Jane Birkin Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What was Jane Birkin’s Net Worth?

At the time of her passing, Jane Birkin, an English actress and singer, had a net worth estimated at $20 million. She passed away on July 16, 2023, at the age of 76. Birkin began her film career in the 1960s, securing the lead role in the 1969 French film “Slogan,” alongside actor Serge Gainsbourg. Together, they also produced a song for the film and went on to collaborate on multiple duets in the future.

Her television and film appearances included credits in “Don Juan, or if Don Juan Were a Woman,” “Je t’aime…moi non plus,” “Death on the Nile,” “Evil Under the Sun,” “Leave All Fair,” “A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries,” and “Elektra.” In addition, she enjoyed a fruitful singing career, releasing 14 studio albums between 1969 and 2008.

Jane is notably associated with the iconic Hermes “Birkin bag,” which debuted in 1984. As the story goes, Jean-Louis Dumas, the CEO of Hermes, found himself sitting next to Birkin on a flight from Paris to London in early 1984. When Jane’s travel bag spilled its contents after being placed in the overhead compartment, she expressed her frustration to Dumas regarding the difficulty she faced in finding an appealing leather weekend bag. More on this story will follow later in the article.

Early Life

On December 14, 1946, Birkin was born in Marylebone, London, England. Her mother, Judy Campbell, was an actress on the English stage, and her father, David Birkin, was a lieutenant commander in the Royal Navy and a wartime spy. Jane grew up with her brother Andrew, who later became a screenwriter and director, in Chelsea. She attended Upper Chine School on the Isle of Wight and described herself as a shy child.

Career

From a young age, Birkin showed a passion for acting, but her first roles came in her late teenage years. Her debut role was an uncredited appearance in “The Knack…and How to Get It” in 1965, followed by modest parts in the counterculture movies “Blowup” and “Kaleidoscope” the next year. In 1968, she played a model in “Wonderwall” and then starred in the erotic thriller “La Piscine” in 1969. That same year, she secured the lead role in “Slogan,” despite a lack of fluency in French, co-starring with Serge Gainsbourg, which ultimately laid the foundation for their lifelong collaboration.

Following “Slogan,” Birkin chose to reside permanently in France and reached a peak moment in her singing career with the release of the duet “Je t’aime…moi non plus” with Gainsbourg in 1969. This track gained immense popularity, breaking several records and becoming the highest-selling foreign-language song in the UK. It was notably banned on radio stations in Spain, Italy, and the UK due to its sexual content. In 1971, she recorded another track with Gainsbourg for his album “Histoire de Melody Nelson.”

After a brief hiatus, Birkin returned to acting in 1973, playing the role of Brigitte Bardot’s lover in “Don Juan, or If Don Juan Were a Woman.” She also featured in the horror film “Dark Places” with Christopher Lee and Joan Collins. By 1975, she had a role in Gainsbourg’s debut film, “Je t’aime moi non plus,” which sparked controversy for its provocative content and faced a ban from the British Board of Film Classification. Nevertheless, the film was a commercial success and earned Birkin a Cesar Award for Best Actress.

In 1978, Birkin started modeling for Lee Cooper jeans, while also continuing her acting career, appearing in adaptations of Agatha Christie works, including “Death on the Nile” and “Evil Under the Sun.” She further pursued music, releasing albums like “Baby Alone in Babylone,” “Lolita Go Home,” and “Rendez-vous.” Her musical accomplishments earned her the title of Female Artist of the Year at the 1992 Victoires de la Musique awards.

In 1981, she starred in “La fille prodigue” and “La pirate,” both directed by Jacques Doillon. This led to an invitation from Patrice Chereau to perform in the stage production “La Fausse suivante” by Marivaux. Additionally, she collaborated with director Herbert Vesely in “Egon Schiele Exzess und Bestrafung,” where she portrayed the mistress of the renowned artist Egon Schiele. For her performance in “La Belle Noiseuse,” she received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 1991 Cesar Awards.

Throughout the 2000s, Birkin continued to star in films like “Merci Docteur Rey” and “Elektra.” In 2006, she unveiled a new album titled “Fictions.” Then in 2010, she partnered with Brazilian singer Sergio Dias for a duet. A notable year was 2016 when she appeared in a campaign for Yves Saint Laurent featuring female musicians, and she starred in “Le femme et le TGV,” which received an Academy Award nomination. She expressed that this would be her final time acting. In 2017, she released “Birkin/Gainsbourg: Le Symphonique,” a compilation of songs Gainsbourg composed for her during their relationship, and performed live in Brussels for the album.

Birkin Bag

Beyond her other career endeavors, Birkin’s name has become synonymous with a renowned handbag designed by Jean-Louis Dumas, the chief executive of Hermes in the mid-1980s. Following an incident where Birkin spilled her bag’s contents on a flight after sitting next to Dumas, he decided to create a leather bag tailored to her preferences. This new creation became known as the “Birkin bag,” which over time evolved into a luxury status symbol.

Today, a standard Birkin Bag has a retail price of $11,000. Certain limited editions have commanded auction prices in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. A notable sale occurred in May 2017, when a bag was auctioned at Christie’s for $380,000. Celebrities, including Kim Kardashian, have professed their admiration for the bags, boasting extensive personal collections.

Hermes is said to produce approximately 70,000 Birkin bags every year, with the waitlist potentially stretching to six years. A Miami resale boutique specializing in these bags has reportedly resold over $60 million worth of them in less than a decade.

In 2015, Jane requested that Hermes cease utilizing her name for the crocodile version of the bag, citing ethical concerns regarding the treatment of alligators during the killing process.

In a 2021 interview, Jane revealed her infrequent use of a Birkin bag, stating: “I carry too much stuff, and it’s too heavy. I stuff coat pockets instead.“

Personal Life

At 17, Birkin met composer John Barry, and the two married in 1965 when she was 19, giving birth to their daughter Kate in 1967. They divorced in 1968, prompting Birkin to move back in with her family in London and to focus more seriously on her acting career.

After meeting Serge Gainsbourg on the “Slogan” set in 1968, they entered a relationship that would last 12 years, although they never wed. They welcomed their daughter, Charlotte, in 1971. Despite their separation, they maintained a close bond and continued to work together on various creative projects until Gainsbourg’s death in

In 1991, Birkin was also in a relationship with director Jacques Doillon, resulting in the birth of their son, Lou Doillon, in 1982. The couple split during the 1990s. Following their separation, Birkin lived alone, although later reports indicated that she had a relationship with French writer Olivier Rolin. Since the late 1960s, she has primarily resided in Paris.