Roger Vadim.

January 26, 1928 marked the birth of Roger Vadim in Paris, France, to Russian emigre parents. His father Igor Plemiannikov died of a heart attack in 1937, when Vadim was nine. He had a sister, Helene Plemiannikov. He studied journalism and writing at the University of Paris. He worked as a reporter for Paris Match. Later, he became a screenwriter and assistant director to Marc Allegret at Francoeur Studios.

Vadim’s directorial debut, And God Created Woman 1956, starring then-wife Brigitte Bardot, brought both to international fame. He followed with No Sun in Venice 1957 and The Game Is Over 1966, which featured Jane Fonda. His 1968 film Barbarella, a psychedelic sci-fi starring Fonda, became a cult classic. Vadim also made cameo appearances in And God Created Woman 1988 and Into the Night 1985.

Vadim married five times, including Brigitte Bardot 1952-1957, who starred in his directorial debut, and Jane Fonda 1965-1973, who headlined Barbarella. He had four children: Nathalie Vadim b. 1957 with Annette Stroyberg, Christian Vadim b. 1963 with Catherine Deneuve, Vanessa Vadim b. 1968 with Jane Fonda, and Vania Vadim b. 1974 with Catherine Schneider. After his divorce from Fonda, he lived with screenwriter Ann Biderman in Santa Monica throughout the 1980s. His final marriage was to actress Marie-Christine Barrault from 1990 until his death in 2000.

Roger Vadim launched the careers of Brigitte Bardot and Jane Fonda and directed the cult classic Barbarella 1968. He claimed to have coined the term discotheque. All five ex-wives attended his funeral in 2000. Critics often panned his directorial style, but Barbarella’s influence on fashion and film persists for decades.