Jane Birkin, a renowned figure in the world of British acting, was only married once and was a mother to three children. However, she did not become pregnant by the same guy for each of her children since she had relationships with John Barry, Serge Gainsbourg, and Jacques Doillon, and she had three daughters with each of them in separate partnerships.
Jane Birkin, a British actress, is most recognized for her roles in the films “The Swimming Pool,” “Evil Under the Sun,” and “Death on the Nile,” which was released in 1978. At the age of 76, she died away on July 16, 2023 in Paris, France.
However, her name is known all over the globe since she was the source of inspiration and a collaborator in the design of the Hermès “Birkin Bag,” which is one of the most unique and costly goods offered by the business. However, the vast majority of people are unaware of her legacy or her romantic past.
Her mother was Judy Campbell, and her father was David Birkin. David was born in 1914 to a father who had served in World War I and later became successful in Nottingham’s business community. As a kid, he spent a lot of time in the hospital due to lung illnesses, and by the time he was 19, he had already had many operations.
Despite this, he worked as a telegraphist throughout World War II and, in 1941, he was accepted into the Wireless School of the Navy, which is ironic given that he suffered severely from seasickness. Despite this, he served courageously in the military, and Jane has always looked up to him:
When he was a youngster, I never once saw him showing fear. He was not at all flustered. It’s possible that he picked up that lesson by having to show courage in situations when other people were depending on him. And if you become really seasick as he did, you have to exert such an incredible amount of control over yourself.
Jane’s connection with her mother was not one of warmth and affection. Judy was not the kind of person who would be able to take care of newborns, including nursing and changing diapers. Instead, Jane’s upbringing was taken care of by nannies. Although neither of her parents was a very warm person, she never let it bother her too much.
Unfortunately, David was always envious of his wife’s renown and beauty, and things only grew worse when Jane began her career in movies. Jane’s success in the movies only made David’s jealousy of his wife’s famous and beauty worse. He was there for her, but her mother was not thrilled with the situation. In her words:
“Mother handled the situation with remarkable composure. She assured me that she wouldn’t stand in the way of my reaching the light of day. The ten years that followed his passing were crucial to the development of my connection with her. It was a period that will always be cherished.
Jane Birkin’s Husband and Her Partners
Although Jane is most often associated with Serge Gainsbourg, she was really first married to the composer John Barry. Their relationship lasted from 1965 to 1968, and during that time they had one daughter together, Kate Barry, who was born in April 1967.
During this time period, John was composing music for a number of James Bond films and was responsible for the genesis of the score for “Dr. No.” She was just 17 when she and John collaborated on the production of the musical “Passion Flower Hotel,” which included songs like “I Must, Must, Must Increase My Bust.” Jane said:
“They utilized my flat chest and bandy legs to portray the fun image in the show, where I played the role of the figure of fun. I did have a song before “Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus,” but it wasn’t until that song that anybody felt I had a nice voice. I did have a tiny tune.
Following the conclusion of the marriage, she began a relationship with Serge, a singer and director. Even after being together for a decade and a half, they chose not to be married. In 1971, Charlotte Gainsbourg was a member of the group. Their divorce in 1971 became notorious owing to allegations of violence and drinking throughout their relationship.
After some time, the actress became acquainted with Jacques Doillon, who is also an actor, writer, and director. Throughout their time together, Hermès looked to Jane Birkin as a source of inspiration. In 1982, she and Jacques became parents to a girl whom they named Lou Doillon.
Kate Barry, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Lou Doillon are the three daughters of Jane Birkin.
Kate, the first of her daughters, pursued a career in photography. She went away in 2013, which was just a short two years after her father had gone away. She had fallen from the flat she lived in on the fourth floor. Although Kate did not achieve the same level of notoriety as her younger sisters, she was well-known in France for her fashion photography. Jane brought all of her children up in France.
Jane said that when Kate was younger, she always had a Polaroid camera on her and would shoot photographs whenever she got the chance. The actress described in her autobiography how difficult it was for her first daughter to succeed academically since she often attended late-night parties in Paris and was a drug user.
At one time, Kate took a jacket by Yves Saint Laurent out of Jane’s wardrobe to wear, but Jane was under the impression that the garment had been taken. Charlotte, the couple’s second daughter, followed in her mother’s footsteps and became a famous French actress. She is known for her roles in “Nymphomaniac,” “I Do,” “Antichrist,” and “Melancholia,” amongst other films.
But Charlotte is also a recording artist, and she has worked with Jarvis Cocker and Nigel Godrich, much as her mother was. Lou Doillon, the third daughter of Jane and John Doillon, was likewise a rebel in her youth and got her start in the entertainment industry in 1988 with the film “Kung-Fu Master!”
She featured afterwards in Jacques’ film “Trop (peu) D’amour,” and then in “Mauvaises Fréquentations.” Lou is a well-known name in the modeling profession as well as the film industry in France. Jane responded in the affirmative when she was asked whether she had inspired her children to seek a career in acting.
“Very much so, because I must’ve left Serge when Charlotte [Gainsbourg] was about twelve, and Jacques Doillon and I were looking for a kid to play in ‘The Pirate.'” “Very much so, because I must’ve left Serge when Charlotte [Gainsbourg] was about twelve,” Charlotte Gainsbourg said. It was clear to me that Charlotte was enthusiastic about the opportunity.”
Charlotte was the child who had the most desire to take after her mother. Jane claims that her daughter once told her that she aspired to follow in her parents’ footsteps by becoming “an actress like my mother and a drunk like my father.” The actress was captured by the paparazzi on many occasions when she was accompanying her daughters to film shoots.