Brigitte Bardot: The bombshell and style icon who walked away from fame and glamour

Brigitte Bardot was the sultry film siren who helped ignite a sexual revolution, a woman whose cultural significance extended beyond her acting career.

The French star, who has died aged 91, came to embody a new kind of female sexuality on screen that was bold and unapologetic.

She was so famous that she became known simply by her initials.

Emmanuel Macron said Bardot “embodied a life of freedom”.

Paying tribute, the French president said: “Her films, her voice, her dazzling glory, her initials, her sorrows, her generous passion for animals, her face that became Marianne” – referring to the national symbol of France.

“French existence, universal brilliance. She touched us. We mourn a legend of the century.”

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As a singer, she also released several records during her time in the spotlight, and was famously the muse for Serge Gainsbourg’s erotic single Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus.

Despite her success, she retired from acting before she had even turned 40, instead choosing to dedicate her time to helping animals.

Born in Paris in 1934, Bardot rebelled against a strict upbringing to break into film.

She started as a model in the early 1950s, and, after some minor parts, the role that made her a household name came in 1956 – … And God Created Woman.

Directed by her then husband Roger Vadim, the film was considered scandalous at the time for its frank depiction of sensuality, daring to challenge conservative post-war norms about women’s behaviour and desire.

Bardot instantly became a symbol of youthful rebellion, a sex symbol and a style icon – an influence that would be felt for decades, seen in the soft, eye-skimming fringes and cat eyeliner many women still turn to today.

Often compared to Marilyn Monroe but with a distinctively European cool, her femininity redefined post-war cinema, captivating audiences.

But while she starred in more than 40 films – and proved she could play much more than the seductive ingenue – by 1973, aged only 39, she walked away from the big screen.

“I gave my youth and my beauty to men,” she said of her retirement. “I am going to give my wisdom and experience to animals.”

In 1986, Bardot founded the Brigitte Bardot Foundation dedicated to combatting animal cruelty, funding sanctuaries and numerous wildlife rescue operations.

Paying tribute to her memory, the foundation called her “an exceptional woman who gave everything and sacrificed everything for a world more respectful of animals.”

They went on: “Her legacy lives on through the actions and campaigns that the Foundation pursues with the same passion and unwavering commitment to her ideals.”

In later years, she spoke of feeling “used” by the film industry and the media, saying she’d felt increasingly uncomfortable with the constant public scrutiny and the intense objectification she was subjected to.

But Bardot was also a controversial figure herself, with her image tarnished in more recent years following a book she published in 2003 entitled A Cry In Silence, for which she was prosecuted for incitement to racial hatred against Muslims.

She went on to receive several fines over the years for alleged racism in various statements she made, often in the context of her animal campaigning, and most recently in 2021.

But she remained a popular figure to many. While activism and animal welfare were her real passions, she will be best remembered for her lasting influence on international cinema.

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