The world has bid farewell to one of cinema's most iconic and complex figures. Brigitte Bardot, the French actress who revolutionised post-war cinema as a sex symbol before retreating to champion animal rights and embrace far-right politics, has died at the age of 91. Her foundation confirmed the news, stating she had "chosen to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare".
From Ballet to Global Stardom
Born in Paris in 1934, Bardot's path to fame began with ballet. Trained at the prestigious National Superior Conservatory of Paris for Music and Dance, her life changed at 15 when she posed for the cover of Elle magazine. The images caught the eye of film director Marc Allégret and his assistant, Roger Vadim, who would become her first husband. Despite initial unsuccessful screen tests, Vadim helped launch her career, culminating in the 1956 film And God Created Woman, which he directed.
With her signature tousled blonde hair and bold eyeliner, Bardot became the embodiment of sexual liberation in the 1950s. The film's infamous mambo scene, featuring a skirt slit to the waist, cemented her status but also drew the wrath of censors and even The Vatican, which later used her image to represent Evil in an exhibition. She starred in nearly 50 films, working with greats like Jean-Luc Godard, and became a muse for artists like Bob Dylan, who wrote his first piece of music for her, and John Lennon.
A Life of Contradiction and Reinvention
Despite her global fame, Bardot chafed against her objectification. She attempted suicide on her 26th birthday in 1960 and, at the height of her fame in 1973, retired from acting aged 39. "I knew my career was based entirely on my physique," she later explained. "So I decided to leave cinema just as I have always left men: first." She famously stated: "I gave my youth and beauty to men, I give my wisdom and experience to animals."
This began her second act. In 1986, she founded the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, which now boasts over 70,000 donors and hundreds of employees. She became vegetarian, campaigned against seal culls and laboratory testing, and auctioned personal jewellery to fund her cause. Her private life saw four marriages: to Vadim (1952-1957), actor Jacques Charrier (1959-1962, with whom she had her only son, Nicolas), German playboy Gunter Sachs (1966-1969), and finally, in 1992, to businessman Bernard d'Ormale, an adviser to the far-right Front National.
Legacy of Passion and Controversy
Bardot's later years were marked by vigorous activism and political controversy. She retreated to a hermit-like existence in Saint-Tropez but remained vocally involved in French politics, publicly supporting far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who called her the "Joan of Arc of the 21st century". Her inflammatory remarks about Muslims, immigrants, and homosexuals led to five convictions for inciting racial hatred, including a €40,000 fine in 2022 for comments about people from Réunion.
French President Emmanuel Macron led tributes, calling her "a legend of the century" who "embodied a life of freedom". The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) noted her nomination for 1967's Viva Maria. France's oldest animal protection society, the SPA, hailed her as an "iconic and passionate figure" whose "unwavering commitment" achieved major advances. Brigitte Bardot's trailblazing life leaves behind a legacy as multifaceted and unforgettable as the woman herself.
