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Roger VadimFrench director, producer, actor, screenwriter, journalist and writer
Date of Birth: 26.01.1928
Country:  France |
Content:
- Biography of Roger Vadim
- Early Career
- The Brigitte Bardot Era
- Later Relationships and Career
- Later Years and Death
Biography of Roger Vadim
Early Life and EducationRoger Vadim was born on January 26, 1928, in Paris, France. His real name was Roger Vladimir Igorevich Plemyannikov. His father, Igor Nikolaevich Plemyannikov, was a Russian nobleman who emigrated to France during the first wave of "white emigration" after the 1917 revolution. Vadim's mother, Marie-Antoinette Ardilouse, was a French actress. He spent his childhood in the East, where his father served as a French diplomat in Turkey and Egypt. Vadim grew up in a multilingual household, surrounded by intellectuals and artists.
Early Career
At the age of 16, Roger Vadim made his debut on the theatrical stage and decided to change his long and awkward surname. From 1944 to 1947, he studied at the Institute of Political Studies at the University of Paris, but left at the age of 19 to pursue a career in writing and acting. In 1947, Vadim wrote his first novel and sent it for review to the renowned writer André Gide, who advised him to pursue a career in filmmaking. With Gide's help, Vadim became a student of director Marc Allégret, working as his assistant and screenwriter. During this time, he also wrote for periodicals.
The Brigitte Bardot Era
In 1949, while babysitting a friend's three-year-old son, Vadim came across a photograph of a 15-year-old model named Brigitte Bardot in a magazine. Impressed by her beauty, he later married Bardot in 1952 and launched her acting career. Their collaboration on the film "And God Created Woman" (Et Dieu… créa la femme) in 1956 catapulted Bardot to international stardom and Vadim to recognition as a director. Despite their success, the couple divorced in 1957.
Later Relationships and Career
Following his divorce from Bardot, Vadim married Swedish actress Annette Strømberg in 1958. Their marriage lasted two years and resulted in the birth of their daughter, Nathalie. Vadim then met 19-year-old Catherine Deneuve in 1962 and they had a son named Christian. Throughout his life, Vadim was married four more times, including to American actress Jane Fonda from 1965 to 1973, rich heiress Catherine Schneider from 1975 to 1977, and theater actress Marie-Christine Barrault from 1990 until his death.
In addition to directing 30 films, Vadim worked extensively in television and theater. He also wrote novels, memoirs, and released an autobiography titled "From One Star to Another" (D'une étoile à l'autre), which delved into his relationships with the women he loved.
Later Years and Death
After a long battle with cancer, Roger Vadim passed away on February 11, 2000, at the age of 72. All five of his ex-wives, including Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve, attended his funeral.
