Encyclopedia of French Film Directors

VADIM, ROGER (Roger Vadim Plemiannikov / January
26, 1928, Paris, France–February 11, 2000, Paris,
France)
The son of an Ukrainian-Russian aristocrat and diplomat
and French actress Marie-Antoinette Ardilouse,
he studied dramatic art with Charles Dullin and played
onstage from 1944 to 1947. While still a reporter and
photographer at Paris-Match, he entered fi lms as an
assistant director to Marc Allégret (1948 Blanche Fury,
UK; 1953 Juliette / Julietta, France / Italy), for whom
he also wrote dialogue (1950 Maria Chapdelaine / UK
and USA: The Naked Heart, also actor, France / UK),
adaptations (1951 Blackmailed, UK; 1952 La Demoiselle
et son Revenant, 1955 Futures Vedettes / UK: Sweet Sixteen
/ Joy of Living / USA: School for Love / Joy of Loving,
also actor), and screenplays (1954 L’amante di Paride
/ L’eterna femmina / UK: The Face That Launched a
Thousand Ships, Italy; 1956 En effeuillant la Marguerite
/ UK: Mam’selle Striptease / USA: Please, Mr. Balzac
/ Plucking the Daisy, as co-screenwriter, co-adapter,
dialogist; 1962 Les Parisiennes / Le Parigine / USA: Tales
of Paris, episode “Ella,” as co-screenwriter, dialogist,
France / Italy). Married to Brigitte Bardot from 1952,
he wrote a comedy for her (1956 Cette Sacrée Gamine
/ USA: Mam’zelle Pigalle / Naughty Girl / The Naughty
Girl, as co-screenwriter, co-adapter, dialogist, Michel
Boisrond) before she starred in the fi rst movie he
directed (Et Dieu . . . créa la Femme). He was also an
assistant director to Jean Cocteau (1960 Le Testament
d’Orphée, ou Ne me demandez pas pourquoi / Le
Testament d’Orphée / USA: The Testament of Orpheus,
also actor), producer of a short (1961 C’est ça la
Vie, Claude Choublier) and a feature-length (1962 Et
Satan conduit le Bal, also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist,
Grisha M. Dabat), technical adviser (1963 Les Grands
V
979
Chemins / Il baro / UK and USA: Of Flesh and Blood,
Christian Marquand, France / Italy), actor (1952 Avec
André Gide, documentary, as himself, Marc Allégret; Les
Dents longues, Daniel Gélin; 1961 Cause toujours, mon
Lapin, Guy Lefranc; 1963 Dragées au poivre / Confetti al
pepe / UK and USA: Sweet and Sour / USA: The Sweet
and the Bitter, Jacques Baratier, France / Italy; 1965 Le
Refl ux, Paul Gégauff, shot in 1961; 1967 Le Désordre a
Vingt Ans / USA: Disorder Is 20 Years Old, documentary,
Jacques Baratier; 1972 Ciao Manhattan, John Palmer,
David Weisman, USA; 1981 Rich and Famous, George
Cukor, USA; 1985 Into the Night, John Landis, USA), and
novelist (1982 L’Ange affamé, Editions Robert Laffont;
1994 Le Fou amoureux, Editions Fixot). He authored
several autobiographies: Mémoires du Diable (Stock,
1975); D’une Etoile l’Autre / USA: From One Star to the
Next (Seine, 1987); Le Goût du Bonheur—Souvenirs
1940-58 (Editions Fixot, 1993). He was married to
actresses Brigitte Bardot (1952–1957), Annette Stroyberg
(1958–1960), and Jane Fonda (1965–1973).
Filmography
1956 Et Dieu . . . créa la Femme / E Dio creo la donna /
Piace a troppi / UK: And Woman . . . Was Created
/ USA: . . . And God Created Woman (also coscreenwriter,
adapter, dialogist, actor; France
/ Italy)
1957 Sait-on jamais . . . / Un colpo da due miliardi /
USA: No Sun in Venice (also screenwriter, dialogist;
France / Italy)
1958 Les Bijoutiers du Clair de Lune / Gli amanti del
chiaro di luna / UK: Heaven Fell That Night /
USA: The Night Heaven Fell (also co-screenwriter,
co-adapter, co-dialogist; France / Italy)
1959 Les Liaisons dangereuses 1960 / Relazioni pericolose
/ UK: Les liaisons dangereuses / Dangerous