Hollywood Icon Bridget Bardot Turns 90

Photo byIconic Images/Douglas Kirkland

Bridget Bardot is considered one of the most legendary personas in entertainment history. Today, she is 90 years old. This is her story.

A Closer Look

Brigitte Bardot was born on September 28, 1934, in Paris, France, to a father with an engineering degree, and a mother who encouraged her to take music and dance lessons.

By the time she turned 15, Bardot was Elle magazine. in 1952, she made her big-screen debut as Javotte Lemoine in Crazy for Love. That same year, she wed Roger Vadim, only to divorce him 3½ years later.

In 1953, Bardot made her American movie Act of Love with Kirk Douglas, while she continued to make French films.

In 1965, Bardot made a cameo appearance as herself in the U.S. production Dear Brigitte starring James Stewart.

In 1973, just before she turned 40, Bardot retired from film after finishing The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot.

Shortly after she announced her retirement, Bardot granted an interview to French journalist Claude Sarraute who asked her if she was afraid of aging. Without missing a beat, Bardot said no.

“That’s not a fear at all because we can’t do anything about it. It’s completely natural, it happens to everyone,” Bardot went on to explain. “We’re very young, we grow up, we age, and we die. But I’m not going to be anxious about it because then it’d feel horrible.”

Privacy vs. Publicity

To this day, Bardot prefers the private life as opposed to the spotlight and has all these decades later remained a leading spokesperson and advocate for animal rights with her Foundation Brigitte Bardot.

She has been married to Bernard d'Ormale since 1992 and the couple resides in St. Tropez with their nearly 50 pets.