French film director Roger Vadim dies at age 72



February 11, 2000

Web posted at: 10:56 a.m. EST (1556 GMT)



PARIS (AP) - Roger Vadim, the French film director who launched Brigitte Bardot's career as an international sex kitten in the classic "And God Created Woman" and later married Jane Fonda, died Friday in Paris after a long struggle with cancer, family friends said. He was 72.



Vadim was best-known for the 1956 groundbreaking "And God Created Woman" about a young married woman's quest for sexual freedom. The film unveiled Bardot's sensuous curves and beguiling pout and brought her instant fame.



The film defined the content and set the tone for many of Vadim's films, including the 1968 "Barbarella," an avant-garde sci-fi romp starring his new blond wife, Jane Fonda.



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