Brigitte Bardot
(1934-), Film actressSitter in 4 portraits
Bardot studied ballet from early childhood and first came to the notice of the film director Roger Vadim when he saw her on the cover of Elle magazine photographed when she was fifteen. They married between 1952 and 1957. Bardot made her film debut in 1952 debut in Crazy for Love (1952) followed by The Girl in the Bikini. Her success in Europe spread to America whilst her reputation as a new type of international sex symbol was established by Vadim's direction of her in Et Dieu créa la femme (And God Created Woman, 1956). Bardot continued to appear in films until her retirement in the 1970s after which she devoted her time and money to animal welfare.
Watch a film clip on the sitter from the BBC Archive in the Media section below
Vivien Leigh at the French Crystal Dove Award, Paris
by Keystone Press Agency Ltd
vintage press print, 2 November 1966
NPG x139810
Tell us more back to top
Can you tell us more about this person? Spotted an error, information that is missing (a sitter’s life dates, occupation or family relationships, or a date of portrait for example) or do you know anything that we don't know? If you have information to share please complete the form below.
If you require information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service. You can buy a print of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at £6 for unframed prints, £25 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, please use our Rights and Images service.
Please note that we cannot provide valuations.
We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.