Jane Birkin

A native of London, Birkin began her career as an actress, appearing in minor roles in Michelangelo Antonioni's Blowup (1966), and Kaleidoscope (1966). In 1968, she met Serge Gainsbourg while co-starring with him in Slogan, which marked the beginning of a years-long working and personal relationship.^[1] The duo released their debut album Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg (1969), and Birkin also appeared in the Je t'aime moi non plus (1976) under Gainsbourg's direction. Though she mostly worked in France where she had become a major star, Birkin occasionally appeared in English-language films such as the Agatha Christie adaptations Death on the Nile (1978) and Evil Under the Sun (1982), as well as James Ivory's A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998).


After separating from Gainsbourg in 1980, Birkin continued to work as both an actress and a singer, appearing in various independent films and recording numerous solo albums. In 2016, she starred in the Academy Award-nominated short film La femme et le TGV, which she said would be her final film role.


Birkin lived mainly in France from the late 1960s onwards, and would acquire French citizenship.^[2][3] She was the mother of photographer Kate Barry, with her first husband John Barry; actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg, with Serge Gainsbourg; and musician Lou Doillon, with Jacques Doillon. In addition to her acting and musical credits, she lent her name to the Hermès Birkin handbag.

Early life[edit]

Jane Mallory Birkin was born on 14 December 1946,^[4] in Marylebone, London.^[5] Her mother, Judy Campbell, was an English actress, best known for her work on stage. Her father, David Birkin, was a Royal Navy lieutenant commander and World War II spy. Her brother is screenwriter and director Andrew Birkin.^[6][7] Birkin was raised in Chelsea,^[8] and described herself as a "shy English girl".^[9] She said that she was bullied for her looks; "I suffered a lot because of my physique, especially at boarding school. The others said I was half boy, half girl. I had no breasts, not even a developing bosom. It was horrible."^[10][11] She said she wanted to be as pretty as Jean Shrimpton, calling herself a "bad version" of her.^[12]


Her middle name "Mallory" was invented by her mother, partly inspired by the name of Arthurian author Sir Thomas Malory.^[13]


Birkin attended Miss Ironside's School in Kensington.^[14][15] She was also educated at Upper Chine School, Isle of Wight.^[11] In 2021, she said she started taking sleeping pills at 16 and never stopped. At the age of 17, she met composer John Barry, whom she married in 1965, and had her first daughter, Kate, in 1967. After Barry left for the United States, the couple divorced in 1968 and Birkin returned to live with her family in London.^[10] She began auditioning for film and television roles in England and in Los Angeles.^[9]