The world of cinema is in mourning following the death of Brigitte Bardot, the legendary French actress, singer, and model who became a global symbol of the sexual revolution in the 1950s and 60s. She was 91.
The Fondation Brigitte Bardot, the animal rights organization she founded after stepping away from fame in 1973, confirmed her passing today, Sunday, 28 December 2025. In a poignant statement, the foundation announced “with immense sadness” the death of its president, who died at her home, La Madrague, in southern France.
Born in Paris in 1934, Bardot’s rise to superstardom was meteoric. Her role in the 1956 film …And God Created Woman, directed by her then-husband Roger Vadim, scandalized audiences and turned her into an international “sex symbol.”
With her signature tousled blonde hair and pout, she became a fashion icon, popularized the bikini, and was the face of Marianne, the national symbol of the French Republic.
At the height of her beauty and fame in 1973, having appeared in nearly 50 films, she famously retired from acting at age 39, stating she had “given her beauty and youth to men” and would now “give her wisdom and experience to animals.”
Bardot spent the last five decades of her life as one of the world’s most fervent, and sometimes militant, animal rights advocates.
Established in 1986, her foundation campaigned relentlessly against the fur trade, laboratory testing on animals, and the slaughter of baby seals.
She famously traveled to the Arctic to protest seal hunting and pressured world leaders to enact stricter animal welfare laws.
While beloved as a cinematic icon, Bardot’s later years were marked by significant political controversy. She became an outspoken supporter of the far-right in France and was married to Bernard d’Ormale, a former adviser to Jean-Marie Le Pen.
She was convicted multiple times by French courts for inciting racial hatred, primarily due to her inflammatory remarks regarding immigration and Islam.
President Emmanuel Macron led the tributes, describing Bardot as a “legend of the century” who “embodied a life of freedom.”
“With her initials, her voice, and her dazzling glory, Brigitte Bardot remains an indelible face of France. She chose a life of passion, first for the arts, then for our animal companions. We mourn a true icon.” – Pres. Emmanuel Macron
