Brigitte Bardot biography, age, young photos, husband, children, son, now 2025

Biography of Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot, France's beloved icon and the ultimate sex symbol of the late 20th century, is a legendary actress and model who walked away from stardom at her peak to dedicate her life to animal rescue and protection. Brigitte introduced women to "beehive" hairstyles and popularized the bikini. She transformed the sleepy towns of Cannes and Saint-Tropez into glamorous destinations for the jet set, and her signature thick black eyeliner remains a staple of evening makeup.

Childhood and Teenage Years

The future screen icon was born into a wealthy, respectable Parisian bourgeois family. Her father, Louis Bardot, trained as an engineer, founded a small family business producing acetylene and compressed air that provided steady income. In his free time, he pursued poetry and photography, publishing several poetry collections—one earning a prestigious award from the French Academy of Words.

Her mother, Anne-Marie Mucel (known as Tati to the family), was an aspiring actress who raised Brigitte and her younger sister, Marie-Jeanne. In her spare time, she designed hats for fashionable Parisians.

Brigitte wasn't the favored child—her parents had hoped for a boy, an heir to carry on the family business. Before their daughter's birth, a street fortune-teller predicted the Bardot name would become world-famous, and her father assumed it would be through the family business. But instead of a boy, a girl was born.

Marie-Jeanne Bardot, Brigitte's younger sister

Hard to believe, but young Brigitte was a classic "ugly duckling"—she suffered from allergic breakouts and wore both glasses and braces. She was also moody and antisocial—a "grump," as her mother put it. Tati would scold her eldest daughter over minor infractions and insisted she address her formally. Brigitte always felt like an outsider in her own home, unlike her younger sister, who was adored by everyone.

As a child, Brigitte Bardot considered herself an ugly duckling

The only solace for the girl was dancing. At twelve, she enrolled in the National Conservatory's choreography program and studied under Boris Knyazev, a former member of Sergei Diaghilev's legendary troupe. Ballet transformed Brigitte—she developed grace and confidence, completely shedding her childhood insecurities.

High-society guests who frequented the Bardot home took notice and predicted a successful modeling career for the girl. Convinced by their encouragement, her mother let her fourteen-year-old daughter do a photoshoot for ELLE magazine—but only if their family name wasn't used. Brigitte earned 50 francs for the shoot, and the photos were labeled with the initials B.B.

Brigitte Bardot's first photoshoot for Elle

The photos of young Bardot created a sensation—the entire issue sold out instantly, and fashion photographers lined up to work with her. Seeing the excitement, Tati decided to feature her daughter in the promotion of her hats and organized a fashion show with a ballet theme. During the runway show, her ballet tutu accidentally or intentionally fell off, causing a stir with the audience. What Tati considered her daughter's disgrace turned into a triumph – all of Paris started talking about the young beauty.

Filmmakers also took an interest in her, particularly Roger Vadim, who was working as an assistant to director Marc Allégret. Flipping through ELLE magazine, he spotted Brigitte's photos and was instantly mesmerized. He suggested to Allégret that they invite the young beauty for a screen test for the film Crazy for Love and personally approached her parents. Tati and Louis were dead set against their daughter's involvement in the project – they saw movies as vulgar and acting as no career for a respectable young woman. But Roger won them over, and they agreed to let Brigitte take part under his watchful eye.

The screen tests went well, but the film's production was unexpectedly canceled. But Brigitte was already hooked on the idea of acting, and Roger wasn't about to let the girl who'd enchanted him slip away. They began meeting in secret – her parents were horrified at the thought of their teenage daughter dating an older man.

Brigitte started skipping school, her father found out, and decided to send her to study in England. When begging and pleading didn't work, Bardot waited until no one was home and tried to kill herself with gas from the kitchen stove. Luckily, she was rescued in time, and after this shocking incident, her parents finally agreed to let her see Roger – but only if he got "a respectable, steady job."

Brigitte Bardot and Roger Vadim soon married

Hoping to snap his daughter out of this "nonsense" and get her back to ballet, Louis reached out to his friend André-Pierre Tarba, who ran entertainment programs on cruise ships, asking him to take Brigitte along as a dancer. Tarba sent the girl on a two-week cruise aboard the liner "Admiral de Grasse," where she performed with the "Paris Ballet" troupe. Audiences loved the young performer, but she'd already made up her mind about acting and couldn't see herself dancing forever.

Acting Career

After returning to Paris, Bardot had another successful photoshoot for ELLE. The press started talking about her, and she received more acting offers. Her father reluctantly turned to his friend Maurice Vernan to manage her career. Vernan found her a small role in Jean Boyer's comedy "Crazy for Love" (1952), marking her film debut. On set, the inexperienced actress struggled with nerves and felt disappointed in her performance. She nearly quit acting altogether, but Vadim convinced her to try again.

