Brigitte Bardot, the legendary French actress who redefined global cinema as a definitive sex symbol and style icon, has died at the age of 91, per variety.com.
Bardot passed away on Sunday at her home in southern France, according to Bruno Jacquelin of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation. While a specific cause of death was not provided, the actress had been hospitalised last month.
In the 1950s, Bardot ignited an international obsession with European “art-house” cinema. Often directed by her first husband, Roger Vadim, she became the face of a new, youthful sensuality. Her performance in the 1956 hit And God Created Woman transformed her into a global phenomenon, earning $8.5 million worldwide—a staggering sum for a foreign-language film at the time.
Her influence on the 20th-century cultural landscape was profound. Alongside Audrey Hepburn, Bardot shifted the cinematic ideal away from the mature, womanly glamour of stars like Marilyn Monroe toward a more rebellious, “pouty” aesthetic. This “rage for youth” became entrenched in media and fashion, lasting long after her retirement.
Beyond her physical appeal, Bardot’s films helped dismantle decades of censorship in the United States. While she later sought to be recognised as a serious dramatic actress—most notably in Jean-Luc Godard’s 1963 masterpiece Contempt—her reputation as a “sex goddess” remained her primary legacy.
Born Camille Javal to an upper-middle-class Parisian family, Bardot began her career as a ballet dancer. She was discovered at age 15 after appearing on the cover of Elle magazine. By the late 1950s, she was France’s highest-paid performer, starring in hits such as La Parisienne, The Truth (La Vérité), and the Western Shalako alongside Sean Connery.
At the height of her fame in 1973, Bardot shocked the world by retiring from the screen at just 39 years old. “I gave my youth and my beauty to men,” she famously remarked. “I am going to give my wisdom and my experience to animals.”
In 1986, she established the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, becoming one of the world’s most visible and fierce advocates for animal welfare. However, her later years were also marked by significant controversy. A staunch supporter of right-wing politics, Bardot was fined on several occasions by French courts for inciting racial hatred following a series of inflammatory remarks regarding immigration and Islam.
Bardot was married four times: to director Roger Vadim, actor Jacques Charrier, German playboy Gunter Sachs, and finally to Bernard d’Ormale, a former advisor to the far-right Front National.
She is survived by her husband, Bernard d’Ormale, her son Nicolas-Jacques Charrier and two granddaughters.
•Featured image courtesy of Getty Images
