"I have always adored beautiful young men."

Brigitte Bardot was born on September 28, 1934 in Paris, France. Her mother encouraged her to take up music and dance and by the time she was 15 years old she appeared in the French magazine Elle. She made her screen debut in 1952, the same year that she married French film director Roger Vadim. It was Vadim's 1956 movie And God Created Woman that turned Bardot into an international sex symbol.

The film's simple plot was soon forgotten in light of Bardot's simmering screen presence, which almost single-handedly resurrected the fortunes of the French cinema. Based upon her success she made her first US production in 1953 in Un acte d'amour starring alongside Kirk Douglas. Bardot continued to make movies in France and the USA until 1973, when she gave up her film career. She was 39 years old.

Since then Brigitte Bardot has continued to use her fame to publicise a cause that is close to her heart, becoming a leading spokesperson for animal rights and she started the "Foundation Brigitte Bardot" dedicated solely to that cause. In 1995 the readers of Empire magazine chose her as of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history, charting at number 9.