Trivia

Has attempted suicide at least six times since 1950. Her most recent reported suicide attempt was in 1992.

Was charged with inciting racial hatred in her best-selling book "Un cri dans le silence" ("A cry in silence"), expressing worries about the "infiltration" of France by Islamic extremists. She could have faced a maximum prison term of one year, but was finally fined EUR 5,000. (2004)

She is the oldest of the four surviving people mentioned by name in Billy Joel's 1989 song "We Didn't Start the Fire". The other three are Chubby Checker, Bob Dylan and Bernhard Goetz.

When she discovered she had breast cancer, she first refused treatment believing this was her fate. It was her fellow actress and friend Marina Vlady who flew to her residence at Saint Tropez and convinced her to begin treatment.

Her 1967 single "Bonnie and Clyde" with Serge Gainsbourg made a bit of a comeback after being featured in Rush Hour 3 (2007) and Mad Men (2007).

Took a handful of tranquilizers, washed them down with red wine and then wandered out to the Les Canoubiers beach, where she was later pulled from the surf. She was rushed to the nearby L'Oasis clinic, where her stomach was pumped before she was released that evening. (September 27, 1983)

Mother of Nicolas-Jacques Charrier (born January 11, 1960), who was raised by his father's family and did not have contact with Bardot until his adulthood. In 1997, Nicolas successfully sued Brigitte over descriptions she included in her memoirs, in which she referred to her son as a "tumor" and said she would have "preferred to give birth to a little dog." (She also revealed that, in an attempt to abort the child, she repeatedly punched herself in the stomach and asked her doctor for morphine.) Nicolas and Jacques Charrier claimed the book's graphic details of marital discord and child-rejection constituted a violation of their privacy - a civil offense in France. A French court ordered Bardot to pay EUR17,000 in damages.

She has two granddaughters from her estranged son Nicolas' marriage to Anne-Line Bjerkan (daughter of a Norwegian diplomat): Anna (born 1985) and Thea (born 1990). As of 2009, Brigitte has not seen her son in over a decade and has no contact with her granddaughters; the only time she has ever met them was in 1992 during a family get-together arranged by her husband, Bernard d'Ormale. Brigitte became a great-grandmother in February 2014, when Anna gave birth to a girl.

In 1994, scandalized by Sophia Loren's posing in furs in several printed ads for the Italian fur tailor company Annabella, Bardot published an open letter to Loren, in which she accused her of selling her name and her image "to the most despicable of all advertising: promotion of furs". It is, said Bardot, "degrading, repugnant, lamentable and unworthy to accept money stained with the blood of animals". Added France's leading animal-rights campaigner, Loren should boycott "this abominable trade" and "never forget that wearing a fur is wearing a cemetery on your back". On holiday at the time, Loren did not respond.

Once castrated a neighbor's donkey.

On the set of Please, Not Now! (1961), directed by her ex-husband Roger Vadim, she met his new girlfriend, Catherine Deneuve. About Deneuve, she said " . . . behind Vadim lingered a 17-year-old brunette who dressed like me [and] had her hair made like me. Her name was Catherine Deneuve. She had a certain air of a namby-pamby, that was back then unbearable." One night while filming on high mountains, the crew got blocked so everybody slept in one room. Among the crew were Bardot, Vadim, Mireille Darc and Deneuve.

Good friends with fellow sex siren Claudia Cardinale; they appeared together in The Legend of Frenchie King (1971).

Between marriages and live-ins, she was also sporadically linked with Warren Beatty, Gilbert Bécaud, Sacha Distel, Nino Ferrer, Sami Frey, Serge Gainsbourg, John Gilmore, Jimi Hendrix, Christian Kalt, Luigi Rizzi, Michael Sarne and Laurent Vergez.

In 1967, Serge Gainsbourg wrote for and recorded with her his most noted song "Je t'aime...moi non plus", but she pleaded him not to release their recording, so her vocals were replaced by Jane Birkin one year later.

Her look has inspired several generations of buxom blonde models to be called "baby Bardots", such as German supermodels Claudia Schiffer and Anna Ewers; Dutch models Lara Stone, Daphne Groeneveld and Doutzen Kroes and English model Georgia Jagger.

