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Jane Birkin Wiki, Age, Bio, Career, Cause of Death, Husband

Jane Birkin Wiki – Jane Birkin Bio

Jane Birkin, an actress, singer, and fashion icon, died in France, a country she enthralled with her English elegance and accented French, and where she called home. The fashion diva and London native was known for her musical and love relationship with French artist Serge Gainsbourg. Their song “Je t’aime moi non plus” (“I Love You, But Not Me”) was particularly moving. In the 1969 duet that helped establish her career and was banned in Italy after being criticized in a Vatican publication, Birkin’s angelic, British-accented singing voice mingled with his gruff baritone.

Birkin’s 1960s and early 1970s style — long hair with bangs, trousers with white shirts, knit short skirts, and basket bags — remains the epitome of French flair for many women throughout the world.

Birkin was also linked to a Hermes bag that bore her name. The Birkin bag, designed in her honor by the Paris design house in 1984, quickly became one of the world’s most exclusive luxury items, with an outrageous price tag and a years-long waiting list.

Age

She was born in Marylebone, London, England, on December 14, 1946. Jane passed away at the age of 76.

who was Jane Birkin
who was Birkin

Early Life And Career

Jane Mallory Birkin was born on December 14, 1946, in Marylebone, London. Her mother, Judy Campbell, was an English actress best known for her stage work. Her father, David Birkin, was a Royal Navy lieutenant commander and World War II spy. Her brother is screenwriter and filmmaker Andrew Birkin.

Birkin refers to herself as a “shy English girl” from Chelsea. “I suffered a lot because of my physique, especially at boarding school,” she remarked of being teased about her physical appearance. Others assumed I was half masculine and half female. I had no breasts or even a developing bosom. It was a nightmare.”

Her mother gave her the middle name “Mallory,” which was inspired in part by the name of Sir Thomas Malory, an Arthurian author.

Birkin attended Miss Ironside’s School in Kensington. On the Isle of Wight, she also attended Upper Chine School. When she was 17, she met composer John Barry, married him in 1965, and had her first daughter, Kate, in 1967. When Barry left for the United States in 1968, Birkin returned to live with her family in London. She began applying for film and television opportunities in England and Los Angeles.

Her film credits include a supporting appearance in the 1966 crime comedy Kaleidoscope and a major role in Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile, which was released in 1978.

In 1968, Birkin and Gainsbourg collaborated on the breathy ballad “Je T’aime… Moi Non-Plus” (“I Love You… Me Neither”). The song was banned from radio play in some countries, and the Vatican condemned it for its sexual innuendos and heavy breathing, which only added to its popularity.

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Birkin and Gainsbourg were married for 12 years but remained close friends and collaborators until their divorce in 1991.

In 1984, Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas created the Birkin bag, a luxury “it” bag known for its exorbitant price tag, for the actress. Birkin, as previously reported by NPR, was seated next to Dumas on a London-bound flight a few years back. The actress, who is known to carry her possessions in a straw basket, told Dumas about her difficulty to locate the perfect-sized weekend bag — one that is larger than the Hermès “Kelly” pocketbook but smaller than a suitcase.

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Jane Birkin (@janebirkinoff)

 

She recalled pulling out the plane’s “vomit bag” and drawing her proposal to show Dumas in a 2018 interview with CBS News. She joked that the iconic bag had been so closely associated with her that it would one day be the focal point of her obituary.

Birkin, who is also known for her activism, asked in 2015 that her name be removed off the famed crocodile-skin Birkin bag owing to animal cruelty concerns. Birkin has auctioned off her bags for a variety of causes, including disaster assistance, throughout the years. She also added that she and the designer decided to donate a portion of Hermès bag sales to charity even after her death.

Husband

Birkin married James Bond film composer John Barry from 1965 until 1968, and they had a daughter, Kate Barry. Kate, a photographer, died in 2013 at the age of 46 after falling from her Paris apartment’s fourth-floor window.

Cause of Death

The actress died at her home in Paris, according to French media. According to The New York Times, Birkin had a mild stroke in 2021 and has recently canceled gigs due to health issues.

“Because she embodied freedom and sang the most beautiful words of our language, Birkin was a French icon,” wrote French President Emmanuel Macron. “She was a complete artist, with a voice as sweet as her engagements were fiery.” “She leaves us with songs and visuals we will never forget.”

“We will never forget her songs, laughter, or incomparable accent that has always accompanied us,” Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said in a tweet.

She is survived by two children from her marriage to Gainsbourg, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon, and one from her marriage to French film director Jacques Doillon.

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