Vadim arranged for her to star in the melodrama "Manina, the Girl in the Bikini" (1952), catapulting her to fame as France's newest sex symbol at just seventeen. Though her father tried desperately to preserve her modesty and ban the revealing costume, Bardot's bikini scene launched her stardom. She discovered her power, shed her inhibitions, went platinum blonde, and fully embraced her sex appeal.

Manina, the Girl in the Bikini with Brigitte Bardot

Bardot had little acting experience and felt intimidated by the camera and her famous co-stars. But with Vadim's support and her new agent Olga Horstig-Primuce pushing her forward, she kept working and slowly built her skills. Despite knowing little English, she memorized dialogues for English-language films. Olga pushed her to enroll at René Simon's acting school, but Bardot quit, convinced she'd learn better by doing.

Over four years, Bardot appeared in 17 films and became a major star in France. But Roger knew his beloved Brigitte had what it took to conquer the world. He set out to create the perfect vehicle for her talents, writing the script himself and securing the financing.

When "And God Created Woman" exploded into theaters in 1956, it ignited a cultural revolution. Bardot embodied the sexually free-spirited Juliette, torn between three lovers—essentially playing herself as Vadim saw her.

Brigitte Bardot in And God Created Woman

Bardot's nude scenes set against Saint-Tropez's stunning coastline scandalized European viewers and absolutely horrified puritanical Americans. Texas and other states banned the film outright, but massive box office numbers forced its release despite outraged moralists and clergy.

A shot from the movie And God Created Woman

"Bardot-mania" was born—she joined the ranks of the world's most captivating women alongside Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, and Audrey Hepburn. The film is considered to have initiated the cinematic sexual revolution of the early 1960s.

Bardot herself never expected such a buzz – she never saw herself as an outstanding actress or ideal beauty. The comparison to Marilyn Monroe flattered her – she always admired this remarkable woman and considered her the epitome of female beauty and sensuality.

When "Babette Goes to War" hit theaters in 1959, women worldwide started copying her towering hairstyle – dubbed "Babette" – and hats resembling her character's army helmet became all the rage.

Brigitte set the trend for the Babette hairstyle

Throughout her twenty-year acting career, Bardot appeared in fifty films. Her co-stars included Jean Marais, Alain Delon, Jean Gabin, Marcello Mastroianni, Annie Girardot, and other screen legends. Bardot never saw herself as a star, preferring breezy roles that didn't demand serious acting chops. This led her to pass on many major roles, including Angélique in the film adaptations of Anne and Serge Golon's novels.

Bardot strictly followed directors' orders and never tried to add her own spin to roles – for her, acting was simply a paycheck, not personal or creative fulfillment. She preferred living by her feelings – she couldn't imagine life without love, thrived on captivating men, and did whatever she wanted without looking back.

Brigitte Bardot - L'appareil à sous

In the early 1960s, Bardot decided to become a singer and released several solo albums of lyrical songs in French, English, and Spanish. Many of her songs were made into music videos, which in 1967 formed the basis of the musical show "The Unmistakable Bardot."

Serge Gainsbourg et Brigitte Bardot - Comic Strip

Public Activity

Bardot considers saving and protecting animals her life's main mission. She walked away from the film industry at 39, at the height of her fame, for this humane cause. In 1962, the actress publicly condemned the cruel slaughter methods used in slaughterhouses and within a few years, successfully pushed for butchers to be required to use special electric shock pistols.

The Untold Truth Of Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte then launched an aggressive campaign against the barbaric killing of seals, enlisting many global celebrities in her cause. Bardot campaigned against bullfighting, cockfighting, dogfighting, uncontrolled hunting, and the fur trade. She called fur coats "animal cemeteries" and urged fashionistas to swap real fur for faux alternatives and choose eco-leather and other synthetic materials.

Brigitte Bardot against the Killing of Seals

Bardot donated huge sums to mass sterilization programs for dogs and to organizing shelters for stray animals. She repeatedly spoke at the United Nations and other major international organizations, sought meetings with world leaders and royalty, and even in her old age, actively joined mass protests defending animals.

Brigitte Bardot, animal activist in 1966

She condemned French President Emmanuel Macron, who she believes lobbies for livestock breeders and hunters, while expressing respect for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who cares for Amur tigers and "has done more for animal protection than all French presidents combined."

To This Day, Brigitte Remains a Devoted Defender of Animals

Through her animal protection work, Bardot often found herself in legal battles. She faced accusations of inciting ethnic hatred when she criticized religious ritual animal killings during Muslim holidays. But Brigitte stood her ground and continues speaking out against mass immigration of refugees from the East to France. She believes that accommodating the Islamic population and their imposed traditions will ruin France and strip it of its national identity.

Brigitte holds conservative views and has twice backed Marine Le Pen (leader of the Front National party) in presidential elections. She's been fined several times (most recently in 2022 for 40,000 euros) for inciting racial hatred through offensive comments about Muslims and migrants.

Feminists don't like her because in 2018, Brigitte criticized the #MeToo movement, claiming young actresses were to blame for what happened because "they tease producers to get a role."