She was awarded the French Legion of Honor in 1985, but refused to receive this.

Breast cancer survivor.

Has been characterized as anti-Muslim and anti-gay with her support for ultra-right-wing French politician Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Was fined a sixth time for inciting racial hatred, this time in a 2019 op-ed in which she referred to inhabitants of the French island of Reunion as "aboriginals who have kept the genes of savages.". (November 2021)

Retired from acting in 1973 at age 39 and has since been involved with various animal rights causes, but remains a major popular culture icon.

Resided with Jean-Louis Trintignant from 1956 to 1958, Bob Zagury from 1963 to 1965, Patrick Gilles from 1968 to 1971, Jean Blaise from 1975 to 1979, and Allain Bougrain-Dubourg from 1980 to 1985.

Before her worldwide breakthrough in ...And God Created Woman (1956), while still a starlet, Bardot was a familiar presence in many Italian movies. She once shared a hotel room in Rome with a pre-fame Ursula Andress (mentioned in her autobiography). About this she recalled "If only producers knew of it, they would have think twice about their way of treating us back then.".

One of the leading animal rights activists in the world and the head of "Foundation Brigitte Bardot", which is a foundation dedicated to animal rights.

Recorded many popular songs in the '60s and '70s.

As of 2017 Brigitte, 83, and husband Bernard d'Ormale, 76, both still smoke.

Was Marianne de France, the bust of the most beautiful woman of a decade and she is also the symbol of liberty and the Republic, from 1969 to 1978.

Brought into fashion the choucroute (sauerkraut) hairstyle.

She had taken dancing lessons from age five, and when she was 13 one of her classmates in dancing class was Leslie Caron.

Threatens to sue St. Tropez boutique selling items with her face on them. (June 2015)

She and husband Bernard d'Ormale were married in a small town outside Oslo, Norway, where her son resides with his family.

The Brazilian city of Búzios erected a statue of her in honor of her influence in popularizing the city.

Husband Bernard d'Ormale is a wealthy industrialist and supporter of the far-right French nationalist party Front National.

Owns homes in Saint-Tropez, Yvelines and Paris.

Established the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals. She initially funded it by auctioning off personal possessions.

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#9). (1995)

Disapproves of miscegenation.

Sister of Mijanou Bardot. Mijanou has been married to Patrick Bauchau since 1962 and has one daughter, Camille.

Time magazine on Bardot: "... the princess of pout, the countess of come hither. Brigitte Bardot exuded a carefree, naive sexuality that brought a whole new audience to French films.".

She was mentioned by Bob Dylan in his song "I Shall Be Free", the last song on his album "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" (1963).

Ranked #49 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. (October 1997)

She suffered from amblyopia during her childhood, which resulted in decreased vision in her left eye.

Sang songs "Harley Davidson", "Je Me Donne a Qui Me Plait", "Bubblegum", "Contact", "Je Reviendrais Toujours Vers Toi", "L'Appareil a Sous", "La Madrague", "Le Soleil De Ma Vie", "On Demenage", "Sidonie", "Tu Veux, Tu Veux Pas".

Born to Louis Bardot (1896-1975), nicknamed Pilou, who graduated from an engineering school to go into the family business, which manufactured liquid air and acetylene, and Ann-Marie Mucel (1912-1978), nicknamed Toty. Toty had studied theatre and dance as a young lady, while Pilou wrote poetry in his notebook and published several volumes.

Ranked #75 in Men's Health 100 Hottest Women of all Time. (2011)

She was parodied by Kate McKinnon on Saturday Night Live (1975).

Recorded a special audio performance for the classic "Velveteen Rabbit", produced by Pierre Patrick for Connecticut Family Theatre. (2007)

She turned down the title role of Barbarella (1968), eventually played by Jane Fonda.

Shares a birthday with A Very Private Affair (1962) co-star Marcello Mastroianni.

She was mentioned in the songs "Message of Love" by the rock group The Pretenders and "Stardust" by the Britpop group Menswear.

She was considered for the role of Lucrezia Borgia in Lucrezia (1968), eventually played by Olga Schoberová.