Brigitte Bardot
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Brigitte Bardot | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot[1][2] September 28, 1934 Paris, France |
| Other name(s) | BB |
| Spouse(s) | Roger Vadim (1952-1957) Jacques Charrier (1959-1962) Gunter Sachs (1966-1969) Bernard d'Ormale (1992-present) |
Brigitte Bardot (French IPA: [bʁiʒit baʁˈdo]) (born September 28, 1934) is a BAFTA Awards-nominated French actress, former fashion model, singer, Animal welfare/rights activist, and considered the embodiment of the 1950s and 1960s sex kitten. In 2007 she was named among Empire's 100 Sexiest Film Stars.[3]
In the 1970s after her retirement from the entertainment industry, Bardot established herself as an animal rights activist, which work she continues today. During the 1990s she was outspoken about her political views on such issues as immigration, Islam in France, and homosexuality.[4]
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Brigitte Bardot (full name is Brigitte Anne-Marie 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 14 years younger than him; they married in 1933. Encouraged by their mother, Brigitte and her younger sister Marie-Jeanne ('Mijanou', born May 5, 1938) were going in for dances since their childhood. Mijanou displayed more interest in exact sciences and eventually gave up on dancing lessons to complete her education, whereas Brigitte, who had natural plasticity and grace, decided to concentrate on a ballet career. In 1947, having passed entrance examinations, Bardot was accepted as a student of The National Superior Conservatory of Paris for Music and Dance and attended ballet classes of Russian choreographer Boris Knyazev for three years (One of her classmates was Leslie Caron). In 1949 she participated in a fashion show as a model by invitation of her mother's acquaintance; in the same year she modelled for a fashion magazine "Jardin des Modes" managed by another friend of her mother, journalist Hélène Lazareff. She appeared on a cover of ELLE issued on March 8, 1950[5] 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 to take part in an audition for his film "Les lauriers sont coupés" thereafter. Although Bardot got the role, the shooting of the film was cancelled, but it made her consider becoming an actress. Moreover, her acquaintance with Vadim, who attended the audition, influenced her further life and career.[6][7]
[edit] Career
Although the European film industry was then in its ascendancy, Bardot's personal rise was remarkable; she has been 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 played a part in Jean Anouilh's stageplay "L'Invitation au château" ("The Invitation to a Castle"). In April 1953 she attended Cannes Film Festival where received media attention.[7] "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, 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 eighteenth) and that it launched her to overnight stardom, but it did help move her towards the cinematic mainstream.
In Hollywood, Bardot would be considered too risqué to handle - erotica like Bardot's Cette sacrée gamine (That Crazy Kid, 1955) was not typical of the American cinema of this period, and it was considered acceptable at the box office so long as it was clearly labelled "European." The Doris Day era was still in full swing, and even Jane Russell in The French Line (1953) had been thought to be going too far by showing her midriff. Furthermore, Bardot's limited English and strong accent, while beguiling to the ears of men, 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, and Bardot was voted honorary sex-goddess of the decade. True or false, but 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.[7]
She divorced Vadim in 1957 and in 1959 married actor Jacques Charrier, with whom she starred in Babette Goes to War (1959). Her marriage was preyed on by the paparazzi, and there were clashes 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.
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 notorious "Je t'aime... moi non plus".
[edit] Personal life
On December 21, 1952, at the age of 18, Bardot married director Roger Vadim with whom she had been romantically involved for several years. 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 further on. Bardot had an affair with her And God Created Woman co-star Jean-Louis Trintignant (who at that time was married to a French actress Stephane Audran) followed by her divorce from Vadim. [6][7] 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 was eventually ended.[6]
The February 9, 1958 edition of the Los Angeles Times reported on the front page that Bardot was recovering in Italy from a reported nervous breakdown. A two-days earlier suicide attempt with sleeping pills was denied by her public relations manager. [8].
