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Brigitte Bardot, born in
1934, French actor who became an international sex symbol before retiring from
show business to devote herself to the cause of animal rights. Born Camille
Javal in Paris, she began modeling in fashion magazines at the age of 15 and
made her debut as an actor in motion pictures in the low-budget comedy Le
trou normand (Crazy for Love, 1952). That same year she married Roger Vadim
(in the first of several marriages), who was then an assistant to French
director Marc Allégret. Vadim's directorial debut, Et Dieu créa la femme
(1956; And God Created Woman, 1957) was a showcase for Bardot's physical
endowments and playful sensuality. The film was an international sensation,
particularly in the United States, where viewers glimpsed nudity in film for the
first time since the advent of the Production Code (which, imposed in 1934 and
dissolved in the 1950s, strictly regulated the moral values of films; see
Motion Pictures, History of: The Mature Silent Film).
Bardot's image was further developed in a series of minor
French and Italian comedies, most of which prominently featured her in various
stages of undress. She gained respect as an actor after starring in La
verité (1960; The Truth, 1961), by French director Henri-Georges
Clouzot, and Le mepris (Contempt, 1963), by French director
Jean-Luc Godard. Subsequent film appearances did not achieve great
popular or critical success, but her worldwide celebrity did not wane. After her
retirement from acting in 1973, she largely withdrew from public view but
continued to make headlines through tireless advocacy for animal rights. She
established a foundation for the protection of animals in 1976 and was awarded
the French Legion of Honour in 1985. |
