Who is Brigitte Bardot?

Brigitte Bardot (born 28 September 1934) is a French actress, former fashion model, singer, animal rights activist, and considered one of the most important sex symbols of the 1950s and 1960s.

Born in Paris, into a well to do family, her father was an industrialist and her mother a housewife. She received a strict education but was allowed to take ballet lessons hoping to become a professional classical dancer.

In 1949, at the suggestion of a family friend, she began working as a fashion model and ended up making the cover of "Elle" magazine in May 1950.

Her career really took off in 1956, when she appeared in Roger Vadim's movie "Et Dieu créa la femme" (An God created Woman), written especially for her, which made her an instant star and an international sex-symbol.

In 1973, she decided to retire from entertainment and devote herself to her real passion the animal rights, which she continues today. She created her own foundation in 1986.

During the 1990s, she published her autobiography and other books in which she spoke openly about her political views on such things as immigration and Islam in France, mixed marriages and homosexuality, which created considerable controversy. She has angered many people who are part of these groups and was fined for incitation to racial hatred.

Bardot had four husbands and many other romantic partners.