Trivia

Husband Diourka Medveczky is a Hungarian sculptor and director.

Was good friends with Anna Karina.

As a friendly favour to Bernadette, Stéphane Audran had a strong input in Pauline Lafont getting cast in Cop Au Vin (1985).

She signed the Manifesto of the 343 to support the legalization of abortion in France.

French star actress identified with the New Wave of the late 1950's. Often in films by noted exponents of the movement, including François Truffaut, Louis Malle and Claude Chabrol.

In 2003, she received an honorary César for her lifetime achievement in cinema.

She worked with daughter Élisabeth Lafont in Noroît (1976), Prisonnières (1988) and Les malheurs de Malou (1984). She worked with daughter Pauline Lafont in Le pactole (1985). She worked with both in Vincent mit l'âne dans un pré (et s'en vint dans l'autre) (1975).

She never considered herself a beauty and greatly admired actresses such as Françoise Rosay, Marguerite Moreno and Yvonne de Bray for relying on their talents rather than their looks.

Both Bernadette and daughter Pauline Lafont appeared in one of Claude Chabrol's Inspector Lavardin movies. Pauline was in Cop Au Vin (1985) while Bernadette starred in Inspector Lavardin (1986).

On the set of Les bonnes femmes (1960), she befriended Stéphane Audran, but not Clotilde Joano and Lucile Saint-Simon, both of which she found uninteresting.

On 6 December 2013, a public exhibition dedicated to her memory, "Bernadette Lafont l'exposition hommage", was held in Paris. Actors Stéphane Audran, Guillaume Gouix and Alexandra Stewart read some extracts of Bernard Bastide's new biography "Bernadette Lafont, une vie de cinéma", including some original letters written by Bernadette. The event was filmed by Gérard Courant and aired as an episode of "Carnets filmés", "In Memoriam Bernadette Lafont".

Often described as a brunette counterpart of Brigitte Bardot because of her provocative sex appeal, she was nicknamed 'La Bardot Nègre'.

Festival tribute at the Créteil International Women's Film Festival, France. (1992)

Was awarded the French state's prestigious honour of Officer in the Légion d'honneur.

The daughter of a pharmacist in Nimes, she studied ballet there and performed at the local opera house before her movie career began.

Her father was a chemist. Her mother had wanted a boy, and always called her "Bernard". She took ballet lessons, and appeared in performances at the Nîmes Opera House.

She was the godmother of the Vebron Film Festival from its foundation in 1988 until her death in 2013. She died during the weeks the festival was on.

She accepted to star in Trop jolies pour être honnêtes (1972) only because she wished to use her salary to help husband Diourka Medveczky producing and directing a feature film called "Margaret". The movie was never made.

She originally wanted to pursue a singing career, but she was told that she didn't have the talent for it. This autobiographical element was at the centre of the plot of A Gorgeous Girl Like Me (1972), where her character, Camille Bliss, tries in vain to become a singer.

Acting idols included Jean Marais, James Dean and Marlon Brando.

In 1995 she received the "Prix Reconnaissance des cinéphiles" for her film work.

She had a mansion in Argenton-les-Vallées. As a homage to Bernadette, on the 22 June 2014, the city's inter-library was renamed after her. On that date, both the movie theatre 'Les Commynes' and the inter-library paid the actress a long series of homages, which included several documentaries and photographic exhibitions.

She has a rose named after her.

Separated from her husband Diourka Medveczky several years before their divorce was official.

Mother of three children with husband Diourka Medveczky--David, Élisabeth Lafont and Pauline Lafont. Pauline died in 1988 at age 25 in a climbing accident.