, dirty, badly behaved, shameless tourists."

"I really wanted to die at certain periods in my life. 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."

See more famous quotes by Brigitte Bardot

 
Wikipedia: Brigitte Bardot
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Brigitte Bardot

Bardot in 1968
Born Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot
28 September 1934 (1934-09-28) (age 74)
Paris, France
Other name(s) BB
Occupation Actress, model, singer, animal rights activist
Years active 1952–1973
Spouse(s) Roger Vadim (1952–1957)
Jacques Charrier (1959–1962)
Gunter Sachs (1966–1969)
Bernard d'Ormale (1992–present)

Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot[1][2] (French pronunciation: [bʁi.ʒit baʁ.do]) (born 28 September 1934) is a French actress, former fashion model, singer and animal welfare/rights activist[3].

In her early life Bardot was an aspiring ballet dancer. She started her acting career in 1952 and after appearing in 16 films became world-famous due to her role in the controversial film And God Created Woman. During her career in show business Bardot starred in 48 films, performed in numerous musical shows, recorded 80 songs. After her retirement from the entertainment industry in 1973, Bardot established herself as an animal rights activist. During the 1990s she became outspoken in her criticism of immigration, some aspects of homosexuality and Islam in France, and has been convicted five times for "inciting racial hatred".[4][5]

Contents

Early life

Brigitte Bardot was born in Paris to Anne-Marie 'Toty' Mucel (1912-1978) and Louis 'Pilou' Bardot (1896-1975). Her father had an engineering degree and worked with her grandfather in the family business. Toty was sixteen years younger and they married in 1933. Brigitte's mother enrolled her and her younger sister Marie-Jeanne ('Mijanou', born 5 May 1938) in dance. Mijanou eventually gave up on dancing lessons to complete her education, whereas Brigitte decided to concentrate on a ballet career. In 1947, Bardot was accepted to The National Superior Conservatory of Paris for Music and Dance and for three years attended the ballet classes of Russian choreographer Boris Knyazev. (One of her classmates was Leslie Caron). By the invitation of her mother's acquaintance, she modeled in a fashion show in 1949. In the same year she modeled for a fashion magazine "Jardin des Modes" managed by another friend of her mother, journalist Hélène Lazareff. She appeared on a 8 March 1950 cover of ELLE.[6] and was noticed by a young film director Roger Vadim. He showed an issue of the magazine to director and screenwriter Marc Allégret, who offered Bardot the opportunity to audition for "Les lauriers sont coupés" thereafter. Although Bardot got the role, the shooting of the film was canceled, but it made her consider becoming an actress. Moreover, her acquaintance with Vadim, who attended the audition, influenced her further life and career.[7][8]

Career

Although the European film industry was then in its ascendancy, Bardot was one of the few European actresses to receive mass media attention in the United States. She and Marilyn Monroe were perhaps the foremost examples of female sexuality in films of the 1950s and 1960s, and whenever she made public appearances in the United States the media hordes covered her every move.

Brigitte Bardot debuted in a 1952 comedy film Le Trou Normand (English title: Crazy for Love). In the same year she married Roger Vadim. From 1952 to 1956 she appeared in seventeen films; in 1953 playing a part in Jean Anouilh's stageplay "L'Invitation au château" ("The Invitation to the Castle"). She received media attention when she attended the Cannes Film Festival in April 1953.[8] "She is every man's idea of the girl he'd like to meet in Paris," wrote the film-critic Ivon Addams in 1955.

Her films of the early and mid 1950s were generally lightweight romantic dramas, some of them historical, in which she was cast as ingénue or siren, and often with an element of undress. She played bit parts in three English-language films, the British comedy Doctor at Sea (1955), Helen of Troy (1954), in which she was understudy for the title role but only appears as Helen's handmaid, and Act of Love (1954) with Kirk Douglas. Her French-language films were dubbed for international release.

Roger Vadim was not content with this light fare. The New Wave of French and Italian art directors and their stars were riding high internationally, and he felt Bardot was being undersold. Looking for something more like an art film to push her as a serious actress, he showcased her in And God Created Woman (1956) with Jean-Louis Trintignant. The film, about an immoral teenager in a respectable small-town setting, was a big international success. It is often wrongly described as her first film (it was her seventeenth) and wrongly called the source of her to overnight stardom, though it did help move her towards the cinematic mainstream.

