Legendary French Actress Brigitte Bardot Dies at 91

Legendary screen icon Brigitte Bardot passed away on Sunday at age 91, decades after resigning from her film career to dedicate herself to animal welfare.

“The Brigitte Bardot foundation announces with immense sadness the death of its founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, a world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation,” it said in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse on Sunday, without specifying the time or place of death.

Bardot starred in a number of French cinema hits in the 1950s and 1960s – including And God Created Woman – starting an illustrious career and becoming known as a symbol of sexual liberation.

Written and directed by her then-husband Roger Vadim, the film became a legend and for the next two decades Bardot became an international star with her stunning looks and sexy voice, both in film and music. She became France’s darling as BB.

However, in the early 1970s, at age 39, she retired from acting and became an ardent activist for animal rights.

Her life and film career

Born in Paris on September 28, 1934, Brigitte Bardot grew up in a prosperous, traditional Catholic family but her talent in dancing allowed her to study ballet, gaining a place at the prestigious Conservatoire de Paris. At the same time she found work as a model, appearing on the cover of Elle in 1950 while still 15.

Her modelling work attracted the eyes of cinema people and producers started offering her film roles, She met her future husband Roger Vadim in an audition whom she would marry in 1952, after she turned 18. Initially Bardot was cast in small roles, with increasing prominence. Her first screen hit was playing next to Dirk Bogarde in Doctor at Sea, a big hit in the UK in 1955.

In the early 1960s, Bardot appeared in a number of big production French films, including Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Oscar-nominated drama The Truth, Louis Malle’s Very Private Affair opposite Marcello Mastroianni and Jean-Luc Godard’s Contempt. Hollywood offers came along and she accepted. She starred in Viva Maria!, a Mexican-set period comedy with Jeanne Moreau, and Shalako, a western with Sean Connery.

Singing career and early retirement

Bardot also had a parallel music career, which included recording the original version of Serge Gainsbourg’s Je T’Aime … Moi Non Plus, which Gainsbourg had written for her while they were having an extramarital affair. At the time, Bardot was married to Gunter Sachs and asked Gainsbourg not to release the song in fear that her husband would find out. The singer complied and re-record the song with Jane Birkin, which became a huge hit.

In 1973 Bardot, after playing in about 50 films, announced her retirement from acting and became increasingly active on politics. She was an outspoken supporter of animal rights and dedicated the remaining of her life to adopted animals.

Bardot was also outspoken about her politics, openly commenting negatively about ethnic minorities and supporting France’s far-right Front National and leader Jean-Marie Le Pen. She received a number of convictions for racial hatred but remained a steadfast supporter of her conservative views.

In 2008, she was convicted for the 5th time for inciting racial hatred after complaining on her website that Muslims were “destroying our country by imposing their ways”.

Eulogies

French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Brigette Bardot on social media, writing:

“Her films, her voice, her dazzling glory, her initials, her sorrows, her generous passion for animals, her face that became Marianne, Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom.

“French existence, universal brilliance. She touched us. We mourn a legend of the century.”

Marine Le Pen, leader of her father’s Front National wrote:

“France loses an exceptional woman, through her talent, her courage, her frankness, her beauty.”

“A woman who chose to break with an incredible career to devote herself to the animals she defended until her last breath with inexhaustible energy and love.

“She was incredibly French: free, untamable, whole. She will be greatly missed by us.”