Brigitte
Bardot was born on September 28th, 1934 in Passy, France and was named
after her mother's favorite doll, but was known to her family as Bri-Bri.
As a child she wore glasses as a result of astigmatism and sported braces
in order to straighten out her crooked teeth. Sheltered by her parents
she was sent to the strict Hattenar private school where she bummed about
until discovering her love for dance, especially ballet.
At
the age of 14 Brigitte Bardot had transformed from an "ugly duckling"
into a beautiful young lady. While performing as a dance model for her
mothers shop, the young Brigitte was discovered by fashion designer
Jean Barthet who talked Brigitte and her mother into letting her model.
After appearing on the cover of a teen magazine Bardot was contacted
by ELLE magazine who was looking to replace a last minute model cancellation.
Her
mother was not interested but after much debating they agreed to let
Brigitte appear but under the abbreviation BB. French director Marc
Allegret noticed the ELLE spread and sent his student Roger Vadim (mistakenly
given credit for "discovering" Bardot), to seek out the stunning model.
Vadim fell for the aspiring starlet but after various screen tests no
work came in. Vadim continued to push Bardot who had become his lover
at age 15 and his bride weeks after her 18th birthday.
Bardot's
first film The Norman Hole (Le Trou Normand) came and went fast but
her second appearance in Manina, Girl Without Veils (Manina, La Fille
Sans Voile), had the public in a frenzy and clergymen tearing down the
films poster featuring a bikini clad Bardot. Brigitte Bardot started
to gain a reputation for her beauty and sexy film antics, but it wasn't
until 1956's And God Created Woman that Brigitte Bardot conquered the
world. And God Created Woman pushed Bardot to international stardom
while pushing the boundaries of sex in film. In the film Bardot saunters
around enjoying sex, sunbathing and dancing erotically.
The
world wasn't ready for the sultry Bardot but crowds continued to stream
in both at home and overseas despite the "X" ratings her films received.
In her career Brigitte Bardot would appear in some classics (Contempt,
Masculine-Feminine, Mam'selle Striptease, The Truth, And God Created
Woman) as well as some really shit films that only her looks and screen
presence can save (If Don Juan Were a Woman, Love on a Pillow)
Bardot
would never make a film made in America but she continued to be a huge
draw in film as well as print. Despite numerous suicide attempts and
love affairs gone bad Brigitte Bardot remains live and well actively
participating in the fight for animal rights.