In hindsight, light comedies suited Brigitte Bardot's acting skills best. A fine example is her 'Une Parisienne' from 1957, one of the few of her films of which she has said she feels proud.

In Hollywood, Bardot was considered too risqué to handle — erotica like Bardot's Cette sacrée gamine (That Crazy Kid, 1955) was not typical of the American cinema of the time, and it was considered acceptable at the box office so long as it was clearly labeled "European." The Doris Day era was in full swing, and Jane Russell in The French Line (1953) was thought to have been going too far by showing her midriff. Furthermore, Bardot's limited English and strong accent, while beguiling to the ears of men[citation needed], did not suit rapid-fire Hollywood scripts. In any event, staying in Europe benefited her image when the 1960s began to swing and Hollywood slipped into the background for a while,[citation needed] and Bardot was voted honorary sex-goddess of the decade. In fact, there was a widely popular claim that Brigitte Bardot, as an actress, did more for the French international trade balance than the entire French car industry.[8]

In Bardot's early career professional photographer Sam Levin's photos contributed considerably to her image of sensuality and slight immorality. One of Levin's pictures show Brigitte from behind, dressed in a white corset. It is said that around 1960 postcards with this photograph outsold in Paris those of the Eiffel Tower[citation needed].

She divorced Vadim in 1957 and in 1959 married actor Jacques Charrier, with whom she starred in Babette Goes to War in 1959. The paparazzi preyed upon her marriage, while she and her husband clashed over the direction of her career. Her films became more substantial, but this brought a heavy pressure of dual celebrity as she sought critical acclaim while remaining a glamour model for most of the world.

Vie privée (1960), directed by Louis Malle has more than an element of autobiography in it. The scene in which, returning to her apartment, Bardot's character is harangued in the elevator by a middle-aged cleaning lady calling her offensive names, was based on an actual incident, and is a resonant image of celebrity in the mid-20th century.

Soon afterwards Bardot withdrew to the seclusion of Southern France where she had bought the house La Madrague in Saint-Tropez in May 1958.

In 1963, she starred in Jean-Luc Godard's critically acclaimed film Contempt.

Brigitte Bardot was featured in many other films along with notable actors such as Alain Delon (Famous Love Affairs, Spirits of the Dead), Jean Gabin (In Case of Adversity), Sean Connery (Shalako), Jean Marais (Royal Affairs in Versailles, School for Love), Lino Ventura (Rum Runners), Annie Girardot (The Novices), Claudia Cardinale (The Legend of Frenchie King), Jeanne Moreau (Viva Maria!), Jane Birkin (Don Juan, or If Don Juan Were a Woman).

She participated in various musical shows and recorded many popular songs in the 1960s and 1970s, mostly in collaboration with Serge Gainsbourg, Bob Zagury and Sacha Distel, including "Harley Davidson", "Je Me Donne A Qui Me Plait", "Bubble gum", "Contact", "Je Reviendrais Toujours Vers Toi", "L'Appareil A Sous", "La Madrague", "On Demenage", "Sidonie", "Tu Veux, Ou Tu Veux Pas?", "Le Soleil De Ma Vie" (the cover of Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life") and the notorious "Je t'aime... moi non plus". Bardot pleaded with Gainsbourg not to release this duet and he complied with her wishes; the following year he re-recorded a version with British-born model and actress Jane Birkin which became a massive hit all over Europe.

Personal life

On 21 December 1952, at the age of 18, Bardot married director Roger Vadim. In order to receive permission from Bardot's parents to marry her, Vadim, originally an Orthodox Christian, was urged to convert to Catholicism. They divorced five years later, but remained friends and collaborated in later work. Bardot had an affair with her And God Created Woman co-star Jean-Louis Trintignant (married at the time to French actress Stephane Audran) followed by her divorce from Vadim.[7][8] The two lived together for about two years. Their relationship was complicated by Trintignant's frequent absence due to military service and Bardot's affair with musician Gilbert Bécaud, and they eventually separated.[7]

The 9 February 1958 edition of the Los Angeles Times reported on the front page that Bardot was recovering in Italy from a reported nervous breakdown. A suicide attempt with sleeping pills two days earlier was denied by her public relations manager.[9]

