Brigitte Bardot, the captivating French actress who rose to global fame as a symbol of youthful sensuality in the 1950s and 1960s before dedicating her later years to animal rights activism, has passed away at the age of 91.
Her death was announced on Sunday, December 28, 2025, by the Brigitte Bardot Foundation in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse (AFP). “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,” the statement read. No details were provided on the exact time, place, or cause of death, though reports indicate she died at her home, La Madrague, in Saint-Tropez, southern France.
Born Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot on September 28, 1934, in Paris to a wealthy industrialist family, she trained in ballet before transitioning to modelling and acting. Often known simply as “BB,” Bardot exploded onto the international scene with the 1956 film And God Created Woman, directed by her first husband, Roger Vadim. The provocative drama, filmed in Saint-Tropez, showcased her uninhibited charm and helped redefine on-screen sexuality, earning her comparisons to Marilyn Monroe while establishing her as a unique emblem of French allure.
Over the next two decades, Bardot starred in around 50 films, including notable works like Jean-Luc Godard’s Contempt (1963) and Louis Malle’s Viva Maria! (1965), for which she received a BAFTA nomination. Her tousled hair, pouty expression, and free-spirited persona influenced fashion, music, and culture worldwide—Bob Dylan reportedly wrote his first song about her, and Andy Warhol immortalised her in portraits. Philosopher Simone de Beauvoir praised her in a 1959 essay as a figure of liberated femininity.
In 1973, at the age of 39, Bardot abruptly retired from acting, declaring she was “sick of being beautiful every day.” She retreated to her beloved Saint-Tropez, where she focused on animal welfare—a passion sparked by encounters like saving a goat on her final film set. In 1986, she founded the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, which grew to employ around 300 staff and attract 70,000 donors, campaigning against issues like seal hunting, horse meat consumption, and animal cruelty.
Bardot’s later life was marked by controversy. She faced five convictions for inciting racial hatred, primarily over comments on Muslims and immigration, and expressed support for far-right figures like Marine Le Pen. These views alienated some admirers, yet her cultural impact endured, with her image as Marianne—the symbol of the French Republic enduring in public memory.
Tributes poured in swiftly. French President Emmanuel Macron described her on X as embodying “a life of freedom,” adding: “With her films, her voice, her dazzling glory, her initials (BB), her sorrows, her generous passion for animals, and her face that became Marianne, Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom. We mourn a legend of the century.”
The town of Saint-Tropez hailed her as its “most radiant ambassador,” crediting her with putting the Riviera resort on the global map.
Bardot was married four times, most recently to Bernard d’Ormale, and had one son, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier. In recent years, she lived reclusively, surrounded by animals, and had faced health issues, including hospitalisations in October and November 2025.
