News of her death was announced \u201cwith immense sadness\u201d by The Brigitte Bardot Foundation on Sunday (28 December), who called the star \u201ca world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation\u201d.<\/p>\n
Bardot\u2019s death arrived just one month after the star\u2019s foundation said<\/a> reports of her ill health were \u201cfalse\u201d. Bardot underwent a “minor” surgical procedure in October.<\/a><\/p>\n Throughout her career, the Parisian star drew acclaim for her work with pioneering French New Wave directors such as Roger Vadim and Jean-Luc Godard. <\/p>\n She also sang on a number of albums, notably collaborating with Serge Gainsbourg, and in later life dedicated herself to animal rights activism. <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Brigitte Bardot filming Louis Malle’s ‘Viva Maria!’ in Mexico in February 1965 (Getty)<\/p>\n Bardot was born on September 28, 1934 in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. Her father, Louis, was an engineer and her mother, Anne-Marie, was the daughter of an insurance company director. She grew up in a strict Catholic household, and attributed her rebelliousness to an incident that happened in her youth when she and her sister broke a vase and were subsequently whipped by their father.<\/p>\n After studying ballet as a child, she began her career as a model. At the age of 15, Bardot appeared on the cover of Elle magazine. She was subsequently invited to an audition for a film role, where she met the production\u2019s screenwriter Vadim. The pair fell in love and married after she turned 18.<\/p>\n Bardot began her acting career in 1952, at the age of 17, with appearances in the comedy Crazy for Love and the drama Manina, the Girl in the Bikini. The latter film was credited with helping to popularize the revealing swimsuit style. <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Bardot on a film set with her first husband, the director Roger Vadim (Keystone\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n She made another dozen movies before her husband Vadim cast her in his directorial debut, And God Created Woman, in 1956. The film became an international success, and led critics to coin the phrase \u201csex kitten\u201d to describe the allure of her screen presence. <\/p>\n By the end of the 1950s, Bardot was the highest-paid actress in France. Despite substantial financial offers, Bardot never moved to Hollywood. Instead, she largely remained a star of European cinema, earning widespread praise for her performance in Godard\u2019s Contempt in 1963. After 47 films she announced her retirement from acting in 1973, at the age of 39, saying she wanted \u201ca way to get out elegantly.\u201d<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Bardot taking a limousine from London\u2019s Heathrow Airport to attend the premiere of \u2018Shalako\u2019 in 1968 (Central Press\/Hulton Archive\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n At the height of her fame in 1963, Bardot released her debut album Brigitte Bardot Sings. She later collaborated with Gainsbourg on his 1968 album Initials B.B., most famously duetting on the single \u201cBonnie and Clyde\u201d. <\/p>\n![\"Brigitte](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-3325684.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Bardot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2634628.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Bardot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-3208742.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"Bardot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/le-mepris.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Bardot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-1520555075.jpg\")
<\/p>\n