On 18 June 1959 she married actor Jacques Charrier, by whom she had her only child, a son, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier (born 11 January 1960). To Bardot this was an undesirable pregnancy which she once compared to having a tumor growing within her. After she and Charrier divorced in 1962, Nicolas was raised in the Charrier family and did not maintain close contact with Bardot until his adulthood.[7]

Bardot's other husbands were German millionaire playboy Gunter Sachs (14 July 1966 - 1 October 1969), and Bernard d'Ormale (16 August 1992 - present). She is reputed to have had relationships with many other men including her La Vérité co-star Sami Frey, musicians Serge Gainsbourg and Sacha Distel[7][8]. In the late 1950s she shared an exchange she considered croiser de deux sillages ("the crossing of two wakes") with actor and true crime author John Gilmore, then an actor in France who was working on a New Wave film with Jean Seberg. Gilmore told Paris Match: 'I felt a beautiful warmth with Bardot but found it difficult to discuss things in any depth whatsoever.' In the 1970s, she lived with the sculptor Miroslav Brozek and posed for some of his sculptures.

In 1974 Bardot appeared in a nude photo shoot in the American magazine Playboy, which celebrated her 40th birthday.

Activism

In 1973 just before her fortieth birthday, Bardot announced her retirement. After appearing in more than fifty motion pictures and recording several music albums, most notably with Serge Gainsbourg, she chose to use her fame to promote animal rights.

In 1986 she established the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals. She became a vegetarian[10] and raised three million French francs to fund the foundation by auctioning off jewelry and many personal belongings. Today she is a strong animal rights activist and a major opponent of the consumption of horse meat. In support of animal protection, she condemned seal hunting in Canada during a visit to that country. She sought to discuss the issue with Stephen Harper, prime minister of Canada, though her request for a meeting was denied.[11]

She once had a neighbor's donkey castrated while looking after it, on the grounds of its "sexual harassment" of her own donkey and mare, for which she was taken to court by the donkey's owner in 1989[12][13]. In 1999 Bardot wrote a letter to Chinese President Jiang Zemin, published in French magazine VSD, in which she accused the Chinese of "torturing bears and killing the world's last tigers and rhinos to make aphrodisiacs".[14]

She has donated more than $140,000 over two years for a mass sterilization and adoption program for Bucharest's stray dogs, estimated to number 300,000.[15] She is planning to house many of these stray animals in a new animal rescue facility that she is having built on her property.

Politics, controversy and legal issues

Brigitte Bardot (2002)

Bardot expressed support for President Charles de Gaulle in the 1960s.[7][16] Her husband Bernard d'Ormal was a former adviser of the far right "Front National" party.[8][16] Bardot has been convicted five times for "inciting racial hatred".

In 1997 she was fined for her comments published in Le Figaro newspaper[17].

In 1998 she was convicted for making a statement about the growing number of mosques in France[17].

In a book she wrote in 1999, called "Le Carre de Pluton" (Pluto's Square), she criticizes the procedure used in the ritual slaughter of sheep during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha. For the comments, a French court fined her 30,000 francs in June 2000.[18][19]

In a 2001 article named, Open Letter to My Lost France, she said: "...my country, France, my homeland, my land is again invaded by an overpopulation of foreigners, especially Muslims."[17][19]

In her 2003 book, A Scream in the Silence, she warned of the “Islamicization of France”, and said of Muslim immigration:

"Over the last twenty years, we have given in to a subterranean, dangerous, and uncontrolled infiltration, which not only resists adjusting to our laws and customs but which will, as the years pass, attempt to impose its own."[20]

In the book, she talks about her close homosexual friends, comparing them to today's homosexuals who, "jiggle their bottoms, put their little fingers in the air and with their little castrato voices moan about what those ghastly heteros put them through". She says French politicians are, "weather vanes who turn left or right as the fancy takes them... Not even French prostitutes are what they used to be". She says modern art has become "shit—literally as well as figuratively."[21]

In her defense, Bardot wrote a letter to a French gay magazine, saying, "Apart from my husband—who maybe will cross over one day as well—I am entirely surrounded by homos. For years, they have been my support, my friends, my adopted children, my confidants."[22]

In May 2003 the Movement Against Racism and for Friendship between Peoples announced they were going to sue Bardot. The "Ligue des Droits de l'Homme" (The Human Rights League) announced they were considering similar legal proceedings.[19]