On June 18, 1959 she married actor Jacques Charrier, by whom she had her only child, a son, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier (born Jan.11, 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.[6]
Bardot's other husbands were German millionaire playboy Gunter Sachs (July 14, 1966 - October 1, 1969 ), and Bernard d'Ormale (August 16, 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[6][7]. In the late 1950s she shared an exchange she considered croiser de deux sillages 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 to any depth whatsoever.' In the 1970s, she lived with the sculptor Miroslav Brozek and posed for some of his sculptures.
[edit] 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 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.
Considered a militant for animal protection, she condemned seal hunting in Canada during a visit to that country. She sought to discuss the issue with Stephen Harper, though her request for a meeting was denied.[9]
She once had a neighbor's donkey castrated while looking after it, on the ground of its "sexual harassment" of her own donkey and mare, for which she was taken to court by the donkey's owner in 1989[10][11].
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".[12]
She has donated more than $140,000 over two years for a mass sterilisation and adoption program for Bucharest's stray dogs, estimated to number 300,000.[13]
[edit] Politics, controversy and legal issues
In 1960s Bardot expressed support for President Charles de Gaulle.[6][14] Her husband Bernard d'Ormal, to whom she has been married since 1992, is a former adviser of the Front National[7][14].
Bardot was convicted several times for "inciting racial hatred" in various written articles and comments made in interviews. In 1997 she was fined for her comments published in Le Figaro newspaper. Her next conviction came in 1998 for the statement about the growing number of mosques in France. In June 2000 a French court fined her 30,000 francs for the comments, which were published in 1999 in her book Le Carre de Pluton.[15] [16].
In 2001 Bardot was prosecuted over her article called Open Letter to My Lost France.[17][16]
With the publication of her 2003 book A Scream in the Silence the reclusive Bardot has come under considerable fire for comments which certains political fields described as anti-Muslim and homophobic.[18] In May 2003 the MRAP announced it would sue Bardot for her published views. Another organisation - the "Ligue des Droits de l'Homme" (The Human Rights League) - announced they were also considering similar legal proceedings.[16]
Bardot, in a letter to a French gay magazine, wrote in her defense: "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."[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 faced from French courts. The courts cited passages where Bardot referred to the "Islamisation of France" and the "underground and dangerous infiltration of Islam"[20].
Bardot denied "racial hatred" charge and apologized in court, saying: "I never knowingly wanted to hurt anybody. It is not in my character.[21]
[edit] Bardot's influence
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 and Charrier wedding.[22][23] 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 for 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.[24] Bardot's notoriety popularized Buzios.[24] There is a statue by Christina Motta[25] of Brigitte Bardot in Buzios, Brazil in honor of her influence in popularizing the city.
Bardot was idolized by young John Lennon and Paul McCartney[26][27]. They had plans of shooting a film featuring The Beatles and Bardot, similar to A Hard Day's Night, but it was never fulfilled.[7]
She dabbled in pop music and played the role of 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.
[edit] Mentions of Bardot in music
The first "Brigitte Bardot" song was released by Achilles and his Heels on the Fontana label in 1961.
Indie singer Jordan Galland also has a song called "Brigitte Bardot".
Bardot has also been referenced in many other songs, including "We Didn't Start the Fire" (Billy Joel), "Message of Love" (The Pretenders), "I Think I'm Going To Kill Myself" (Elton John), "I Shall Be Free" (Bob Dylan), "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), "Big Wedge" (Fish) and "Alegria, Alegria" (Caetano Veloso).
