Brigitte Bardot, the iconic French actress, model, singer, and animal rights activist, has died. She was 91 years old.
BREAKING: Brigitte Bardot, the French 1960s screen sex symbol turned militant animal rights activist, dies at age 91. https://t.co/Y0YxukKsDQ
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 28, 2025
Brigitte Bardot, the French 1960s sex symbol who became one of the greatest screen sirens of the 20th century and later a militant animal rights activist and far-right supporter, has died. She was 91.
Bardot died Sunday at her home in southern France, according to Bruno Jacquelin, of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the protection of animals. Speaking to The Associated Press, he gave no cause of death, and said no arrangements have yet been made for funeral or memorial services. She had been hospitalized last month.
Bardot was born in Paris in 1934, the oldest child of Louis and Anne-Marie. Her father was an engineer who owned several industrial factories in Paris. Her younger sister, Mijanou, was born in 1938.
Her family was well-to-do, albeit strict, and Bardot distanced herself from them after she and her sister were punished for breaking a vase while playing in the house.
During World War II, Bardot began dancing to records and her mother saw a potential career in ballet. At seven, Bardot was admitted to the private Cours Hattemer school and took dance lessons at a local studio. At age 11, Bardot was accepted to the Conservatoire de Paris, attending ballet classes taught by Russian choreographer Boris Knyazev. She also studied at the Catholic Institut de la Tour.
And God created Woman... and the world never forgot her
— Parisian Aesthetics (@Parisianaes1) December 28, 2025
Brigitte Bardot, icon, rebel, and animal rights pioneer, has passed away at 91. Her legacy burns brighter than ever
Rest in peace, BB. 1934–2025 💫 pic.twitter.com/vkPkqYJBKW
In 1950, Bardot appeared on the cover of Elle Magazine and that led to an audition for the film Les Lauriers sont copués (The Laurels Are Cut). At the audition, Bardot met Roger Vadim, a director and screenwriter. While she did not get the role, she and Vadim began a relationship that her parents objected to. So much so, in fact, they tried sending her to school in England.
Ultimately, Brigitte won the argument on the condition that she marry Vadim, who was six years her senior, when she turned 18.
Proprio stamattina nella rassegna stampa internazionale di @radio3mondo avevo citato la copertina del numero 4.000 di @ParisMatch con la foto in copertina di una giovanissima Brigitte Bardot (1934-2025). pic.twitter.com/vFfcm76UiI
— ROBERTO ZICHITTELLA (@ROBZIK) December 28, 2025
"Just this morning in the international press review of @radio3mondo I had mentioned the cover of issue 4,000 of @ParisMatch with the cover photo of a very young Brigitte Bardot (1934-2025)," reads the post.
In 1952, Bardot was offered a small part in the comedy Crazy for Love, directed by Jean Boyer, and a second part in The Girl in the Bikini that same year. In 1953, Bardot had a small role in Act of Love starring Kirk Douglas and began receiving media attention when she attended the Cannes Film Festival in April 1953.
🇬🇧THE WOMAN OF MY LIFE. 🔻🇫🇷
— LE BOIS DU LOUP 🇫🇷🎗️ (@LeboisDuLoup) December 28, 2025
BB. Bardot. Brigitte Bardot…
And God created THE Woman.
More than an icon, a National Treasure🇫🇷.
Even in the middle of nowhere, everyone knows Brigitte Bardot… and the Eiffel Tower.
Not to mention all the animals on Earth who mourn her…… pic.twitter.com/JzhrGyIABf
It wasn't until 1956 that Bardot appeared in a string of movies that catapulted her to stardom. The first, the musical Naughty Girl, featured Bardot as a problematic schoolgirl. It was co-written by Vadim. She also starred in Plucking the Daisy and The Bride Is Much Too Beautiful.
But it was the melodrama And God Created Woman that really put Bardot on the map. Playing a rebellious, sexually confident teenager, the film was popular not just in France but across Europe and the United States, where it was the highest-grossing foreign film ever released.
Her uninhibited, free-spirited performance and unforgettable screen presence helped redefine cinematic portrayals of femininity and sexual freedom, making her one of the most iconic figures of French New Wave and global cinema
L’immagine di Brigitte Bardot per me è Et Dieu créa la femme. In una carriera da numero uno non riuscì mai a superare l’immagine del primo film. Ma va benissimo così. Cosa può esserci di più etereo e irraggiungibile? (Forse anche troppo). pic.twitter.com/vbSs2WJPFo
— ellebì (@Iucberbert) December 28, 2025
"The image of Brigitte Bardot for me is And God Created Woman. In a number one career, she never managed to surpass the image of her first film. But that's perfectly fine. What could be more ethereal and unattainable? (Maybe even too much so)," reads the post.
Brigitte Bardot 🖤
— Jo (@Jopolkadot) December 28, 2025
And God Created Woman
1956 pic.twitter.com/XqtV4MpU5n
The movie which catapulted the late Brigitte Bardot into the stratosphere was Roger Vadim's "Et Dieu Crea La Femme" (1956).
