Brigitte
Bardot (born September 28, 1934 in Paris) is a French
actress and model, daughter of an industrialist. Also
known simply as BB ("Bri-Bri" in childhood)
she is considered the embodiment of the 1950s "sex
kitten". In the 1970s Bardot established herself
as an animal rights activist. During the 1990s her
controversial and outspoken political views on such
issues as immigration, Islam, and homosexuality greatly
affected her reputation.
Career
Bardot's beauty and natural sensuality
began to show as a teenager and in 1952, she appeared
on screen for the first time in Le Trou Normand. That
same year, at age 18, she married director Roger Vadim,
with whom she had been romantically involved for several
years. Divorced from Vadim in 1957, she married actor
Jacques Charrier (1959-62), German millionaire playboy
Gunther Sachs (1966-69), and French right-wing politician
Bernard d'Ormale (1992-present).
Bardot also had notorious relationships
with Serge Gainsbourg (singer), Sacha Distel, and
Jean-Louis Trintignant (actor).She has one child,
Nicolas-Jacques Charrier (born 1960).Bardot starred
with Trintignant in Vadim's film And God Created Woman,
which pushed the boundaries of sex in film at the
time, making her an overnight sensation. To this day,
the scene of Bardot dancing barefoot on a table remains
one of the most erotic scenes in the history of the
cinema.
She is one of the few European actresses
to receive mass media attention in the United States.
She and Marilyn Monroe were the icons of female sexuality
in the 1950s and 1960s. Whenever she made public appearances
in the United States, her every move was covered by
a horde of media. Her first American made film was
1954's Un acte d'amour co-starring Kirk Douglas. In
1965 she appeared as herself in the Hollywood production
Dear Brigitte starring Jimmy Stewart. Because her
English was limited, many of her films were released
in the U.S. with her voice dubbed over.
She is recognized for popularizing
bikini swimwear, appearing in it for photographers
numerous times. She even sported an early version
of the monokini (topless bikini) from time to time
(though this was not considered extraordinary in France,
where nudity on beaches is common, it was considered
nearly scandalous in the US).
Retirement
In 1974, just before her fortieth
birthday, Bardot announced her retirement. After appearing
in more than fifty motion pictures, and recording
several music albums, most notably with France's "bad
boy" of music, Serge Gainsbourg, she chose to
use her fame to promote animal rights. She is accused
of being a misanthrope and preferring the company
of animals to that of men. In 1976 she established
the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Protection
of Distressed Animals. Today, she is one of the world's
most influential animal rights activists and a major
opponent of the consumption of horse meat.
She is also one of the most celebrated
supporters of Jean-Marie Le Pen of the right-wing
Front National political party, with which her husband
is associated. With the publication of her 2003 book,
A Scream in the Silence, the reclusive Bardot has
come under considerable fire for racist, anti-Muslim,
and anti-gay comments. In May 2003, The MRAP ("Mouvement
contre le Racisme et pour l'Amitié entre les
Peuples" - Movement against racism and for the
friendship of peoples) announced that it would sue
Bardot for her published views. Another organization,
The "Ligue des Droits de l'Homme" (League
of Human Rights), announced that it was considering
similar legal proceedings.
Bardot, in a letter to a French gay
magazine, wrote in her defense, "Apart from my
husband—who maybe will cross over one day as
well—I am entirely surrounded by homos. For
years they have been my support, my friends, my adopted
children, my confidants."
On June 10, 2004 Bardot was convicted
by a French court of "inciting racial hatred."
She was fined 5,000 € (US$6,000) and it is the
fourth such conviction/fine she has faced from French
courts. These recent fines pertain to her aforementioned
book. In particular the courts cited passages where
Bardot referred to the "Islamization of France"
and the "underground and dangerous infiltration
of Islam." (France's 5-million member Muslim
community is the largest in Europe.) In the book she
also referred to homosexuals as "fairground freaks,"
and she condemns the presence of women in government.
Bardot's previous comments that led to convictions
included ones encouraging civilian massacres in Algeria.
Quotation
* "She is the princess of pout,
the countess of come hither. Brigitte Bardot exuded
a carefree, naïve sexuality that brought a whole
new audience to French films." Time Magazine.
* "Well, my telephone rang it
would not stop, / It's President Kennedy callin' me
up. / He said, "My friend, Bob, what do we need
to make the country grow?" / I said, "My
friend, John, Brigitte Bardot, / Anita Ekberg, / Sophia
Loren." / (Put 'em all in the same room with
Ernest Borgnine!)" -- Bob Dylan, I Shall Be Free,
The Freewheelin Bob Dylan, 1963.
Filmography
1.Don Juan ou Si Don Juan était
une femme... (1973)
2.Histoire très bonne et très joyeuse
de Colinot Trousse-Chemise, L' (1973)
3.Pétroleuses, Les (1971)
4.Boulevard du rhum (1971)
5.Novices, Les (1970)
6.Femmes, Les (1969)
7.Ours et la poupée, L' (1969)
8.Shalako (1968)
9.Histoires extraordinaires (1968)
10.À coeur joie (1967)
11.Masculin, féminin: 15 faits précis
(1966)
12.Viva María! (1965)
13.Marie Soleil (1965)
14.Une ravissante idiote (1964)
15.Mépris, Le (1963)
source from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
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