Brigitte Bardot reportedly struggled with motherhood and later spoke about the difficult relationship she had with her son.

Brigitte Bardot became one of the most recognizable figures in European cinema during the twentieth century, but her story eventually stretched far beyond movies and fashion. Born Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot in Paris on September 28, 1934, she grew up in a financially comfortable French family and received a disciplined upbringing. As a young girl, she studied ballet and initially imagined that dance might become her future. Her striking appearance soon opened another door when she began modeling while still in her teens.

At only 15, she appeared on the cover of the French edition of Elle, bringing her to the attention of people working in film. Few could have predicted that the teenager would soon become one of the most photographed and discussed women in the world. Bardot’s introduction to cinema came in the early 1950s, after modeling helped attract the attention of filmmakers and of Roger Vadim, who would become her first husband. She made her film debut in 1952 and gradually accumulated roles in French and European productions. During those first years, she had not yet achieved the global cultural status that would later define her career.

Her combination of physical confidence, unconventional screen presence and increasingly relaxed attitude toward traditional ideas of femininity nevertheless began separating her from many performers of the period. She did not appear on screen like a carefully controlled studio creation. Instead, filmmakers increasingly presented Bardot as spontaneous, sensual and rebellious. That image eventually became central to both her success and the public fascination surrounding her.

The decisive moment arrived in 1956 with Roger Vadim’s And God Created Woman, not And God Created Beauty as the title is sometimes incorrectly repeated online. Bardot played Juliette Hardy, a young woman whose sexual independence and disregard for social expectations created controversy as well as enormous international attention. The film helped transform the 21-year-old Bardot from a successful French actress into a global celebrity. Her dancing, styling and screen presence became subjects of discussion far beyond France. The film also challenged conventional ideas about how female sexuality could be portrayed in mainstream cinema during the 1950s. Reuters later described the performance as the moment that effectively created a global icon.