French heartthrob with Russian roots: How Vadim Nemyannikov became Roger Vadim and the spouse of Bardot and Deneuve

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

All over the world Roger Vadim was known as a French director who made films that have become recognized classics of French cinema. He was called Pygmalion, who "fashioned" the stars of the first magnitude from their lovers, because it was thanks to him that Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve and Jane Fonda achieved world recognition. But most of their fans did not know that the director, whom the French were proud of, was born with the surname of the Nephews, and that he explained many of his character traits by his Russian roots …

The director's father, Igor Nikolaevich Plemyannikov, was a Russian White émigré who left Russia for France in the early 1920s. He served as a French diplomat, and Vadim (according to other sources - Vladimir) Plemyannikov spent his childhood in Turkey and Egypt, where his father worked. After his death, he and his mother returned to France. Several languages were spoken in their house - Vadim's mother was French.

Brigitte Bardot Nephews told the parents of his first wife a family legend, according to which the founder of their family was the nephew of Genghis Khan: "".

Historians are inclined to think that the Plemyannikov family really descended from representatives of the Tatar nobility. In the XVIII century. they were granted the family coat of arms, entered in the genealogical books. True, historical research indicates that in the second half of the 18th century. the nemyannikov family was suppressed, and at the beginning of the 17th century. a different kind of their namesakes appeared, not related to a native of the Horde. But if you believe the family tradition of Roger Vadim, his ancestors were related to the first branch of the Pnemyannikovs. The director had 5 official marriages, but only with one of his wives - Brigitte Bardot - he performed the church wedding ceremony, and in marriage with him she bore the name of Brigitte Plemyannikova.

In his youth, Nemyannikov decided to follow in his mother's footsteps and become an actor. At the age of 16, he took a pseudonym - Roger Vadim, and under this name he made his debut on the theater stage. Later, he realized that his calling was not acting, but directing. He began his career as an assistant filmmaker to Marc Allegre. Once, at the audition, Roger Vadim saw 15-year-old Brigitte Bardot, in whom he saw great acting potential. In 1952, when Roger Vadim was 24 and Brigitte Bardot - 18, they got married.

Later, both of them called this time the happiest period in their lives. Roger Vadim's debut directorial work “And God Created Woman” brought him worldwide popularity, became a classic of French cinema, and Brigitte Bardot elevated him to the rank of a superstar. Critics called him Pygmalion and, by analogy with the title of the film, wrote: "". And he answered: "".

However, the first success in the profession destroyed their family life - on the set of the film, Brigitte Bardot met the actor Jean-Louis Trintignant, fell in love with him and left her husband. And Roger Vadim soon married a second time - to the Danish actress Annette Stroyberg, who played in his films "Dangerous Liaisons" and "Die of Pleasure". This marriage was also not durable - after 2 years, the couple broke up. Their daughter Natalie remained with her father after the divorce.

The next muse and common-law wife of the director was 19-year-old Catherine Deneuve, who gave birth to his son Christian Vadim. History repeated itself again - at the time of their acquaintance, she was an unknown beginner actress, and Roger Vadim turned her into a film star. The French were amazed at the ease with which a man with a nondescript appearance conquers the first beauties of the country. Catherine Deneuve, when asked what attracts women to him, answered like this: "".

Roger Vadim spoke about himself like this: "".

He was married three more times. His chosen ones were the American actress Jane Fonda, the heiress of a wealthy family of large industrialists, Catherine Schneider, and the theatrical actress Marie-Christine Barrot. The director had four children from different marriages. At the same time, he managed to maintain good relations with all the wives after the divorce. When he was asked questions about the secrets of the conquest of women, Roger Vadim replied: "".

Roger Vadim visited Russia twice - during the Khrushchev thaw and in the mid-1990s. He always remembered his Russian roots and considered himself only half French. He confessed: "".

The breadth of the soul and the generosity of nature, which Catherine Deneuve spoke of, he, obviously, also owed his Russian roots. His relatives also spoke about this. So, his sister Helen Plemyannikova said in an interview: “”.

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