[edit] Quotations
[edit] About Bardot
- "She is the princess of pout, the countess of come hither. Brigitte Bardot exuded a carefree, naïve sexuality that brought a whole new audience to French films." Time magazine.[28]
- "I’ve always preferred mythology to history. History is composed of truths that become lies, mythology of lies that become truths. One characteristic of our age is that it creates instant myths in every field. The press is responsible for inventing people who already exist and endowing them with an imaginary life, superimposed on their own. Brigitte Bardot is a perfect example of this odd concoction. It is likely that fate set her down at the precise point where dream and morality merge. Her beauty and talent are undeniable, but she posses some other, unknown quality which attracts idolaters in an age deprived of gods." – Jean Cocteau[29]
[edit] Filmography
[edit] 1950s
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[edit] 1960s
[edit] 1970s
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[edit] Discography
[edit] Compilation
- Best Of BB (1998, Philips/Mercury) 1963-1973
[edit] Box Set
- Initiales B.B. (1993, 3CDs, Philips/Mercury) 1962-1973/1982
- Rush Hour 3 song performer ("Bonnie and Clyde") 2007
[edit] References
- ^ http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/brigitte_bardot
- ^ Daily Celebrations ~ Brigitte Bardot, Cat Transformed ~ September 28 ~ Ideas to motivate, educate, and inspire
- ^ Empireonline.com Retrieved December 19, 2007.
- ^ Jonathan Benthall Animal liberation and rights Anthropology Today Volume 23 Issue 2 Page 1 - April 2007
- ^ The Biography Channel - Brigitte Bardot Biography
- ^ a b c d e f Bardot, Brigitte (1996). Initiales B.B.. Grasset & Fasquelle. ISBN 2-246-52601-9.
- ^ a b c d e f g Robinson, Jeffrey (1994). Bardot - Two Lives. Simon & Schuster (London). ISBN 0671713272.
- ^ [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/files/1958_0209_cover.jpg
- ^ BRIGITTE BARDOT FOUNDATION for the welfare and protection of animals
- ^ PHOTOICON ONLINE FEATURES: Andy Martin: Brigitte Bardot
- ^ Mr Pop History
- ^ BBC News Bardot savages Chirac and China
- ^ BBC News Bardot 'saves' Bucharest's dogs
- ^ a b "Drinking champagne with: Brigitte Bardot; And God Created An Animal Lover By Alan Riding, published: March 30, 1994", The New York Times, 2008-01-14. Retrieved on 2008-01-14.
- ^ BBC News Bardot fined for racist remarks
- ^ a b c "Bardot anti-Muslim comments draw fire", BBC News, 2003-05-14. Retrieved on 2008-01-17.
- ^ "BBC News Bardot racism conviction upheld", BBC News, 2001-05-11. Retrieved on 2008-01-17.
- ^ "Brigitte Bardot’s Cry In The Silence", By David Orland, 2003-09-02. Retrieved on 2008-01-14.
- ^ "Brigitte a Political Animal by David Usborne", The Independent (London), 2006-03-24. Retrieved on 2008-01-09.
- ^ Brigitte Bardot unleashes colourful diatribe against Muslims and modern France : Indybay
- ^ "Bardot denies 'race hate' charge", BBC News, 2003-05-07. Retrieved on 2008-01-17.
- ^ Style Icon : Brigitte Bardot
- ^ Sixties Central
- ^ a b BuziosOnline., Character and stories. Retrieved December 19, 2007.
- ^ BuziosOnline.com
- ^ Miles, Barry (1998). Many Years From Now. Vintage-Random House. ISBN 0-7493-8658-4. p69
- ^ Spitz, Bob (2005). The Beatles: The Biography. Little, Brown and Company (New York). ISBN 1-84513-160-6. p171
- ^ Rebecca Leffler (2007). And God Created... Bardot. Moving Pictures Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
- ^ Jean Cocteau, in Stop, October 1962.
[edit] Literature
- Brigitte Tast, Hans-Jürgen Tast (Hrsg.) Brigitte Bardot. Filme 1953-1961. Anfänge des Mythos B.B. (Hildesheim 1982) ISBN 3-88842-109-8.
[edit] External links
- Brigitte Bardot at the Internet Movie Database
- Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the welfare and protection of animals
- Brigitte Bardot at TV.com
- Review of Brigitte Bardot's Filmography on DVD
- Photogallery
| Preceded by N/A |
Marianne 1970–1978 |
Succeeded by Mireille Mathieu |
| Persondata | ||
|---|---|---|
| NAME | Bardot, Brigitte | |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | ||
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | French actress | |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 28, 1934 | |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Paris, France | |
| DATE OF DEATH | ||
| PLACE OF DEATH | ||
