Brigitte Bardot

French actress Brigitte Bardot appeared in husband Roger Vadim's 1956 movie And God Created Woman and became a star. Under Vadim's guidance during their marriage (1952-57), Bardot went from a child-woman teen model to an international sex symbol. Throughout the 1960s, her image was that of the blonde and wild -- but innocent -- "sex kitten" of the screen. The image is easier to recall than most of her films, with some exceptions, including The Truth (1960) and Jean-Luc Godard's Contempt (1963). She retired from films in 1974, but -- a popular figure in France -- she still makes headlines on occasion in her role as a champion for animals. She was convicted in 2008 of violating France's anti-racism laws for publicly condemning Muslims who slaughter sheep for the celebratory feast of Aid el-Kebir (Eid al-Adha).

Extra credit: Roger Vadim later married Jane Fonda... Other bombshell movie stars of the 1950s included Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida... Pop songs she recorded in the 1960s with Serge Gainsbourg saw a resurgence in popularity in the 1990s, after Gainsbourg's death in 1991.