Brigitte Bardot, whose rise in the 1950s reshaped global ideas of beauty, fame, and female freedom, has died aged 91.
The French screen legend passed away at her longtime home in Saint-Tropez, La Madrague, with her foundation confirming the news on Sunday. Tributes poured in almost immediately, led by French president Emmanuel Macron, who described Bardot as “a legend of the century” and praised a life defined by artistic impact, independence and conviction.
Bardot became an international sensation in 1956 with ‘And God Created Woman,’ a film that turned her into France’s most famous export and a symbol of postwar sexual liberation. For nearly two decades, she dominated European cinema before walking away from acting entirely at just 39, disillusioned with fame and the pressure that followed her every move.
Her later life was defined by fierce animal rights activism through the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, alongside increasingly controversial political views that sparked repeated legal convictions for inciting racial hatred. Admirers and critics alike acknowledged her refusal to soften her opinions.
Loved, condemned, mythologised, and debated, Bardot leaves behind a legacy that remains inseparable from modern French culture.