Jane Birkin biography, daughter, age and cause of death, personal life

Biography of Jane Birkin

Jane Mallory Birkin is a legendary actress, songwriter, and singer, known for her long romantic and creative partnership with the iconic French poet and composer Serge Gainsbourg.

With the release of their controversial joint hit "Je t'aime ... Moi Non Plus" in 1969, which featured imitated sounds during passionate sex (sighs, moans, etc.) and was banned in several countries, she became one of the world's main sex symbols.

The celebrity, mother of three daughters, has over eighty films, 13 studio albums, and 6 live albums to her name.

She has been awarded the French National Order of Merit, the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, and the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire. In her honor, the French brand Hermès named the Birkin handbag in 1984. Over the years, this accessory has become a symbol of high status, with prices reaching seven figures.

Childhood

Jane was born on December 14, 1946, in London, to a bohemian family of English aristocrat and naval officer David Birkin and actress Judy Campbell, the muse of Oscar-winning playwright Noël Coward.

She spent her childhood in the prestigious Chelsea neighborhood. Her parents, both creative individuals, raised her and her siblings—older brother Andrew and younger sister Linda—in a liberal environment. Together, they made home movies with funny real-life stories and organized exciting trips during the holidays.

First Steps in Creativity

At 16, the young beauty decided to follow in her mother's footsteps and began attending theater auditions. A year later, she landed her first role in one of the capital's theaters (Haymarket Theater) in the play "Carving a Statue." She then appeared in the musical "Passion Flower Hotel," showcasing her vocal and choreographic talents along with her dramatic skills. The premiere was a success in July 1965 at the Palace Theatre in Manchester. Subsequently, this play ran for another 148 performances at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London.

At 16, Jane decided to become an actress

Jane's film career began with the romantic comedy "The Knack ...and How to Get It." She then starred in the drama "The Idol" and the crime film "Kaleidoscope." However, she gained fame (albeit controversially) with Michelangelo Antonioni's art-house classic "Blowup," which won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1967. She played a girl aspiring to become a model, appearing completely nude.

In 1968-1969, four films featuring the actress in key roles hit the screens. These include the psychedelic film "Wonderwall" with a soundtrack by Beatle George Harrison, the detective movie "The Swimming Pool" where her co-stars were Alain Delon, Romy Schneider, and Maurice Ronet, the crime drama "The Roads to Kathmandu," and the film "Slogan," which became fateful for her due to her meeting Serge Gainsbourg.

In 1970, Jane and Serge played key characters in the crime film "Cannabis." A year later, they appeared together in the adventure drama "Romance of a Horsethief," followed by the comedy "Too Pretty to Be Honest".

Not only an actor but also a talented composer, Serge Gainsbourg helped develop the singing career of his muse, who didn't have outstanding vocal abilities but attracted with her sensual, husky, and mysterious voice. Gainsbourg selected her repertoire and dedicated many interesting compositions to her. In the 1970s, she released three solo albums: Di doo dah, Lolita go home, and Ex fan des sixties.

In the 70s, Birkin declared herself as a singer

Nevertheless, Jane devoted most of her time to cinema, appearing in more than twenty films during this period. Interestingly, in 1973, she starred with Serge's ex-lover Brigitte Bardot in the drama "Don Juan, or If Don Juan Were a Woman," directed by the actress's ex-husband Roger Vadim, the son of a Kiev-born nobleman Igor Plemennikov.

In 1974, Claude Zidi's comedy "The Tall Blond with One Black Shoe" was warmly received by audiences, where Birkin paired with Pierre Richard. A year later, they shone again in the comedy "Let’s Not Get Angry," directed by the same filmmaker.

Je t'aime moi non plus

In 1976, the film " Je t'aime moi non plus" was released, marking Gainsbourg's directorial debut. The film often features music from the song of the same name, performed by Birkin and Gainsbourg.

Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin - Je t'aime... moi non plus

Jane played the key role of Johnny, a young waitress who looks like a boy, and received a César nomination for this role. One day, two cheerful guys, Krassky (Joe Dallesandro) and Padovan (Hugues Quester), entered her café. They were garbage truck workers and lovers.

Johnny was captivated by the masculine Krassky, and he was charmed by her naive love, inexperience, and willingness for anal sex. When Padovan, out of jealousy, tried to kill the interloper, Krassky saved her but returned to his lover, leaving her heartbroken.

Jane Birkin in the movie 'Je t'aime moi non plus'

Due to a number of explicit scenes, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) banned its screening. However, the film later became, one might say, a "banner of the upcoming era." One of the main characters says: "It doesn't matter where I have you, what matters is that I'm doing it with you."

Further Career

A year later, Birkin's fans could see her in the romantic comedy "Animal," where she starred alongside women's favorite Jean-Paul Belmondo and 1960s sex symbol Raquel Welch. She then appeared in two Agatha Christie adaptations: "Death on the Nile" and "Evil Under the Sun."

A shot from the film 'Death on the Nile'

In 1981, the actress played the key role of Anne in Jacques Doillon's "The Prodigal Daughter," which touched on the delicate topic of incest. Three years later, she starred again in a central and controversial role as Alma in the drama "The Pirate" by the same director, with whom she had started a romance. Her character tried to understand whom she truly loved, her husband or her friend Carole.

Birkin continued her musical collaboration with Gainsbourg even after their breakup in 1980. In 1983, she released her new solo album "Baby Alone in Babylone," which contained 11 songs written by her ex-husband. These beautiful lyrics allowed her to express confusion, pain, and sadness. According to her, he watched the recording from behind the glass in the studio, crying. The album was acclaimed as the most beautiful in her career and later went gold.

