French actress Brigitte Bardot has become just as beloved for her sun kissed, nautical, blonde bombshell style as she is for her acting career. Born on September 28, 1934, in Paris, France, Bardot studied ballet as a young girl at the National Superior Conservatory of Paris for Music and Dance. She began to model at 15 years old in fashion shows and even graced the cover of Elle magazine.
After being discovered by screenwriter and future husband Roger Vadim, Bardot started to consider being an actress. She landed several small roles before receiving her big break in a film directed by Vadim, 1956’s "And God Created Woman", in which she played a promiscuous teenager who lives the seaside French city of St. Tropez. The movie would make Bardot an overnight sensation, launching her into the public eye as an international sex symbol.
Right before her 39th birthday in 1973, Bardot announced she was retiring from the entertainment industry. Her career would include more than forty motion pictures as well as a foray into music, recording several albums and most notably collaborating with Serge Gainsbourg on their classic hit song "Bonnie and Cyde". Bardot decided to devote the rest of her life to animal activism by establishing the Foundation for the Protection of Distressed Animals followed by the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals. Her efforts even persuaded the Council of Europe to ban the importation of seal fur and ivory. Though she is no longer in the spotlight, her beauty continues influence and inspire fashion, film and art.