Jane Birkin

Jane Birkin (b. December 14, 1946) is an actress and singer born in London who has spent most of her career in France.

Related Topics:
December 14 - 1946 - Actress - Singer - London - France

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She is the elder daughter of David Birkin (a commander in the Royal Navy and a World War II war hero involved in various aspects of espionage) and actress Judy Campbell (née Gamble), who made her name as a star of Noel Coward musicals. Birkin also is a member of a prominent British industrial family that made its fortune manufacturing lace in Nottinghamshire. A great-aunt, Winifred (Freda) May Birkin, later Mrs William Dudley Ward, was a mistress of the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, later HRH the Duke of Windsor). She is also related by blood or marriage to the actresses Penelope Dudley Ward and Rachel Ward as well as the film director Sir Carol Reed.

Related Topics:
Royal Navy - World War II - Espionage - Judy Campbell - Noel Coward - Lace - Nottinghamshire - Edward VIII of the United Kingdom - Rachel Ward - Sir Carol Reed

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As a young woman during the swinging 60s in London, Birkin followed in her mother's footsteps and launched her own acting career. She starred as one of the nude models in the controversial film Blowup in 1967. The next year, she left for France to audition for the female lead role in Slogan. Though she did not speak French at all, she managed to get the role. On the set, she met Serge Gainsbourg. The two were soon involved in a passionate affair, which later developed into a full-blown relationship. Birkin never returned to England.

Related Topics:
Swinging 60s - Blowup - Slogan - Serge Gainsbourg

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During her relationship with Serge Gainsbourg, they released a song with the provocative title "Je t'aime... moi non plus" ("I love you... me neither"), written by Gainsbourg and featuring both of them singing, which caused a scandal for its sexual explicitness at the time of its release in 1969. Thanks to the publicity it got from being banned at radio stations in Italy, Sweden, Spain and the UK, it was a commercial success all over Europe. The song debuted at #1 on the UK charts

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Birkin took a short break from her acting career in 1971-72, but returned as Brigitte Bardot's lover in Don Juan (or if Don Juan were a woman) in 1973. In 1975, she appeared in Gainsbourg's first film Je t'aime... moi non plus, which created quite a stir for its frank examination of sexual ambiguity.

Related Topics:
Brigitte Bardot - Don Juan (or if Don Juan were a woman) - Je t'aime... moi non plus

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Birkin has starred in the Agatha Christie films Death on the Nile and Evil Under the Sun, and recorded several albums. She has been awarded an OBE for her services to acting, as well as the Ordre National du Mérite in France.

Related Topics:
Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile - Evil Under the Sun - OBE - Ordre National du Mérite

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Charlotte Gainsbourg is Birkin's daughter from her relationship with Serge Gainsbourg, whom she met in 1968 and lived with until 1980. She also has a daughter, Kate Barry (born 1968), from her first marriage to John Barry (they separated in 1968 and later divorced), an English composer who wrote the musical score to the James Bond movies. Birkin has another daughter, Lou (born 1982), by film director Jacques Doillon.

Related Topics:
Charlotte Gainsbourg - Serge Gainsbourg - John Barry - James Bond

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