She is best known for the duet “Je t’aime… moi non plus”, which she sang with her partner at the time, Serge Gainsbourg. Jane Birkin has died at the age of 76.
The British-French singer and actress Jane Birkin is dead. This was confirmed by the French Ministry of Culture. French media had previously reported on the actress’ death. She was 76 years old.
Among other things, Birkin became known for the song “Je t’aime … moi non plus”, which she recorded in 1969 with her then partner Serge Gainsbourg.
Headlines as a nude model
Birkin was born in London in 1946. She began her acting career at the age of 17 in the Graham Greene play “Carving a Statue” at the Haymarket Theater in London. She came to film in 1965 when she landed a small role in Richard Lester’s comedy The Knack and How to Get It, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes that same year. Birkin first made headlines as an actress in 1966 as a nude model in Michelangelo Antonioni’s cult film “Blow Up”, which also won an award at Cannes.
Birkin was one of the best-known actresses in Western European film, especially in the 1960s and 1970s, and was considered one of the most original actors in French cinema.
Moans of love in a duet
She caused a scandal with the song “Je t’aime … moi non plus”, in which she shared loud moans of love with Gainsbourg. Some radio stations indexed the title for a while, including Britain’s BBC. Her name is also well known in the fashion world: the fashion brand Hermès has named the handbag it has been producing since the 1980s after the actress – “Birkin Bag”.
In recent years, Birkin has repeatedly had health problems. In her 2018 biography, she spoke openly about her battle with leukemia. In September 2021, she had to cancel her participation in the Deauville film festival due to a mild stroke.
Birkin was married to composer John Barry and later dated Gainsbourg and director Jacques Doillon. She has three daughters from these relationships, including actress Charlotte Gainsbourg.