Brigitte Bardot's Life in Photos
Rare photos of the French style icon like you haven't seen before.
"A photograph can be an instant of life captured for eternity that will never cease looking back at you," Brigitte Bardot once said. Bardot no doubt has several instants of her life that seem immortalized forever. But beyond the iconic images of her sporting perfectly tousled updos on the red carpet or nautical striped shirts in St. Tropez, there's a whole catalog of less widely known, rarer Bardot photos, too. Here, take a tour of the career and personal life of the French actress, singer, model, and style icon.
1940: A Young Brigitte Bardot
Born into a wealthy and conservative Parisian family in 1934, Bardot was raised in the 16th arrondissement of the city.
1946: A Life in Dance
Bardot's mother encouraged her to take up dance and by the time she was 13, she was admitted to the prestigious Conservatoire de Paris to train under Russian choreographer Boris Knyazev.
1950: A Modeling Career
When Bardot was 15 years old, she began to explore a career in modeling. She appeared on the cover of Elle in 1950 and again later in 1952, both of which brought perspective acting roles.
1952: Her First Film
Bardot appeared in her first feature film in 1952 as Javotte Lemoine in Le Trou Normand (English title: Crazy for Love). The film was a comedy, featuring French actor Andre Bourvil.
1952: Life at Home
The newlyweds are seen embracing as a photographer visits the couple's apartment in Paris.
1953: A Big Film
Bardot looks every inch the glamorous film star as she makes her way through the crowds at the Cannes Film Festival in 1953, where she was promoting her first American film, Act of Love.
1953: Friendly Co-stars
Kirk Douglas, Bardot's Act of Love co-star, is seen chatting with the French actress on the beach in Cannes.
1955: A Big Role
Bardot landed a coveted role as the handmaiden, Andraste, in Helen of Troy. Here, the actress is seen attempting to push the wheel of the Trojan horse on set.
1956: Her Breakthrough Role
Bardot had been appearing in prominent films since her film debut, but her role in her husband's directorial debut, And God Created Woman, was what ultimately launched her international film career to new heights.
1956: Becoming a Movie Star
After her role in And God Created Woman, Bardot could hardly walk down the street without being recognized. The sexually explicit movie gained her and her husband director Roger Vadim fame and notoriety.
1956: The Sex Kitten
By 1956, the French actress started garnering more and more attention (especially across the Atlantic) and the term sex kitten was coined to describe her sultry looks.
1956: On Set Again
Bardot looks relaxed in a striped t-shirt and jeans while on location filming La mariée est trop belle (The Bride is Too Beautiful).
1957: Splitting Up
After five years of marriage, Bardot and Vadim divorced in 1957. However, the couple remained professionally tied to one another, as Vadim directed Bardot in the 1958 film The Night Heaven Fell.
1958: 'The Woman'
Bardot traveled to Sevilla, Spain to film La Femme et le Pantin, which was released in the United States as The Woman. Here, the actress is seen at a flamenco show in Spain.
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