- Brigitte Bardot, the French screen icon who rose to fame in And God Created Woman, has died at 91.
- Her death was confirmed by her foundation, Fondation Brigitte Bardot.
- Bardot quit acting at 39 to focus on animal welfare and founded a dedicated charity.
Brigitte Bardot, 91, dies; world remembers a film icon
Brigitte Bardot, the French actress who became an international sensation with the 1956 film And God Created Woman and later renounced the spotlight to campaign for animal welfare, has died at 91. Her passing was confirmed Dec. 28 by a spokesman for Fondation Brigitte Bardot, the Paris-based organization she established.
Bardot’s emergence as a global star began when And God Created Woman reached American audiences in 1957. The film, directed by her then-husband Roger Vadim, transformed the 23-year-old into a symbol of sexual freedom and youthful defiance. Though critics often dismissed the movie, Bardot’s screen presence drew immediate attention and enduring fame.
Iconic role: ‘And God Created Woman’
And God Created Woman was a modest box-office performer in France but became a cultural touchstone abroad. Bardot’s image — tousled blonde hair, pouty mouth, and a provocative, unapologetic sensuality — challenged mid-20th-century ideas about female desire and on-screen representation.
Writers such as Simone de Beauvoir took note. In a 1959 essay, de Beauvoir examined Bardot’s effect on the cinematic gaze and described the actress’s erotic onscreen power as a complex, if imperfect, challenge to patriarchal norms.
From screen to sanctuary: a life after acting
Bardot retired from acting at 39. She stepped away from film at the height of her fame and redirected her energy toward animal rights and welfare. In 1986 she founded Fondation Brigitte Bardot, which has since been active in rescue efforts, advocacy, and campaigns to end animal cruelty across France and internationally.
Her decision to leave show business marked a major turn in public life: the image that made her a global sex symbol evolved into that of a committed, sometimes controversial, campaigner for animals.
Legacy and public reaction
Bardot’s legacy is layered. She helped redefine on-screen sexuality in the 1950s and remains an essential figure in the history of French cinema. At the same time, her outspoken activism, especially on animal issues, shaped the latter half of her public life and led to the lasting institutional presence of her foundation.
Obituaries note both her cinematic influence and the cause she championed after leaving films. As tributes and remembrances appear, Bardot will be remembered for a career that spanned bold stardom and determined advocacy.
(Reporting date: Dec. 28, 2025.)
Image Referance: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/28/movies/brigitte-bardot-dead.html
