Meet Charlotte Gainsbourg’s Parents: Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg

Charlotte Gainsbourg, the acclaimed French-British actress, singer, and filmmaker, has built a remarkable career in her own right in London.

Born Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg on July 21, 1971, in Marylebone, London, England, she is currently 54 years old.

She holds dual British and French nationality and has a mixed ethnicity: her father, Serge Gainsbourg (born Lucien Ginsburg), was of Russian-Jewish (Ashkenazi) descent, while her mother, Jane Birkin, was of English Protestant background. Charlotte identifies as Jewish, celebrates Jewish holidays with her partner’s family, and has embraced this heritage, though her upbringing was largely secular.

She is the only child of her parents, the legendary French singer-songwriter, actor, and provocateur Serge Gainsbourg (1928–1991) and the English actress, singer, and style icon Jane Birkin (1946–2023). Their high-profile, often controversial relationship—including the infamous 1969 duet “Je t’aime… moi non plus“—shaped much of her early public life. They separated around 1980 when Charlotte was about nine.

Charlotte has several half-siblings: Kate Barry (from her mother’s first marriage to composer John Barry; Kate, a photographer, passed away in 2013), Lou Doillon (from her mother’s relationship with director Jacques Doillon), Lucien Gainsbourg (also known as Lulu, from her father’s relationship with Bambou/Caroline Paulus), Natacha Gainsbourg (from her father’s second marriage to Françoise-Antoinette “Béatrice” Pancrazzi), and Paul Gainsbourg (also from her father’s marriage to Béatrice Pancrazzi).

Raised primarily in Paris after her birth in London, Charlotte grew up in a bohemian, artistic environment surrounded by fame, film sets, and recording studios. Her childhood blended a sense of normalcy with intense media scrutiny; she has described it as both “normal and simple” yet marked by occasional bullying at school due to her father’s provocative behavior.

She attended the bilingual École Active Bilingue Jeannine Manuel in Paris and later the Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil boarding school in Switzerland. French is her first language, and she is fluent in English.

Standing approximately 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) tall, Charlotte has never formally married but has been in a long-term relationship with French-Israeli actor, director, and screenwriter Yvan Attal since around 1991, when they met on the set of the film “Aux yeux du monde”. They became engaged in 2013 but have remained unmarried partners, living together in Paris and briefly in New York following personal family losses.

Together, they have three children: a son, Ben Attal (born around 1997, who has pursued acting), and two daughters, Alice Attal (born 2002) and Jo Attal (born Joanne Attal in 2011).

Jane Birkin

Jane Birkin (1946–2023) was Charlotte Gainsbourg’s mother, an English-born actress, singer, and style icon who became a defining figure in French culture after moving to France in the late 1960s.

Born Jane Mallory Birkin in London to an upper-class family—her mother was actress Judy Campbell and her father a wartime intelligence officer—Birkin began her career in British theater and film.

She appeared in Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow-Up (1966) and other Swinging London-era projects. In 1968, while filming the movie Slogan, she met Serge Gainsbourg, sparking a legendary romance that lasted over a decade (though they never married). Their union produced Charlotte in 1971, and Birkin became inseparable from Gainsbourg in the public eye.

Birkin’s career flourished in French cinema, where she starred in over 70 films, often in provocative or artistic roles. She also pursued music, most famously collaborating with Gainsbourg on the steamy 1969 duet “Je t’aime… moi non plus,” which became a global hit despite (or because of) being banned in several countries for its explicit content.

Beyond acting and singing, Birkin inspired one of the world’s most coveted fashion items: the Hermès Birkin bag, named after her in the 1980s following a chance encounter on a flight in which she expressed a need for a practical yet stylish handbag.

As a mother, Birkin raised Charlotte amid a whirlwind of creativity and fame. Their close, introspective bond later became the subject of Charlotte’s directorial debut, the 2021 documentary Jane by Charlotte, which explored themes of aging, family, and memory through intimate conversations. Birkin’s effortless, rumpled chic—jeans, simple tops, and a wicker basket—helped define the “French girl” aesthetic that influenced generations, including her daughter’s understated style.

Serge Gainsbourg

Serge Gainsbourg (1928–1991), born Lucien Ginsburg, was Charlotte Gainsbourg’s father, a groundbreaking French singer-songwriter, composer, actor, and provocateur widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in 20th-century French music.

Of Russian Jewish immigrant descent, Gainsbourg grew up in Paris and initially pursued painting before turning to music in the 1950s. He started as a jazz pianist and chanson singer, evolving through yé-yé pop, rock, reggae, and funk.

His lyrics were witty, poetic, and often scandalous, earning him a reputation as France’s “Baudelaire of song.” He wrote hits for artists like France Gall and Brigitte Bardot before his partnership with Jane Birkin produced enduring classics, including “Je t’aime… moi non plus” and others that defined their era’s erotic, intellectual edge.

Gainsbourg’s life was as theatrical as his work—he was known for heavy smoking, bold TV appearances, and controversial statements. He directed films, composed scores, and even recorded a reggae version of “La Marseillaise.”

With Birkin, he fathered Charlotte, and their family life blended artistic intensity with public spectacle. Charlotte made her musical debut at age 13 on her father’s controversial track “Lemon Incest” and later released albums influenced by his legacy.

Serge died of a heart attack in 1991 at age 62, leaving a profound impact on Charlotte, who has spoken of preserving his memory through projects like turning his Paris home into the Maison Gainsbourg museum. His influence lingers in her music and in the way she navigates fame with a mix of reserve and boldness.

Together, Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg created more than a tabloid romance—they forged a cultural phenomenon that propelled their daughter into the spotlight while giving her a unique foundation in art and independence. Charlotte Gainsbourg has since forged her own path, starring in acclaimed films, releasing introspective albums, and directing personal documentaries, all while carrying forward the extraordinary legacy of her parents.

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