Brigitte Bardot is an international film star, singer, model and animal rights activist.

Along with Marilyn Monroe, Bardot is often considered to be one of the quintessential female sex symbols of the 1950s and 1960s.

Controversy has surrounded Bardot in the last few years due to her outspoken views on Muslims and homosexuals. She has been charged and fined 5 times since 1997 for "inciting racial hatred" based on comments she has made in magazine articles, books and public appearances.

On June 2, 2008, Bardot was convicted of provoking discrimination. The charge stemmed from a 2006 letter she wrote a letter to Nicolas Sarkozy, and then published it in her foundations quarterly journal. She was fined $23,000.

The French-born starlet burst onto the scene in 1952 in the comedy Le Trou Normand (Crazy for Love) and went on to star in a number of comedies and romantic dramas over the next few years. As French New Wave Cinema started to grow in popularity during the mid-1950s, Bardot began to take on more challenging roles that showcased her acting abilities - such as the 1956 film And God Created Woman.

Apart from her acting, Bardot also performed on various musical variety shows and recorded a number of albums of popular songs - with frequent collaborator Serge Gainsbourg.

In 1973, Bardot announced that she was retiring from the film industry in order to spend more time focusing on her activism and animal rights work.

• Hype Machine: Brigitte Bardot Music

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• Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.

• September 28, 1934: Born in Paris, France

• 1952: Stars in Le Trou Normand

• 1952: Marries director Roger Vadim

• 1956: Stars in And God Created Woman

• 1957: Divorces Vadim

• 1959: Marries actor Jacques Charrier

• 1960: Gives birth to son Nicolas-Jacques Charrier

• 1963: Stars in the Jean-Luc Godard movie Contempt

• 1973: Announces her retirement from acting

• 1986: Establishes the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals

• 1997: Convicted of "inciting racial hatred" and fined after comments about gays and Muslims

• 2008: Charged for the 5th time for "inciting racial hatred"