Formidable presence in French cinema of the late 1950s and 60s, as well known for his capacity to mold wives and lovers into starlets as for his occasional cinematic flourishes.A former stage actor, assistant to director Marc Allegret and journalist, Vadim--with his then wife Brigitte Bardot--gained worldwide attention with the release of "And God Created Woman" (1956). The film's striking wide-screen color and erotic frankness (including shots of a semi-clad Bardot) earned it vast commercial success and paved the way for the subsequent New Wave breakthrough by convincing French producers of
