Brigitte Bardot, the 1960s French film star who reinvented herself as an animal rights activist, has died at the age of 91. Bardot passed away Sunday at her home in southern France, according to Bruno Jacquelin of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the protection of animals. No cause of death was disclosed, and no funeral or memorial details were immediately announced. She had been hospitalized in recent weeks.
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X following news of Bardot’s death: “Her films, her voice, her dazzling fame, her initials, her sorrows, her generous passion for animals, her face that became Marianne—Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom. A French existence, a universal radiance. She touched us. We mourn a legend of the century.”
Born Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot in Paris on Sept. 28, 1934, to a prosperous industrialist family, Bardot trained in classical ballet as a child. Though naturally shy, she was discovered as a teenager and appeared on the cover of Elle magazine at 14, opening the door to modeling and film work. She made her screen debut at 18 and quickly drew attention for her striking looks and unconventional presence.
Rising to fame in the mid-1950s, Bardot became an international sensation with “And God Created Woman” (1956), directed by her then-husband Roger Vadim. The film’s frank eroticism — including a now-legendary dance scene — sparked outrage and fascination in equal measure, transforming Bardot into a symbol of sexual liberation and propelling French cinema onto the world stage.
While “And God Created Woman” made her a global star, Bardot went on to appear in films such as “The Truth” (1960), “Private Life” (1962), Jean-Luc Godard’s acclaimed “Contempt” (1963), “Shalako” (1968), and “Don Juan” (1973). With her acting career spanning more than two dozen films, Bardot’s disheveled blonde hair, curvaceous figure and defiant attitude made her one of the most recognizable stars of her era, even as she privately battled depression and discomfort with fame. In 1969, her cultural impact was cemented when her likeness was chosen for “Marianne,” the emblem of the French Republic, appearing on stamps, coins and statues nationwide.
Bardot was married four times and became a constant target of paparazzi, a pressure she blamed for a suicide attempt following the birth of her only child, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier. She later acknowledged she was emotionally unprepared for motherhood, and in her 1996 memoir “Initiales B.B.” Bardot wrote about her unhappiness during her pregnancy, and describing her marriage to Nicolas’ father as volatile.
Disillusioned with cinema, Bardot retired from acting in 1973 at just 39, withdrawing to her villa in St. Tropez a largely disappearing from public life. A decade later, she reemerged to found the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, devoting herself entirely to animal welfare. Her work earned her France’s Legion of Honor in 1985.
Over time, however, Bardot’s rhetoric grew increasingly divisive. Her opposition to ritual animal slaughter led to repeated court convictions for inciting racial hatred, and she became openly aligned with France’s far right. Her marriage to Bernard d’Ormale, linked to the National Front, and her support for Jean-Marie Le Pen marked a sharp turn in her public image (in 2012, she backed Marine Le Pen’s presidential campaign.). Bardot also courted controversy late in life with comments during the #MeToo movement, calling many actresses who spoke out about harassment “hypocritical,” and saying she personally found certain advances “charming.”
As admirers and fans gathered outside her St. Tropez home upon news of Bardot’s death, local officials urged “respect for the privacy of her family and the serenity of the places where she lived.” She is survived by her son, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier.
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