French actress Brigitte Bardot, one of the best known sex symbols of the 1950s and 1960s died on Sunday at age 91. Bardot was not just a famous actress—she also explored her talent for singing.
The well-known Greek composer and lyricist Giannis Spanos, who died in 2019 at the age of 85 served as a vocal inspiration for the French actress.
In the early 1960s, Spanos moved to Paris, where he composed his first works, and collaborated with several French artists, including Serge Gainsbourg and Béatrice Arnac.
But his collaboration with Bardot, who performed several of his songs in movies, made him well-known for the first time among French audiences.
The song, “Sidonie,” is from the movie “Vie Privée,” co-starring Marcello Mastoianni and directed by Louis Malle.
Singing career and early retirement
Besides acting Bardot also had a parallel music career, which included recording the original version of Serge Gainsbourg’s Je T’Aime … Moi Non Plus, which Gainsbourg had written for her while they were having an extramarital affair. At the time, Bardot was married to Gunter Sachs and asked Gainsbourg not to release the song in fear that her husband would find out. The singer complied and re-record the song with Jane Birkin, which became a huge hit.
In 1973 Bardot, after playing in about 50 films, announced her retirement from acting and became increasingly active on politics. She was an outspoken supporter of animal rights and dedicated the remaining of her life to adopted animals.
Bardot was also outspoken about her politics, openly commenting negatively about ethnic minorities and supporting France’s far-right Front National and leader Jean-Marie Le Pen. She received a number of convictions for racial hatred but remained a steadfast supporter of her conservative views.
In 2008, she was convicted for the 5th time for inciting racial hatred after complaining on her website that Muslims were “destroying our country by imposing their ways”.
