Few epitomised French chic like Brigitte Bardot, the doe-eyed beauty whose sensuality rocked a post-war world.<\/p>\n
“The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the death of its founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, a world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation,” it said in a statement sent to AFP, without specifying the time or place of death.<\/p>\n
Tributes were immediately paid to the star who was became known as “BB” in her home country.<\/p>\n
French President Emmanuel Macron called Bardot a “legend” of the 20th century.<\/p>\n
“With her films, her voice, her dazzling glory, her initials (BB), her sorrows, her generous passion for animals, and her face that became Marianne, Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom,” he wrote on X, referring to the female symbol of the French republic in art.<\/p>\n
“We mourn a legend of the century.”<\/p>\n
Animal rights campaigner<\/p>\n
Born on September 28, 1934 in Paris, Bardot was raised in a well-off traditional Catholic household.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Married four times, she had one child, Nicolas with her second husband, actor Jacques Charrier.<\/p>\n
Bardot became a global star after appearing in And God Created Woman in 1956, and went on to appear in about 50 more movies before giving up acting.<\/p>\n
She retired from film to settle permanently near the Riviera resort of St Tropez, where she devoted herself to fighting for animals.<\/p>\n
![\"Brigitte](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1b34db17d73a9986dc8099385bc1f84e.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Brigitte Bardot was an outspoken animal rights activist. (Reuters: Romania Bardot)<\/p>\n
Her calling apparently came when she encountered a goat on the set of her final film, The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot.<\/p>\n
To save it from being killed, she bought the animal and kept it in her hotel room.<\/p>\n
In 2015, Bardot condemned Australia’s then-environment minister Greg Hunt’s plan to cull 2 million feral cats to stop them harming native animals.<\/p>\n
Bardot argued in an open letter to Mr Hunt that the money set aside to destroy the animals would be better spent on setting up a large-scale sterilisation campaign.<\/p>\n
In a statement after news of her death broke, the French Animal Welfare Society (SPA) said\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Her unwavering commitment helped change attitudes and achieve major advances in animal protection \u2026 Thank you, B.B., for all that you have accomplished.”<\/p>\n
Star convicted for hate speech<\/p>\n
Unlike other beloved French New Wave stars, Bardot was a divisive figure who alienated many fans with her political views.<\/p>\n
She was convicted five times for hate speech, mostly about Muslims, but also the inhabitants of the French island of Reunion whom she described as “savages.”<\/p>\n
A supporter of far-right politician Marine Le Pen, Bardot declared herself “against the Islamisation of France” in a 2003 book, citing “our ancestors, our grandfathers, our fathers have for centuries given their lives to push out successive invaders.”<\/p>\n
Jordan Bardella, the head of Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party, was among the first to pay hommage.<\/p>\n
“Today the French people have lost the Marianne they so loved, whose beauty astonished the world,” he wrote on X.<\/p>\n
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