It was 1956 when Brigitte Bardot burst into global fame with And God Created Woman, a film directed by her then-husband, Roger Vadim. Though not her first film, it was the one where everything changed for the icon, who died Sunday at age 91: Suddenly, she was the embodiment of sensuality and feminine freedom.
Before she retired from acting in 1973, Brigitte Bardot appeared in over 50 films, spanning comedy, drama, and adventure. Many were huge successes at the global box office, spurred by an interest in her style on and offscreen. Read on for her most iconic performances and notable films.
Before Bardot's breakout success, director René Clair cast her in a romantic comedy opposite Gérard Philipe. In the role, Bardot proved her charm was not only provocative but also playful, capable of sustaining the pace and lightness of an entertaining film without losing intensity.
Roger Vadim launched her into the international spotlight, and alongside Juliette Hardy, Bardot immediately became a global sex symbol. The film cemented her image as a free, sensual, and enterprising woman.
Vadim again. In this passionate drama, Bardot consolidated her image as a femme fatale and rebellious woman.
In this lighthearted comedy, Bardot played a spy in Nazi-occupied France. Her versatility came through naturally, demonstrating how charisma can dominate both drama and adventure without ever feeling forced.
Henri-Georges Clouzot gave Bardot a dramatic role that won her a David di Donatello award. Dominique Marceau, a young rebel accused of murder, was a complex and tormented character, which Bardot managed to imbue with depth and authenticity.
Louis Malle's film explores the relationship between public image and private life, with Bardot starring alongside Marcello Mastroianni. Fame and the pressures of the spotlight are seen through Bardot's eyes in the romantic drama.
Roger Vadim's adaptation of Christiane Rochefort's bestselling novel explored a passionate but unbalanced affair between a stratghtlaced woman (Bardot) who falls for a troubled man (Robert Hossein), leading to a destructive and passionate relationship. Bardot brought raw emotions to the screen without ever losing her elegance and charm.
Jean-Luc Godard gave Bardot one of her most mature and complex roles in this iconic French New Wave film. American actor Jack Palance also starred in this movie about a deteriorating marriage between a French writer (Michel Piccoli) and his wife (Bardot).
Jeanne Moreau and Bardot played Maria and Maria, revolutionary heroines in a fictional Central American country in this adventure comedy co-written and directed by Louis Malle.
In “William Wilson,” the second installment of this three-segment anthology based on the work of Edgar Allen Poe, director Louis Malle cast Bardot as card-playing courtesan Giuseppina Ditterheim, and Alain Delon as a man haunted by his doppelgänger.
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