Brigitte Bardot was only 18 when she married the controversial French film director Roger Vadim.
He had seen a photograph of Brigitte when she was very young and waited until she had just turned 18 to marry her in December 1952 at the Church of Passy, in France.
“Vadim changed my mind about acting. Vadim was the only man who was certain I had something special to offer.”
Brigitte Bardot
The marriage with the film director was a blessing for Brigitte’s career: in 1956 Vadim directed Brigitte in the iconic “And God Created Woman” (1956). The film was an incredible success both in France and around the world, and established Brigitte Bardot as a world icon.
“From the moment I liberated Brigitte, the moment I showed her how to be truly herself, our marriage was all downhill.”
Roger Vadim
In the mean time, Brigitte and Vadim’s marriage was going downhill. In 1957 they broke up. She started a brief relationship with actor Jean-Louis Trintignant and he fell in love with a young Catherine Deneuve.
They met again on the set of Don Juan in 1973, and he insulted her, telling her she had lost the beauty she had when she was younger.
However, when he died in 2000 she went to his funeral in Saint Tropez. Later, she said:
“Vadim was both my teacher and my husband. I placed myself entirely in his hands.”