A Heartfelt Journey Through Brigitte Bardot’s Love Life and Marriages

Brigitte Bardot and her husband Bernard d’Ormale in 1994.

Chip HIRES/Gamma-Rapho via Getty

Key Details

• Brigitte Bardot, who gained worldwide fame for her role in And God Created Woman, has passed away at age 91.
• The French actress married four times but maintained a notoriously private personal life.
• She had one son, Nicolas, with her second husband, Jacques Charrier, born in 1960.

Brigitte Bardot, a prominent screen icon of the 1950s and 1960s, captivated audiences well beyond the film community.

In her later years, Bardot became a controversial figure, known for her high-profile relationships. Over her lifetime, she was married four times: first to director Roger Vadim from 1952 to 1957, then to actor Jacques Charrier from 1959 to 1962, followed by German millionaire Gunter Sachs from 1966 to 1969, and finally to businessman Bernard d’Ormale in 1992.

Her only child, Nicolas, was born during her marriage to Charrier. Their relationship was tumultuous, resulting in Charrier retaining custody of Nicolas after their separation.

Reflecting on her pursuit of companionship following her third divorce, Bardot stated, “My dream would be the solitude of two. I would like to marry for the last time of my life. Right now, the best thing that could happen to me would be to live with a companion for the rest of my days,” as reported by United Press International.

She and d’Ormale were married until her death in December 2025.

Marriages and Relationships

Roger Vadim

Brigitte Bardot and first husband Roger Vadim at their wedding ceremony in Paris in 1952.

Hulton Archive/Getty

At 18, Bardot married director Roger Vadim in 1952. They collaborated on the 1956 film And God Created Woman, where she became involved with costar Jean-Louis Trintignant. This affair ultimately led to their divorce in April 1957.

Vadim later reflected, “I knew what was happening and rather expected it… I always preferred to have that kind of wife, knowing she is unfaithful to me rather than possess a woman who just loved me and no one else,” as noted by the Sydney Morning Herald.

Jean-Louis Trintignant

Jean Louis-Trintignant and Brigitte Bardot.
Courtesy everette collection

During the filming of And God Created Woman, Bardot and Trintignant began their affair. After Trintignant’s divorce from actress Stéphane Audran, the couple cohabitated until their split in 1958, amid Bardot’s involvement with musician Gilbert Bécaud.

Jacques Charrier

Jacques Charrier and Brigitte Bardot pictured in 1959.

Bettmann Archive

Bardot’s marriage to Jacques Charrier took place on June 18, 1959, during a whirlwind romance. They welcomed their son Nicolas-Jacques Charrier in January 1960 and divorced two years later. Bardot later expressed her dissatisfaction with motherhood, stating in her memoir, Initiales B. B: Mémoires, “I’m not made to be a mother… I know it’s horrible to have to admit that.” Following their separation, Charrier retained custody of Nicolas and pursued legal action against Bardot for comments made in her memoir.

Gunter Sachs

Brigitte Bardot and her third husband Gunter Sachs pictured in 1967.

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Bardot met Gunter Sachs in Saint Tropez in May 1966, marrying him two months later in Las Vegas. Their union was short-lived, as Bardot reportedly had an affair shortly after the wedding. Their marriage ended in 1969, with Sachs famously remarking that “A year with Bardot was worth 10 with anyone else.”

Serge Gainsbourg

Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot.

NBCU Photo Bank

While married to Sachs, Bardot began an affair with French singer Serge Gainsbourg, who wrote her a love song. The songs “Bonnie et Clyde” and “Je T’aime … Moi Non Plus” were recorded during a collaboration that included intimate sounds from the studio. Though Bardot later sought to distance herself from the project after Sachs discovered it, Gainsbourg continued to perform the songs.

Bernard d’Ormale

Brigitte Bardot with husband Bernard d’Ormale in 1994.

Chip HIRES/Gamma-Rapho/Getty

Finally, Bardot married Bernard d’Ormale in 1992, a relationship that would last until her death. D’Ormale, a former advisor to far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, noted that their union led Bardot to reconnect with her son, Nicolas. “Two weeks after we met, Brigitte phoned Nicolas because she wanted him to meet me,” he recalled in 1992.

As Bardot’s complex personal life drew public scrutiny, her legacy as a film icon remains intact, celebrated for both her artistic triumphs and personal contradictions.