Paris, Dec 26, (dpa/GNA) – French film legend Brigitte Bardot has died at the age of 91 at her home in southern France, her foundation said on Sunday, as tributes poured in from politicians and activists alike.
The Brigitte Bardot Foundation said in a statement, “The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the passing 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 added: “The Brigitte Bardot Foundation wishes to pay tribute to the memory of an exceptional woman who gave up everything for a world more respectful of animals.
“Her legacy remains, living through the actions and battles that the foundation pursues with the same passion and the same loyalty to her ideals.”
Stellar career
Bardot was one of the most famous women in post-war cinema.
Known widely as BB because of her initials, pronounced bebe, the French word for baby, Bardot starred in dozens of movies, with “Et Dieu Crea La Femme” (“And God Created Woman”) often seen as the film that propelled her to worldwide fame.
She played an 18-year-old orphan who turns men’s heads in a film shot in the mid-1950s which pushed the boundaries in terms of acceptable sexuality on camera at the time.
Bardot also featured in major French films including Jean-Luc Godard’s “Contempt” (1963), Louis Malle’s “The Private Life of a Woman” (1962) and Henri-Georges Clouzot’s “The Truth” (1960).
She starred in some 45 films including “A Woman Like Satan” (1959) and “With the Weapons of a Woman” (1958).
At the height of her career in 1973/74, she stepped away from the world of film, saying she was tired of the hype. “I hate people. I find my balance in nature, in the company of animals.”
In France, animal rights organization PETA praised Bardot’s commitment to animals, saying, “We know that her foundation and all those who were inspired by her commitment will continue to fight for them with their hearts and voices.”
Started out as a dancer
Born in Paris on September 28, 1934, Bardot came from a Catholic family. She first trained as a ballet dancer, then became a model at 15.
Her sensual beauty first caught the eye of director Jean Boyer, who brought her in front of the camera for the first time in “Le Trou Normand” in 1952. The work led to a steady flow of roles.
Alongside film, Bardot was also known for her music, and the provocative songs of singer, actor and composer Serge Gainsbourg. One of the best-known chansons he wrote for her is “Harley Davidson.”
Throughout her film career, Bardot was part of the jet-set and her unabashed love life blazed a trail for the sexual revolution. She was in a relationship with Gainsbourg, was also together with fellow actor Jean-Louis Trintignant and was married four times, including to industrialist and playboy Gunter Sachs and director Roger Vadim, who helped her achieve an international breakthrough with “And God Created Woman.”
French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Bardot as a “legend of the century.”
She embodied a life of freedom, Macron wrote in a post on X that honoured her “films, her voice, her dazzling glory, her sorrows, her generous passion for animals.” France mourns her loss, he said.
In 1992, Bardot married a friend and advisor to Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the far-right party Front National, now known as Rassemblement National (RN).
The current RN leader, Jordan Bardella, called her a “passionate patriot.” She embodied a certain idea of courage and freedom, he wrote on X.
Le Pen’s daughter Marine Le Pen, a former RN leader, also paid tribute to Bardot. “She was incredibly French: free, indomitable, completely herself. We will miss her very much,” she said in a post on X.
Bardot made no secret of her far-right views and later in life made headlines mainly for her misanthropic statements against gay people, French leftists, homeless people and illegal immigrants.
Her non-conformity remained a defining feature until the end: She publicly defended actors GĂ©rard Depardieu and Nicolas Bedos, who had been accused of sexual assault, with the provocative remark that talented men were being “banished to the deepest dungeon” just for “touching a girl’s bottom.”
She stuck to her stance till the end.
“I will say what I think for the rest of my life, whether people like it or not.”
GNA