Brigitte Bardot’s Wild Romance History: From Hollywood Flings to Lasting Love

Brigitte Bardot, the legendary French actress who became an international sex symbol before leaving movies to focus on animal rights, has died at 91.

Throughout her career, Bardot stirred both admiration and controversy, but she remained one of the most iconic figures in cinema.

Her bold, free-spirited personality helped shape the French New Wave, and even though she retired from acting in 1973, her influence is still felt today. She is remembered not only for her groundbreaking films but also for her colorful and widely publicized love life. Here’s a look at some of her most notable romances.

1. Roger Vadim

Brigitte Bardot’s romantic life was as legendary as her film career, filled with high-profile relationships and dramatic affairs. Her first marriage was to director Roger Vadim, whom she wed at 18 in 1952.

Vadim was six years older, and although they divorced in 1957, the two stayed friends and continued working together professionally. During this marriage, Bardot had an affair with actor Jean-Louis Trintignant while filming And God Created Woman in 1956, which helped lead to the split.

2. Jean-Louis Trintignant

After her divorce from Vadim, Bardot lived with Jean-Louis Trintignant for two years. Their relationship ended partly because she began seeing musician Gilbert Bécaud.

3. Jacques Charrier

Bardot’s second marriage was to actor Jacques Charrier. They tied the knot in 1959 after meeting on the set of Babette Goes to War and had a son, Nicolas, just seven months later. Bardot later admitted that motherhood did not fulfill her.

The marriage ended in 1962, reportedly influenced by her affair with Hollywood star Glenn Ford. Nicolas grew up mainly with his father and only reconnected with Bardot in adulthood. Between 1963 and 1965, she was involved with musician Bob Zagury.

4. Gunter Sachs

Her third marriage came in 1966 to German millionaire Gunter Sachs, who famously proposed with a helicopter showered in rose petals. The marriage was brief, as Bardot began an affair with singer Mike Sarne shortly after. During this time, she also dated actor Patrick Gilles from 1968 to 1971.

5. Numerous relationships prior to the final marriage

In the decades that followed, Bardot had a series of well-known relationships with public figures, including singer Serge Gainsbourg, actor Warren Beatty, writer John Gilmore, and ski instructor Christian Kalt. She had longer relationships with sculptor and actor Miroslav Brozek from 1975 to 1979, and with TV producer Allain Bougrain-Dubourg from 1980 to 1985.

6. Bernard d’Ormale

Bardot’s fourth and final husband was Bernard d’Ormale, a businessman and adviser to French politician Jean-Marie Le Pen. They met in 1992 and married in August of that year. This marriage helped her repair her relationship with her son and ultimately became her longest-lasting union, outliving her previous three marriages.

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