Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Bardot was a talented dancer from a young age who transitioned into acting in the 1950s. Her role in the controversial Robert Vadim film "And God Created Woman" catapulted her to international fame in 1956. One American critic described Bardot as "undeniably a creation of superlative craftsmanship."
Her emergence on the global stage during the conservative 1950s was so significant that Simone de Beauvoir wrote a feminist essay titled "Brigitte Bardot and The Lolita Syndrome." In later years, Bardot became an animal rights activist and faced controversy, including fines for inciting racial hatred.
