French actress and activist Brigitte Bardot has died at the age of 91. The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announced her passing today, saying she dedicated her life to animal welfare after leaving her famous acting career. Details about the cause of her death have not yet been released.
Born in 1934 in Paris, Bardot rose to international fame in 1956 with the film And God Created Woman. She played Juliette, a young, free-spirited woman in Saint-Tropez, and quickly became a global sex symbol. Her bold performances challenged how sexuality was shown in cinema at the time.
Over the next twenty years, Bardot became one of Europe’s most famous actresses. She starred in more than 45 films, including The Truth (1960), Le Mépris (1963), Viva Maria! (1965), Two Weeks in September (1967), The Vixen (1969), and The Legend of Frenchie King (1971). She won awards and nominations, including a David di Donatello and a BAFTA nomination.
Bardot was also a successful singer, recording more than 60 songs, many in collaboration with Serge Gainsbourg, Bob Zagury, and Sacha Distel.
In the early 1970s, Bardot retired from acting and focused on animal rights. She founded the Brigitte Bardot Foundation and campaigned against the consumption of horse meat. She received recognition from UNESCO, PETA, and the United Nations Environment Programme for her work.
Her life was not without controversy. Bardot was fined multiple times for comments considered inciting racial hatred, particularly regarding immigration and Islam in France.
Bardot was married four times, to Roger Vadim, Jacques Charrier, Gunter Sachs, and Bernard d’Ormale. She is survived by her son Nicolas-Jacques Charrier and two grandchildren.
