Born September 28, 1934, in Paris, Brigitte Bardot spent much of her early life devoted to ballet. She attended class three days a week as a child and was accepted to Conservatoire de Paris in 1947, where she was a classmate of An American in Paris star Leslie Caron. As a teen, Bardot also began modeling and soon caught the eye of director Roger Vadim.
In 1952, Bardot starred in her first film and was an immediate success. Her risque roles in the early to mid-’50s made her a star all over the world and Hollywood soon came calling. However, Bardot had little interest in leaving her beloved France and after three English-language films, returned to French productions.
The late ’60s caw Bardot explore a singing career, especially with then-boyfriend Serge Gainsbourg, with whom she recorded the original version of his scandalous duet “Je t’aime…moi non plus” in 1968. The song became a hit the next year when Gainsbourg rerecorded it with Jane Birkin. Bardot originally begged Gainsbourg to not release their version but eventually changed her mind, allowing its release in 1986. After a string of hits in the late ’60s and early ’70s, Bardot decided to retire on a high note, leaving the entertainment industry in 1973.
Since then, Bardot has become an outspoken activist for animal rights, famously protesting seal hunts in Canada in 1977 and 2006. In 1986, Bardot established the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals which she funded by auctioning off her jewelry and other personal belongings. At 81 years old, Bardot still lives in France and is devoted to her causes as ever. She also made good on her “retirement” and has yet to return to the life she left behind at 39.
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