Brigitte Bardot, the French film star who became one of the most recognizable sex symbols of the 20th century before abandoning cinema to devote her life to animal rights activism, has died at 91, according to French media and The Associated Press.
Brigitte Bardot died at her home in southern France, Bruno Jacquelin of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation told the AP. No cause of death was released, and funeral arrangements had not yet been announced. Bardot had been hospitalized in November following what French outlets described as a serious health issue, and had undergone minor surgery a month earlier.
Born Sept. 28, 1934, in Paris, Bardot rose to international fame after starring in the 1956 film And God Created Woman, directed by her first husband, Roger Vadim. The provocative movie, set in Saint-Tropez, turned the young actor into a global sensation and a symbol of sexual liberation at a time when social norms were rapidly shifting in postwar Europe.
Dubbed a “sex kitten” by critics and admirers alike, Bardot went on to appear in more than 40 films, including The Truth and Viva Maria!, and became one of France’s most famous cultural exports. French President Charles de Gaulle once remarked that she was as important to the nation’s image abroad as Renault automobiles.
Despite her fame, Bardot retired from acting in 1973 at age 39 and withdrew from public life. She later said she had given her youth and beauty to cinema, but wanted to dedicate her remaining years to animals. In 1986, she founded the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, using her celebrity to campaign against fur trapping, seal hunting, animal abuse and other practices. She insisted that France’s Legion of Honor, awarded to her in 1985, recognized her activism rather than her film career.
French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute, saying Bardot “embodied a life of freedom” and represented a distinctly French spirit. Leaders from the far-right National Rally party, which Bardot openly supported later in life, also praised her legacy.
In her later decades, Bardot became a polarizing figure, drawing repeated fines for remarks deemed to incite racial hatred and voicing support for far-right politicians. She also courted controversy during the #MeToo movement by criticizing actors who spoke out about sexual harassment.
Bardot is survived by her son, grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
Source: NBC News