Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot is a French former actress and fashion model who later became an animal rights activist. She embarked on an acting career during the 1950s, and before long became one of the best-known sex symbols of that era. Blessed with radiant beauty, poise, and grace, she was the epitome of femininity and gained a reputation for her free-flowing sensuality that made her famous not just in France but across the globe. She was introduced to dance as a young girl and developed a passion for it. Encouraged by her artistically inclined mother, she attended ballet classes by Russian choreographer Boris Knyazev and excelled at it. She also began modeling as a teenager and appeared on the cover of France's ‘Elle’ magazine at the age of 15. A chance encounter with the young film director, Roger Vadim ensured that she got the opportunity to enter the showbiz as well. She made her acting debut in a comedy film and soon endeared herself to the audience. Eventually, she gained a reputation as a sex symbol because of her sensuous beauty and became one of the best-known actresses of the 1950s and 1960s. Following her retirement from show business, she became an active animal rights activist and established the Foundation for the Protection of Distressed Animals.