Personal Life of Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot married Roger Vadim in 1952, right after turning eighteen. Vadim changed his religion from Orthodox to Catholic for the woman he loved.

Roger Vadim – Brigitte Bardot's first husband

The newlyweds lived in a small apartment that Bardot's parents gave them, initially facing serious financial difficulties. To make ends meet, Brigitte starred in low-budget films while Roger worked as a journalist for Paris Match and wrote scripts in his spare time.

After the wedding, they lived modestly but happily

Using his film industry connections, he became his wife's press agent, wanting the world to know and adore Brigitte. Like Pygmalion, he molded her into his ideal woman, advising her to dye her hair blonde, pout her lips seductively, heavily line her eyes, and embrace her nudity.

In 1956, he finally achieved his dream and cast Bardot in his own film. Vadim believed that no other director could reveal her as he could, and he was absolutely right. The only thing Roger didn't count on was that his passionate wife fell madly in love with her co-star, Jean-Louis Trintignant, an unknown actor from a provincial theater.

They played a couple in love so realistically that Vadim began to doubt his wife's fidelity. Brigitte, who wasn't used to lying, honestly told her husband about the affair. Knowing Brigitte's stubborn nature, Roger didn't force her to stay and granted her a divorce.

Brigitte Bardot and Jean-Louis Trintignant

Brigitte lived with Trintignant for just two years before falling in love again, this time with her co-star in Babette Goes to War, Jacques Charrier. After filming, the couple went on vacation to Chamonix, where Brigitte became pregnant. By the time the actress found out she was pregnant, it was too late for an abortion.

Charrier was thrilled about the pregnancy, but Bardot didn't want to become a mother and spent her final months in severe depression, refusing to leave the house. She compared the unborn child to a tumor feeding off her body, and when the baby was born, she refused to breastfeed him.

The actress suffered from pregnancy and did not want a child

Charrier was shocked by his wife's behavior and was so distressed that he attempted suicide, but was saved. After rehabilitation in a psychiatric clinic, Jacques tried to make Bardot a model wife and mother, but it was impossible. She continued her acting career, and their fights often ended in scandals and even physical confrontations. Once, Brigitte overdosed on pills.

They managed to save her, but she resumed her old ways and started an affair with Sami Frey, her co-star in The Truth. Jacques caught the couple in a car and started a fight with them. Paparazzi captured the scene, and the photos spread worldwide. Humiliated, Jacques filed for divorce, won custody of their son, and took Nicolas with him. From then on, the boy saw his mother only on special occasions, and even less as he grew older.

Nicolas studied economics at the University of Paris while pursuing his passion for music, writing songs and creating arrangements. In his final year, Pierre Cardin noticed him and invited him to work as a model in his fashion house. At one of the shows, Nicolas met Norwegian model Anne-Lyn Bierkan, and they married in 1984. He didn't invite his mother to the wedding – a devastating blow to her. The newlyweds moved to Norway, where their daughters Anna-Kristina and Thea-Josephine were born.

Left: Brigitte Bardot with her son, right: Nicolas Charrier with his wife now

Later, Brigitte attempted to repair their relationship by visiting Nicolas in Oslo, but he greeted her coldly. After Bardot's memoirs were published, he actually sued her, accusing her of publicly exposing family secrets and insulting the family. The actress paid a 250-franc fine and gave up on reconciling with her son.

Anna Charrier, Brigitte Bardot's granddaughter

Brigitte's third husband was the extravagant German multimillionaire Gunter Sachs. He met the actress on a dare and soon found himself walking down the aisle with her. Their marriage was short-lived due to their vastly different personalities.

In 1992, Brigitte decided to marry again, this time to Bernard d'Ormale, a former adviser to the National Front of France and an associate of Marine Le Pen. Together, they openly expressed disdain for Muslim immigrants, homosexuals, and the modern French political scene, drawing multiple accusations of racial, national, and sexual intolerance.

Brigitte celebrated her 85th birthday at her sprawling Saint-Tropez mansion, surrounded by numerous four-legged companions. The actress rarely interacts with the outside world or appears in public, preferring to spend her time reading books and writing memoirs.

Brigitte Bardot in Saint-Tropez (2018)

Brigitte Bardot Now

Since the late 1950s, Bardot has lived in a Saint-Tropez villa, helping transform the area from a quiet fishing village into an elite resort. The actress leads a secluded life, dedicating all her time to the roughly two hundred animals at her villa. Brigitte viewed the enforced isolation and quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic as a blessing. She enjoys the peace and quiet, free from the tourist crowds that annually flood Saint-Tropez's beaches and scenic surroundings.

Bardot doesn't receive guests or see her son, despite numerous reconciliation attempts and frequent expressions of regret in her memoirs for her maternal coldness and neglect. Her furry companions have completely replaced human contact, and in their company, the actress feels truly needed and happy.

In September 2024, the actress celebrated her 90th birthday.

Photos: Brigitte Bardot