You may have needed to be alive at the time to appreciate the what Brigitte Bardot meant to 1950s America.
In a June 1958 article In LIFE magazine titled “The Charged Charms of Brigitte,” LIFE waxed lyrical about the 24-year-old actress’ effect on American moviegoers and critics, declaring “Not since the Statue of Liberty has a French girl lit such fires in America.” A companion piece in the same issue titled “A Lot More Than Meets The Eye” went further with its analysis, saying that because Bardot acted in French movies that played in art houses, she could be sexy on screen in ways that American actresses simply couldn’t.
Like the European sports car, she has arrived on the American scene at a time when the American public is ready, or even hungry, for something racier and more realistic than the familiar domestic product….Brigitte, to put it bluntly, is also permitted to take off more of her clothes than any Hollywood star and get away with scenes more risque than Hollywood would dare attempt….Although she was virtually unknown in this country a year ago, Bardot’s name is now a synonym for sex from coast to coast.”
The above story also included a passage which gave a window into what American life was like before standards regarding sexual content in media were loosened: “Owners of art theaters have discovered that they can pull truck drivers and mourners after the vanished burlesque houses in off the sidewalks to see foreign language films if Bardot’s name is on the marquee. They can keep pulling them in for weeks and months at a stretch.”
Combine Bardot’s looks and persona with her exquisite timing and the result is an actress who left an indelible mark on a generation. That helps explain why the lead photo of in this gallery, of Bardot holding a camera on the set of the film Viva Maria, is one of the best-sellers in the LIFE print store. When it comes to images of actresses, only Marilyn Monroe sells better.
Nearly all the photos in this gallery were taken by LIFE staff photographer Loomis Dean, after she made perhaps her most famous film, And God Created Woman. Bardot’s final film came out in 1973, and when she retired from the screen she left behind an art form that had changed greatly, especially when it came to subjects once considered too hot for the American screen.
Liz Ronk edited this gallery for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LizabethRonk.
Brigitte Bardot during a break in filming on the set of “Viva Maria,” 1965.
Ralph Crane/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot on set with actor Michel Roux, 1958.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot on location in Spain in 1958.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot photographed at the time she was making the film “La Femme et le Pantin” in Spain, 1958.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot photographed at the time she was making the film “La Femme et le Pantin” in Spain, 1958.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot photographed at the time she was making the film “La Femme et le Pantin” in Spain, 1958.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot photographed at the time she was making the film “La Femme et le Pantin” in Spain, 1958.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot photographed at the time she was making the film “La Femme et le Pantin” in Spain, 1958.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot photographed at the time she was making the film, “La Femme et le Pantin” Spain, 1958.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot photographed at the time she was making the film “La Femme et le Pantin” in Spain, 1958.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot plays the guitar while on the set of the film “La Femme et le Pantin” in Spain, 1958.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot on the set of the film “La Femme et le Pantin” in Spain, 1958.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot on the set of the film “La Femme et le Pantin” in Spain, 1958.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot on the set of the film “La Femme et le Pantin” in Spain, 1958.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot checks her hair and makeup on the set of the film “La Femme et le Pantin” in Spain, 1958.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot (holding a copy of LIFE magazine) looks at a photographic slide on the set of the film “La Femme et le Pantin” in Spain, 1958.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot on the set of the film “La Femme et le Pantin” in Spain, 1958.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot photographed between takes, Spain, 1958.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot with co-star Antonio Vilar on the set of the film “La Femme et le Pantin.”
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
In Bardot’s films she often ended up lounging on a bed.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot during break on location in Spain, 1958.
Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