Jane Birkin - Quoi

She continued to receive numerous film offers. In 1985, five films featuring her were released, including the drama "Dust," where she brilliantly played the main role of Magda, the farmer's daughter who killed her tyrant father (Trevor Howard) and then lost her sanity. In 1988, she appeared alongside her mother Judy Campbell, brother Andrew, and daughters Charlotte and Lou in the drama "Kung-Fu Master."

Jane Birkin in the movie 'Kung-Fu Master'

In the late 1980s, the actress expanded her career to television, playing the lead role in the TV film "Ex-Wife in My Life," directing and writing the drama "Oh Pardon! tu dormais," and performing solo concerts. The first of these concerts was a success at the Le Bataclan concert hall—Jane, with her strong acting charm, always connected with the audience.

In 1987, the star released the album "Lost Songs," written by Gainsbourg, and in 1990, "Amours des feintes." The cover of the latter featured a sad Jane, drawn by Serge himself, who was considering returning to painting at the time. A year later, the man who "elevated song to the level of art" (in the words of French President François Mitterrand) passed away. During the same period, his muse played in a musical at the popular Le Casino de Paris, dedicating the performance (planned before Serge's death) to her former lover.

In 1994, the actress appeared at the National Theatre, playing the tragic role of Andromache in the play "The Trojan Women" based on Euripides' works. At the end of that year, she gave a concert dedicated to Gainsbourg at London's Savoy, presenting herself as a true professional with incredible artistic talent and finally shedding her scandalous image.

However, she did not part with the legacy of the genius composer. By 1996, she had recorded a medley of his songs, "Versions Jane," performing them at the famous Olympia concert hall and then going on a European tour. In 1999, she released a new album "A la Legere," her first without Serge's involvement, and performed at the Avignon Festival with re-orchestrated versions of his compositions in the concert "Arabesque." After the incredible success of this program, she embarked on a world tour, visiting Scandinavian countries, the USA, Canada, Japan, and Asia.

In the New Millennium

Continuing to act in films, in 2004 the star released a new album, “Rendez-Vous,” which was highly praised by critics. Two years later, she released “Fictions,” where she recorded almost all the songs in her native English. In the original compositions included in her next album, “Enfants d'Hiver,” she reflected on many childhood memories and bittersweet thoughts about aging.

With the onset of the 2000s, Jane continues to act and record songs

In 2016, she starred in the short film “La femme et le TGV,” announcing that it would be her last film role. In 2017, her most personal, touching, and nostalgic album, “Birkin / Gainsbourg: Le symphonique,” was released. It featured 21 cover versions of Gainsbourg's songs, including those he wrote for other performers: Dalida, Catherine Deneuve, Brigitte Bardot, Isabelle Adjani, Vanessa Paradis, and others. The songs were performed with the support of a symphony orchestra.

Jane Birkin's Personal Life

Jane Birkin, one of the most iconic women of the 20th century, married composer John Barry at the age of 19. According to Jane, she was madly in love, flattered, and excited that such a genius chose her among other girls.

At the same time, her parents were horrified since the groom had been married twice before and had three children. Their marriage, which lasted until 1968, produced a daughter, Kate. She became a well-known photographer and acted in several films, but sadly committed suicide in 2013.

Jane Birkin and daughter Kate from her first marriage

In 1968, on the set of "Slogan," 23-year-old Jane met 40-year-old Serge Gainsbourg, already a famous composer, poet, and singer. Soon, they became one of the most outrageous, stylish, and enigmatic couples of the time.

Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg with their children

This was fueled by Jane's sensual vocals in the erotic single "Je t'aime ... Moi Non Plus" (officially condemned by the Pope but becoming an international hit), their provocative photo shoots, and their public quarrels with extravagant antics like Birkin's leap into the Seine.

She decided to diffuse the situation similarly after they argued in the popular bar "Castel." In a fit of rage and passion, the beauty threw a pastry at her equally fiery lover and ran down the boulevard Saint-Germain. Without hesitation, she jumped into the river, emerged in a completely soaked dress. Serge admired such grand gestures. Reconciled and laughing, they went home.

In 1971, they had a baby girl, Charlotte, who later became an actress and singer.

In 1980, tired of her eccentric lover's alcoholism, provocations, and depression, Jane ended their relationship.

Then, until 1992, she was in a common-law marriage with cult director and screenwriter Jacques Doillon, giving birth to a daughter, Lou, in 1982. Lou also chose the profession of singer and actress and modeled for magazines in her youth.

In 1992, Birkin separated from her husband. As reported by the media, "he couldn't compete with her sorrow over Gainsbourg's death." Later, the singer and actress had a romance with writer Olivier Rolin.

In 2018, Jane revealed that she had leukemia but managed to overcome it.

She called a wide smile her favorite anti-aging remedy, capable of taking off at least ten years.

Last Years of Life and Death

The talented, charismatic, and enchanting woman of an era remained active until her death. She engaged in charity work with the British organization Amnesty International, helped AIDS patients and refugees, worked on memoirs, made films, and toured with concerts.

In 2020, the premiere of the documentary musical "The Poet of Sound and Image" was supposed to take place, a project Birkin had been working on since 2015. However, the official release date was postponed indefinitely. As a result, the film was never released during Jane's lifetime. Jane Birkin passed away on July 16, 2023. In her last years, she fought leukemia and suffered a stroke in 2021.