Brigitte Bardot turns 75

Brigitte Bardot, actress, model, songwriter and activist, will be honored for the first time in France for her body of work by an exhibit of photos in Paris’ Espace Landowski. Bardot who turns 75 September 28 will not attend nor been seen in public in connection with the celebration. Stricken with arthritis, Bardot now walks with crutches and remains reclusive.

Born September 28, 1943 in Paris as Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot, she was first featured on the cover of Elle at age 15. She debuted in her first film- Crazy for Love, a comedy, in 1952. She also played bit parts in Helen of Troy (1954), Doctor at Sea (1955).

 

In 1955 Bardot appeared in And God Created Woman, directed by her then husband Roger Vadim. Her explosive sexuality and carefree appearance quickly made her a lightning rod for feminism. Bardot’s name became a household word, the embodiment of a sexual revolution and a free spirit. 

 Other films in which Bardot appeared include: The Invitation to the Castle, Une Parisienne, Act of Love, Babette Goes to War and, Contempt. 

Bardot has been featured in Elle and countless other magazines covers, including Playboy in the U.S as a celebration of her 40th birthday.

 Married four times Bardot has a son from her second marriage with Jacques Charrier. Her son Nicolas-Jacques was raised by the Charrier family and Nicolas had little contact with his mother until adulthood.

Activism and controversy are not unfamiliar to Bardot. On her 40th birthday Bardot announced her retirement. Having completed over 50 films and countless recordings, Bardot would now focus her attention and fame for the promotion of animal rights. The Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Protection and Welfare of Animals was founded in 1986. She was outspoken with the Canadian government regarding seal hunting and, most recently donated $140,000.00 for a sterilization project in Bucharest, a city with an estimated 300,000 stray dogs. 

In her retirement Bardot never shied away from politics either. She has been arrested and convicted 5 times on charges of inciting racial hatred for the expression of what she perceived as the uncontrolled Islamicizaton of France and a border policy allowing huge numbers of immigrants into her beloved France. In 1997 Bardot was fined for comments published in the newspaper Le Figaro. Though she had long since retired from her film career, Bardot remained controversial and in the spotlight through political expression and activism.

  Though not seen in public in a very long time one can view Bardot, chronicled in more than 2,000 photos, now through the end of January 2010. The journalistic display at Espace Landowski is located in Paris at 28, ave. Andre Morizet Boulogne-Billancourt just outside the city.