Brigitte Bardot, Icon of French Cinema and Activist, Dies at 91

Brigitte Bardot, the French film star whose screen presence reshaped popular culture in the postwar era, has died at the age of 91. A global icon of beauty and sensuality in the 1950s and 60s, Bardot later withdrew from cinema to devote herself to animal rights activism, while also becoming a deeply polarising political figure.

Her death was announced by the Brigitte Bardot Foundation at her home, La Madrague, in Saint-Tropez. The cause of death was not disclosed. French president Emmanuel Macron paid tribute, calling her “a legend of the century” and praising her embodiment of freedom, artistic brilliance and lifelong commitment to animals.

Bardot rose to international fame with And God Created Woman (1956), directed by her then husband Roger Vadim, a film that turned her into a defining symbol of modern femininity. For nearly two decades she dominated French cinema, starring in works by Henri-Georges Clouzot, Jean-Luc Godard and Louis Malle, and later appearing in Hollywood productions alongside stars such as Sean Connery. She was also a cultural muse, inspiring artists, writers and musicians, and in 1969 became the first real woman to model Marianne, the emblem of the French Republic.

Alongside her film career, Bardot pursued music, most notably recording the original version of Serge Gainsbourg’s Je T’Aime… Moi Non Plus, though it was never released during her lifetime. Despite her fame, she often spoke of feeling overwhelmed by celebrity and retired from acting in 1973 at just 39.

From the mid-1970s onward, Bardot focused almost entirely on animal welfare, founding the Brigitte Bardot Foundation in 1986 and campaigning globally against practices such as seal hunting, dolphin killing and animal slaughter. Her activism earned admiration from supporters worldwide.

At the same time, her outspoken political views, particularly on immigration, Islam and homosexuality, led to repeated convictions in France for inciting racial hatred. Between 1997 and 2008, she was fined multiple times for inflammatory public statements, making her a controversial figure well beyond the world of cinema. She became closely associated with the French far right, earning praise from figures such as Marine Le Pen and Italy’s Matteo Salvini.

Born in Paris in 1934, Bardot trained as a ballet dancer before turning to modelling and film. She was married four times and had one son. Loved, criticised, celebrated and condemned, Brigitte Bardot leaves behind a complex legacy that spans cinema history, cultural rebellion, activism and political controversy.