Roger Vadim

Roger Vadim
Born	Roger Vladimir Plemiannikov 26 January 1928(1928-01-26) Paris, France
Died	11 February 2000(2000-02-11) (aged 72) Paris, France
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter, producer
Years active	1950–1997
Spouse	Brigitte Bardot (1952–1957) Annette Strøyberg (1958–1960) Jane Fonda (1965–1973) Catherine Schneider (1975–1977) Marie-Christine Barrault (1990–2000)

Roger Vadim (26 January 1928 – 11 February 2000) was a French screenwriter, director, and producer as well as a journalist, author and actor, who launched Brigitte Bardot's career in the film And God Created Woman.

Early life

Vadim was born as Roger Vladimir Plemiannikov in Paris. His Russian father, Igor Nikolaevich Plemiannikov (Russian: И́горь Никола́евич Племя́нников), had immigrated from Ukraine and became a naturalized French citizen, and was a vice consul of France to Egypt. His mother, Marie-Antoinette Ardilouze, was a French actress. Although Vadim lived in luxury in his early youth, the death of his father, in front of Vadim when he was nine, caused the family to return to France, where his mother found work running a hostel in the French Alps which served as a way-station for Jews and other fugitives fleeing Nazi Germany.

Vadim became a stage actor at the age of sixteen, after studying journalism and writing at the University of Paris, from which he did not graduate. In 1947, he became assistant to film director Marc Allégret, whom he met while working at the Theatre Sarah Bernhardt, and for whom he worked on several screenplays. Vadim then raised the funds to produce and direct his first film, And God Created Woman, starring Bardot, the profits from which made him wealthy. They went on to make two more films together, both of which featured Bardot as a sexpot.

Romances

Vadim was celebrated for his romances – and marriages – to beautiful actresses, which he wrote about in his 1986 book Bardot, Deneuve & Fonda.

In 1950, Vadim discovered Bardot when he was still an assistant director, and she was only 15 years old. Two years later they were married, but by 1957 they were divorced. Vadim had already begun an affair with Annette Strøyberg, an actress from Denmark who was 21 years old, and who became his new leading lady for Les liaisons dangereuses, and his wife in 1958. They divorced in 1960, after the birth of their daughter, Nathalie, who would go on to become on actress.

In 1961, he began a two-year relationship with actress Catherine Deneuve, who at age 17 was nearly half his age. They had a son together – Christian – a month before ending their relationship. Deneuve was followed in 1964 by Jane Fonda; they married in 1965 and divorced in 1973.

Candy Darling, of Andy Warhol's entourage, wrote of an affair with Vadim in her diary, My Face for the World to See.

Marriages

• Brigitte Bardot, 20 December 1952 – 6 December 1957 (divorced)
• Annette Strøyberg, 1958–1960 (divorced); 1 child (Nathalie)
• Jane Fonda, 14 August 1965 – 16 January 1973 (divorced); 1 child (Vanessa)
• Catherine Schneider, 1975–1977 (divorced); 1 child (Vania)
• Marie-Christine Barrault, 1990 - his death

Later career

In addition to Vadim's theater and film work, he also wrote several books, including his autobiography, D'une étoile à l'autre (From One Star to the Next).

Death

Vadim died at age 72 of lymphoma and is buried in the St. Tropez Cemetery, Saint Tropez, France. He was survived by his wife, French actress Marie-Christine Barrault and his four children (Christian, Vanessa, Vania and Nathalie).

Writing

• Vadim, Roger. Bardot, Deneuve, Fonda: My Life With The Three Most Beautiful Women In The World (1986), published by Simon & Schuster (ISBN 0671530070/ISBN 9780671530075)

References

Notes

External links

• Roger Vadim at the Internet Movie Database
• Roger Vadim's biographic sketch at Find A Grave