Former French film star Brigitte Bardot has died at the age of 91. her foundation announced on Sunday. She did not state the date of her death. In this context, TASR presents a profile of the actress.
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardotová (later also known by the abbreviation BB) was born on September 28, 1934 in Paris into a well-to-do family. She attended a ballet conservatory and wanted to become a professional ballerina. The problem was her height, which, however, together with her charming face, opened the door to the world of modeling.
Already at the age of 15, she appeared on the front pages of leading fashion magazines. At that time, the young beauty met the assistant director, later the famous director Roger Vadim, who decided to make her a star of the silver screen. It was he who brought Brigitte Bardot to the director Marc Allegret, and he cast the attractive Frenchwoman in the comedy Le Trou normand (1952).
In 1955, she appeared again in front of the camera in Vadim’s romantic film The Cursed Girl (1955). In the movie And God Created a Woman, she caught the eye with heavily made-up eyes, contrasting with her long blonde hair. It was the iconic look of the new movie star, copied throughout the 1960s.
In Spain, Vadim and Bardot filmed another crime drama Moonlight Jewelers (1958). The actress also demonstrated her talent in the film In Case of Misfortune (1958) directed by Claude Autant-Lar, based on the original by Georges Simenon. Brigitte Bardot perfectly portrayed the naive, whimsical Yvette with amazing sex appeal, and the famous Jean Gabin played his big role in the role of attorney Gobillot.
However, the daughter of rich, strict and caring parents had a hard time getting used to the life of a closely watched idol. Her personal drama culminated in a suicide attempt on her 26th birthday in 1960. “Roger Vadim became famous all over the world as a director and I as an actress, but the other side of the coin was terrible. My life was completely turned upside down. I was watched, spied on, adored and even insulted. My private life became public. I found myself trapped overnight,” the actress complained over time.
At that time, Bardot finished filming Henri-George Clouzot’s courtroom drama Pravda (1960). Later on, the film was rarely screened, yet it was one of the most visited French films in the 1960s and was an unprecedented success. In it, Brigitte Bardot played her great character role of young Dominique, who is accused of murdering her ex-boyfriend Gilbert.
In the film Private Life directed by Louis Malle, where she starred with Marcello Mastroianni, the French actress showed the public a picture of her own life, her transformation from an idol to a victim. In Jean-Luc Godard’s next film Contempt (1963), she played the demanding role of Michel Piccoli’s partner, but mostly proved herself in films in which she had the opportunity to show off her charm.
She appeared in the western comedy Viva Maria! (Louise Malle, 1965) and in the adventure film Rumovy Boulevard (1971), where Lino Ventura was her film partner. “No other actress could slip into the character of a 1920s star as easily as Brigitte Bardot,” stated director Robert Enrico after the premiere of the film.
Less successful films followed. The last one in which the admired artist starred was the comedy Sukničkár Colinot (1973) directed by Nina Companéez. At the age of thirty-nine, the “divine BB” decided to leave the world of film. “It’s been a dream life, but it’s also been pretty annoying,” the actress commented.
Brigitte Bardot was married several times. Vadim was her first husband in 1952–1957. In 1959, she married actor Jacques Charrier, with whom she has a son, Nicolas. German millionaire Gunter Sachs became her next husband. In 1992, she married French politician Bernard d’Ormale.
