Biography

French design house Hermès named and designed a handbag for her in 1984. The now famous "Birkin" bag is one of their most popular (and expensive at at least $6000 a piece) handbags to date.

Is a descendant of King Charles II Stuart of England and Scotland.

In the 1980s a purse/bag - the Hermes Birkin Bag - was named after her. In 2015, after a film circulated by PETA demonstrated animal mistreatment at a Texan leather-farm allegedly used by the firm as a supplier, she asked for her name to be removed.

The 1969 album "Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg" included the highly controversial track "Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus" which, though sung entirely in French, was banned by several radio stations due to the simulated "aural" sex that consisted of various explicit "gasps," "sighs" and "moans" interspersed throughout the French lyrics. Despite its notoriety, the single went on to top the British charts in October 1969, eventually scoring in France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Holland and Sweden. By early 1970 it had sneaked onto the American charts where it enjoyed modest success

Mother of photographer Kate Barry born 1967 (with John Barry), Charlotte Gainsbourg born 1971 (with Serge Gainsbourg), and Lou Doillon born Sept 1982 (with Jacques Doillon).

David Attenborough... has that wonderful, breathy voice and he's always so fascinated by what he's seeing. There's nothing about him that I can't find attractive.

As there is no one to be pleased or unpleased with me, I'm actually rather merrier with my cat.

Big Ben . . . hearing the chimes makes me feel at home.

By meeting people in Sarajevo I realized I had nothing to complain about--they'd lost children crossing the road trying to find water. I stopped thinking about my problems and would sit with women in underground places, singing songs.

Any film I see at two o'clock in afternoon with my mother seems to cast a strange spell that means we both come out sobbing.