— vbspurs (@vbspurs) December 28, 2025
And God Created Woman.
He certainly did. pic.twitter.com/T8DNCVXLz1
And God created Woman... and the world never forgot her
— Parisian Aesthetics (@Parisianaes1) December 28, 2025
Brigitte Bardot, icon, rebel, and animal rights pioneer, has passed away at 91. Her legacy burns brighter than ever
Rest in peace, BB. 1934–2025 💫 pic.twitter.com/vkPkqYJBKW
Through the next two decades, Bardot continued to act in a variety of films, including her first Hollywood movie, Dear Brigitte, starring James Stewart in 1965. She also starred in musical shows and recorded many hit songs in the 1960s and 70s, including the tunes Harley Davidson, Bubble Gum, and Le Soleil De Ma Vie (a cover of Stevie Wonder's You Are the Sunshine of My Life).
RIP Brigitte Bardot, 91.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 28, 2025
The greatest movie sex symbol of them all, and the woman who made St Tropez the coolest place in the world. pic.twitter.com/Az7PdOCBuU
From 1969 to 1972, Bardot was the official face of Marianne, a figure who represented the liberty of France.
She retired from acting in 1973 and celebrated her 40th birthday with a Playboy magazine photo shoot.
In 1977, she met Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and her work on animal rights began.
R.I.P Brigitte Bardot 🤍
— Summer 🌻 (@LadyLeo1976) December 28, 2025
During one movie, there was a little goat on set. The owner said hurry up, finish your scene, it’s Sunday, we have to grill it. Brigitte bought the goat & took it to her hotel room. That day in June 1973, age 38, she left cinema to help animals. pic.twitter.com/y5SCXuVZUh
She established the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals in 1986.
RIP Brigitte Bardot (1934–2025)
— Anneka Svenska (@AnnekaSvenska) December 28, 2025
She left fame to fight for animals.
Founded the Brigitte Bardot Foundation.
Rescued tens of thousands.
Fought fur, puppy farms & cruelty.
Helped change animal-welfare laws in France. Animals were safer because she existed. #BrigitteBardot… pic.twitter.com/Mu0oKrQfBt
Bardot married Vadim in December 1952, at age 18, just as her parents requested. They separated in 1956 after Bardot became involved with her And God Created Woman costar Jean-Louis Trintignant. They divorced in 1957.
In 1958, Bardot married actor Jacques Charrier and they divorced in 1962. They had one son, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier. Bardot never felt fit for motherhood, and her son lived with his father after the couple divorced. They remained estranged.
Brigitte Bardot Rest in Power 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/pcJGOA6vQW
— Kay (@legendaarykay) December 28, 2025
In 1966, Bardot married German millionaire Gunter Sachs. They divorced in 1969.
Bardot married political adviser Bernard d'Ormale in 1992, and they remained married until her death.
She was also an outspoken critic of Islam in France, writing in a section of a book titled "Open Letter to My Lost France" that "my country, France, my homeland, my land" was "again invaded by an overpopulation of foreigners, especially Muslims." She was fined 30,000 francs for this remark. She objected to the ritualistic slaughter of animals by Muslims, and said she was "fed up with being under the thumb of this population which is destroying us, destroying our country, and imposing its habits." She was put on trial for that and fined 15,000 euros.
brigitte bardot and alain delon, 1968 pic.twitter.com/HxKWrq8r6k
— cinesthetic. (@TheCinesthetic) December 28, 2025
RIP Brigitte Bardot (1934 - 2025) 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/LToXg2feIj
— cinesthetic. (@TheCinesthetic) December 28, 2025
Bardot struggled with both her mental and physical health, suffering a breakdown after her relationship with Trintignant ended in 1958. in 1983, Bardot took an overdose of sleeping pills (or tranquilizers) with wine and wandered out to the beach. She was rushed to the hospital and saved.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1984 and opted only for radiation therapy. She recovered in 1986.
She was hospitalized in October 2025 for a "serious illness" but recovered and was reportedly recovering at home in Saint-Tropez.
Brigitte Anne Marie Bardot, anche conosciuta come B.B. (Parigi, 28 settembre 1934 – 28 dicembre 2025), è stata un'attrice, ex modella, cantante e attivista francese. pic.twitter.com/uQFy1vlzMz
— Gmmy (@Gmmy74) December 28, 2025
In a post on X, French President Emmanuel Macron also paid tribute to Bardot, writing, "Her films, her voice, her dazzling glory, her initials, her sorrows, her generous passion for animals, her face that became Marianne, Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom. French existence, universal brilliance. She touched us. We mourn a legend of the century."
Ses films, sa voix, sa gloire éblouissante, ses initiales, ses chagrins, sa passion généreuse pour les animaux, son visage devenu Marianne, Brigitte Bardot incarnait une vie de liberté. Existence française, éclat universel. Elle nous touchait. Nous pleurons une légende du siècle.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 28, 2025
Bardot is survived by her son, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier, from whom she was long estranged, and by her husband, Bernard d’Ormale.
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