On 10 June 2004 Bardot was convicted by a French court of "inciting racial hatred" and fined €5,000, the fourth such conviction/fine she has received from French courts. The courts cited passages where Bardot referred to the "Islamisation of France" and the "underground and dangerous infiltration of Islam"[21]. Bardot's book also attacked "the mixing of genes" and compared her beliefs with previous generations who had "given their lives to push out invaders".[23]

Bardot denied the "racial hatred" charge and apologized in court, saying: "I never knowingly wanted to hurt anybody. It is not in my character."[24]

In 2008, she was convicted of inciting racial/religious hatred in relation to a letter she wrote, a copy of which she sent to Nicolas Sarkozy when he was Interior Minister of France. The letter stated her objections to Muslims in France ritually slaughtering sheep by slitting their throats without stunning them first. She also objected to France's rapidly growing Muslim community "trying to take over France and impose their culture, values, lifestyles" etc. on France and its native people. The trial[25] concluded on 3 June 2008, with a conviction and fine of fifteen thousand Euros, the largest of her fines to date. The prosecutor stated that she was tired of charging Bardot with offences related to racial hatred.[4]

Bardot's influence

Statue of Brigitte Bardot in Buzios, Brazil.

In fashion the Bardot neckline (a wide open neck that exposes both shoulders) is named after her. Bardot popularized this style which is especially used for knitted sweaters or jumpers although it is also used for other tops and dresses.

Bardot is recognised for popularizing bikini swimwear in early films such as Manina (Woman without a Veil, 1952), in her appearances at Cannes and in many photo shoots.

Bardot also brought into fashion the choucroute ("Sauerkraut") hairstyle (a sort of beehive hair style) and gingham clothes after wearing a checkered pink dress, designed by Jacques Esterel, at her wedding to Charrier.[26][27] The fashions of the 1960s looked effortlessly right and spontaneous on her, and she joined Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy in becoming a subject for Andy Warhol paintings.

In addition to popularizing the bikini swimming suit, Bardot has also been credited with popularizing the city of St. Tropez and the town of Buzios, Brazil, which she visited in 1964 with her boyfriend at the time, Brazilian musician Bob Zagury.[28] A statue by Christina Motta[29] honours Brigitte Bardot in Buzios, Brazil.

Bardot was idolized by young John Lennon and Paul McCartney[30][31]. They made plans to shoot a film featuring The Beatles and Bardot, similar to A Hard Day's Night, but the plans were never fulfilled.[8] Lennon's first wife Cynthia Powell lightened her hair color to more closely resemble Bardot, while George Harrison made comparisons between Bardot and his first wife Pattie Boyd, as Cynthia wrote later in A Twist of Lennon. Lennon and Bardot met in person once, in 1968 at the Mayfair Hotel, introduced by Beatles press agent Derek Taylor; a nervous Lennon took LSD before arriving, and neither star impressed the other. (Lennon recalled in a memoir, "I was on acid, and she was on her way out.")[32]

According to the liner notes of his first (self-titled) album, musician Bob Dylan dedicated the first song he ever wrote to Bardot. He also mentioned her by name in "I Shall Be Free", which appeared on his second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.

She dabbled in pop music and played the role of a glamour model. In 1965 she appeared as herself in the Hollywood production Dear Brigitte (1965) starring James Stewart.

In 1970 the sculptor Alain Gourdon used Bardot as the model for a bust of Marianne, the French national emblem.

In 2007 she was named among Empire's 100 Sexiest Film Stars.[33]

Mentions of Bardot in music

The first song to reference Brigitte Bardot was "Gimme' that Wine" by vocalese group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross on the Columbia label in 1960.

Indie singer Jordan Galland also has a song called "Brigitte Bardot". In 1966, Harry Belafonte recorded "Zombie Jamboree" which has an entire verse dedicated to Brigitte Bardot.

