Famous French People Brigitte Bardot © by Robert Shepherd Vocabulary & pronunciation study by Laurent Dufour© Words are explained alongside the text Stressed syllables are underlined and in bold*

Hello, you’re listening to Robert Shepherd on EnglishWaves instalment (n.) episode and it’s time for another instalment of Famous French. former (adj.) having once been We turn our attention to a former dancer, model and actress who became an international icon in the ‘50s and '60s with contempt (n.) disdain, lack of films like And God Created Woman and Contempt. Since giving respect up acting in 1973, she has dedicated her life to animal activism. She is Brigitte Bardot. to dedicate (vb.) to devote to Born on 28th September 1934 in Paris, Bardot studied ballet as some cause a teenager and by the time she was 15, she appeared on the cover of France's Elle magazine. screenwriter (n.) someone who writes the story for a film Bardot’s talents were discovered by then-screenwriter and future filmmaker Roger Vadim – she married him in 1952. to cast (cast-cast) (vb.) to assign a That same year, Bardot made her big-screen debut in Le Trou role to an actor/actress Normand. to stand out (stood-stood) Bardot was later cast in Vadim's 1956 directorial debut, And (phrasal vb.) to be noticeable God Created Woman, in which she played a sexually liberated young woman in St. Tropez. The film stood out because of its daring (adj.) bold, audacious daring nudity and it proved popular with moviegoers. On and off-screen, Bardot became renowned for displaying a off-screen (adv.) in real life naturalistic, free-flowing sensuality that helped her become Europe's top female lead. to display (vb.) to show, reveal

Although Bardot and Vadim divorced in 1957, they lead (n.) first place, person who maintained a professional relationship. He directed her 1958 plays the principal role in a movie film The Night Heaven Fell. Bardot later re-married, this time it was actor Jacques Charrier, by whom she had a son, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier. However, Bardot found it difficult to deal with everything that stardom (n.) the state of being a came with stardom and during the making of the 1960 film La famous performer Verité, she attempted suicide on her 26th birthday. Bardot and Charrier divorced in 1962. decade (n.) period of ten years Decades later, Bardot opened up about how hideous the world to open up (phrasal vb.) to of celebrity had become and the pressures inherent in become willing to share one’s constantly aiming to display a certain image. feelings In 1963, she played a character called Camille Javal in Le Mépris. In order to garner publicity for the film, director Jean-Luc pressures (n.) harassment, oppression Godard created a myth that Camille Javal was Bardot’s real name. to garner (vb.) to acquire, obtain Bardot married again in 1966, this time to German millionaire playboy Gunter Sachs– only to divorce him three years later. to release (vb.) to issue a record for sale or circulation The ‘60s also saw Bardot embark on a successful music career, releasing albums like Brigitte Bardot Sings and Special Bardot. to take its toll on (took-taken) She recorded hits with Serge Gainsbourg. (exp.) to have a serious, bad effect on someone, to cause harm or On-screen she also continued to produce hits, including a film damage called Dear Brigitte, in which she played herself opposite James Stewart. Nevertheless, fame began to take its toll on Bardot and to retire (vb.) to withdraw from a so she decided to retire in 1973 and went to live in St. Tropez. job or career She began to devote her time to animal welfare and established different foundations. Bardot’s work has led to the Council of welfare (n.) well-being Europe banning the importation of seal fur and the French government banning ivory imports. Bardot has also had to to ban (vb.) to prohibit, forbid appear before the French courts over the years, being fined more than once for making anti-Muslim comments. In 1992, she seal (n.) fish-eating mammal, living partly on land married extreme right-wing political aide Bernard d'Ormale.

Today, at the age of 81, Bardot's status as a global icon of beauty to fine (vb.) to subject to a has continued to be celebrated by a number of art and fashion pecuniary penalty institutions. global (adj.) worldwide, universal Stay tuned to EnglishWaves.

* Tip ! Syllable stress can help us to understand spoken words. Let’s take the words ‘celebrity’ and ‘celebrate’ as an example. First count the syllables : ‘ce.leb.ri.ty’ has 4 syllables, ‘cel.e.brate’ has 3 syllables. Syllable stress is when you say one of the syllables slightly louder and with more emphasis. So in this example we say : celebrity and celebrate .