Happy returns to Madame Bardot

Brigitte Bardot was, in her prime, the sort of woman a Motown song once described as enough to “make a preacher bite his tongue and leave him with a mumble”.

The French actress hit the big time in 1956, with the release of the film Et Dieu crea la femme (And God Created Woman), co-written and directed by her then husband, Roger Vadim.

It was her looks – she was often said to be the “most beautiful woman in the world”– rather than her acting talents which got her acting roles. She gave up acting in 1973 and, not unexpectedly, never graced the winner’s podium at the Oscars in Hollywood in her career.

She later became a vociferous animal rights activist, caused controversy with her outspoken comments on immigrants and has been fined multiple times for inciting racial hatred.

As she turned 90 this week, her home town of Saint Tropez in France honoured her with a showing of And God Created Woman, although she was unable to attend.

That film and Bardot’s life as model and fashion inspiration and heartthrob will be what people remember about her.

She will always be the willowy, sexy blonde in the minds of many. Happy Birthday, Madame.

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