Bardot has also been referenced in many other songs, including "I Shall Be Free" (Bob Dylan), "Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation" (John Hartford), We Didn't Start the Fire" (Billy Joel), "Message of Love" (The Pretenders), "I Think I'm Going To Kill Myself" (Elton John), "Warlocks" (Red Hot Chili Peppers), "You Went The Wrong Way, Old King Louie" (Allan Sherman), "You're My Favourite Star" (The Bellamy Brothers), "It's Not Enough" (The Who), "Contempt" (Silkworm), "Big Wedge" (Fish), "Brigitte Bardot" (Tom Zé), "Alegria, Alegria" (Caetano Veloso), "Loaded" (ZZ Top), "Brigitte Bardot" (Creature), "Bardot" (Marden Hill), "Shir Nevu'i Cosmi Aliz" (Yoni Rechter & Eli Mohar), "Smiles Like Richard Nixon" (The Bad Examples),"The Naighty Little Flea ({Miriam Makeba}) "Bijou" (Stew), "Stratford-On-Guy" (Liz Phair), "Barbarella" (Paul Baribeau), "Brigitte Bardot T.N.T." (Pizzicato Five), "Zombie Jamboree" (Harry Belafonte), and "Porta Portese" (Claudio Baglioni).

Ambiguity over name

Several sources[citation needed] reference Bardot as being christened Camille Javal. Camille Javal was the part played by Bardot in the 1963 film Le Mépris (English title Contempt).

Filmography

1950s

  • Crazy for Love {1952} — Javotte Lemoine
  • Manina, the Girl in the Bikini (1952) — Manina
  • The Long Teeth (1952) — Bridesmaid (uncredited)
  • His Father's Portrait (1953) — Domino
  • Act of Love (1953) — Mimi
  • Royal Affairs in Versailles (1954) — Mademoiselle de Rozille (uncredited)
  • The Light Across the Street (1955) — Olivia Marceau
  • School for Love (aka Joy of Loving) (1955) — Sophie
  • Caroline and the Rebels (1955) — Pilar d'Aranda
  • Doctor at Sea (1955) — Hélène Colbert
  • The Grand Maneuver (1955) — Lucie
  • Helen of Troy (1956) — Andraste
  • Naughty Girl (aka Madmoiselle Pigalle) (1955) — Brigitte Latour
  • Nero's Mistress (1956) — Poppée
  • Mademoiselle Striptease (aka Plucking the Daisy) (1956) — Agnès Dumont
  • And God Created Woman (1956) — Juliette Hardy
  • Her Bridal Night (aka The Bride is Too Beautiful) (1956) — Chouchou
  • Une Parisienne (1957) — Brigitte Laurier
  • The Night Heaven Fell (1958) — Ursula
  • Love Is My Profession (aka In Case of Adversity, UK: literal English title) (1958) — Yvette Maudet
  • The Woman and the Puppet (1959) (aka A Woman Like Satan) — Éva Marchand
  • Babette Goes to War (1959) — Babette
  • Do You Want to Dance with Me? (1959) — Virginie Dandieu

1960s

  • The Testament of Orpheus (1960)
  • It Happened All Night (1960) — Cameo
  • The Truth (1960) — Dominique Marceau
  • Please, Not Now! (aka Only for Love) (1961) — Sophie
  • Famous Love Affairs (1961) — Agnès Bernauer
  • A Very Private Affair (1962) — Jill
  • Lykke og krone (1962) (documentary)
  • Love on a Pillow (1962) — Geneviève Le Theil
  • Contempt (1963) — Camille Javal
  • Paparazzi (1964) (short subject) — Cameo
  • Bardot and Godard (1964) (short subject)
  • Agent 38-24-36 (1964) — Penelope Lightfeather
  • Too Many Thieves
  • Forbidden Temptations (1965) (documentary) — cameo
  • Marie Soleil (1965) — cameo
  • Dear Brigitte (1965) — cameo
  • Viva Maria! (1965) — Maria I
  • Masculine, Feminine (1966)
  • Two Weeks in September (1967) — Cecile
  • Spirits of the Dead (aka Tales of Mystery and Imagination (UK)) (1968) — Giuseppina
  • Shalako (1968) — Irina Lazaar
  • The Bear and the Doll (1969) — Félicia
  • The Women (1969) — Clara
  • The Vixen (1969)

1970s

  • The Novices (1970) — Agnès
  • Rum Runners (1971) — Linda Larue
  • The Legend of Frenchie King (aka Petroleum Girls ) (1971) — Louise
  • Film Portrait (1972) (documentary)
  • Don Juan, or If Don Juan Were a Woman (1973) — Jeanne
  • The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot (1973) — Arabelle

Discography

Bardot released several albums during the 1950s and 1960s[34]

