Brigitte Bardot: French Actress and Style Icon Who Sparked a Sexual Revolution Dies at 91
Brigitte Bardot, the French actress and enduring sex symbol, has died at the age of 91. Born in 1934 in Paris, Bardot helped ignite a sexual revolution during the post-war era and became a lasting style icon renowned for her fringed bangs and cat eyeliner.
Her breakthrough role came in the 1956 film And God Created Woman, directed by Roger Vadim, which quickly made her famous and widely known by her initials, BB. Bardot retired from acting in 1973 at the age of 39 to dedicate herself to animal rights activism.
In 1986, she founded the Brigitte Bardot Foundation aimed at combating animal cruelty by funding sanctuaries and wildlife rescue initiatives. While her later years were marked by controversy due to her 2003 book A Cry In Silence, which led to charges of incitement to racial hatred and fines for alleged racism as recently as 2021, Bardot's legacy extends beyond cinema.
She also pursued music and was the muse for Serge Gainsbourg's song Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus. French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Bardot, calling her a legend of the century and highlighting her films, voice, beauty, and animal advocacy as integral parts of her enduring legacy.