  • And God Created Women (1957, Decca)
  • Behind Brigitte Bardot (1960, Warner Bros)
  • Brigitte Bardot Sings (1963, Philips)
  • B.B. (1964, Philips)
  • Brigitte Bardot Show 67 (1967, Mercury)
  • Brigitte Bardot Show (1968, Mercury)
  • [Burlington Cameo Brings You] Special Bardot (1968. RCA)
  • Single Duet with Serge Gainsbourg "Bonnie and Clyde"

References

General references:

Specific references:

  1. ^ http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/brigitte_bardot
  2. ^ Daily Celebrations ~ Brigitte Bardot, Cat Transformed ~ 25 August ~ Ideas to motivate, educate, and inspire
  3. ^ Jonathan Benthall Animal liberation and rights Anthropology Today Volume 23 Issue 2 Page 1 - April 2007
  4. ^ a b "Bardot fine for stoking race hate". BBC News. 2008-06-03. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7434193.stm. Retrieved on 2008-06-03. 
  5. ^ "Bardot fined for racist remarks". BBC News. 2000-06-16. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/793390.stm. Retrieved on 2008-06-04. 
  6. ^ The Biography Channel - Brigitte Bardot Biography
  7. ^ a b c d e f Bardot, Brigitte (1996). Initiales B.B.. Grasset & Fasquelle. ISBN 2-246-52601-9. 
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Robinson, Jeffrey (1994). Bardot - Two Lives. Simon & Schuster (London). ASIN: B000KK1LBM. 
  9. ^ http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/files/1958_0209_cover.jpg
  10. ^ Follain, John (2006-04-09). Brigitte Bardot. The Times Online, Life & Style. Retrieved 2 April 2009.
  11. ^ BRIGITTE BARDOT FOUNDATION for the welfare and protection of animals
  12. ^ PHOTOICON ONLINE FEATURES: Andy Martin: Brigitte Bardot
  13. ^ Mr Pop History
  14. ^ BBC News Bardot savages Chirac and China
  15. ^ BBC News Bardot 'saves' Bucharest's dogs
  16. ^ a b "Drinking champagne with: Brigitte Bardot; And God Created An Animal Lover By Alan Riding, published: 30 March 1994". The New York Times. 2008-01-14. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9806E5DE143FF933A05750C0A962958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved on 2008-01-14. 
  17. ^ a b c "BBC News Bardot racism conviction upheld". BBC News. 2001-05-11. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1324707.stm. Retrieved on 2008-01-17. 
  18. ^ BBC News Bardot fined for racist remarks
  19. ^ a b c "Bardot anti-Muslim comments draw fire". BBC News. 2003-05-14. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3027955.stm. Retrieved on 2008-01-17. 
  20. ^ "Brigitte Bardot’s Cry In The Silence". By David Orland. 2003-09-02. http://vdare.com/misc/orland_silence.htm. Retrieved on 2008-01-14. 
  21. ^ a b Brigitte Bardot unleashes colourful diatribe against Muslims and modern France : Indybay
  22. ^ "Brigitte a Political Animal by David Usborne". The Independent (London). 2006-03-24. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20060324/ai_n16163852/pg_2. Retrieved on 2008-01-09. 
  23. ^ "Bardot fined for 'race hate' book". BBC News. 2004-06-10. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3794513.stm. Retrieved on 2008-06-03. 
  24. ^ "Bardot denies 'race hate' charge". BBC News. 2003-05-07. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3692965.stm. Retrieved on 2008-01-17. 
  25. ^ Brigitte Bardot: Heroine of Free Speech
  26. ^ Style Icon : Brigitte Bardot
  27. ^ Sixties Central
  28. ^ BuziosOnline., Character and stories. Retrieved 19 December 2007.
  29. ^ BuziosOnline.com
  30. ^ Miles, Barry (1998). Many Years From Now. Vintage-Random House. ISBN 0-7493-8658-4.  p69
  31. ^ Spitz, Bob (2005). The Beatles: The Biography. Little, Brown and Company (New York). ISBN 1-84513-160-6.  p171
  32. ^ Lennon, John (1986). Skywriting by Word of Mouth. Harper Collins. ISBN 0060156562.  p24
  33. ^ Empireonline.com Retrieved 19 December 2007.
  34. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:a9ftxqe5ldfe~T2

Literature

External links

Preceded by
N/A
Marianne
1970–1978
Succeeded by
Mireille Mathieu



 
 

 

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