French Actress Brigitte Bardot Dead at 91

by

An icon of the screen has passed.

Brigitte Bardot, the iconic French actress and singer who embodied the changing attitudes towards sexuality in the 20th century, has passed away at the age of 91.

The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announced the death of its founder and president, Brigitte Bardot, on December 28th, according to a statement to AFP. The world-famous actor and singer left her successful career to devote her life to protecting animals and supporting her foundation.

Brigitte Bardot passed away at her home in southern France, according to Bruno Jacquelin of the foundation, as reported by The Associated Press. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

I was so saddened to hear about Brigitte Bardot. It was only a little over a month ago that there were worries about her health, and she actually addressed them herself with a really witty message online. It just shows her spirit, even then.

She posted on X on October 22nd, saying she didn’t know who started the rumor about her death. She reassured everyone she was fine and not planning to retire anytime soon.

Two years before her last stay in the hospital, the husband of actress Love on a Pillow, Bernard d’Ormale, said she had been having difficulty breathing.

Brigitte began having breathing difficulties around 9 p.m., according to d’Ormale in a 2023 interview with Var-Matin. While it was a more severe episode than usual, she remained conscious. Firefighters arrived and provided oxygen, staying to keep an eye on her condition.

Oh my gosh, you won’t BELIEVE what Bernard d’Ormale – her husband, can you imagine?! – said about what happened. He thinks the crazy heatwave we had in July was totally to blame! He was saying she’s getting older, like we all are, and just can’t handle the heat anymore. It’s so sad, but he’s probably right. She’s just…fragile now, you know?

Brigitte Bardot, often known as B.B., didn’t have a long career in film, but she made a lasting impression. She initially trained as a ballerina in Paris and began acting in 1952, after gaining attention on the cover of Elle magazine at the age of 18.

Although she had some minor roles early in her career, Brigitte Bardot didn’t become a global star until she played Juliette Hardy in the 1956 film And God Created Woman. She quickly became incredibly popular, and many of her provocative roles led to her being nicknamed the “sex kitten.”

A 1958 article in LIFE magazine explained Brigitte Bardot’s sudden international fame by comparing her to a European sports car. The article suggested she arrived in America at just the right moment, when audiences were eager for something more exciting and authentic than what was already popular.

Brigitte Bardot received praise for several other films, including The Truth (1960), Le Mépris (1963), and Viva Maria! (1965). She was nominated for a BAFTA Award as Best Foreign Actress for her role in Viva Maria!.

I’ll never forget reading that France’s President Charles de Gaulle actually said Josephine Baker was as important to France as the Renault car company! It really showed how incredibly famous and valued she became worldwide. It wasn’t just about her performances; she truly became a symbol of France itself.

In 1960, philosopher and writer Simone de Beauvoir called Brigitte Bardot a driving force in the progress of women’s history, describing her as a “locomotive” in her essay, “The Lolita Syndrome.”

But Bardot never saw her role in the film as anything so significant. 

She told Vanity Fair in 2012 that throughout her entire life—during filming and before and after—she always struggled to be her true self. She wasn’t interested in being controversial or shocking; she simply wanted to be genuine, honest, and authentic – just herself.

Just when Brigitte Bardot’s career was reaching its peak, she surprisingly retired from acting at 39 to dedicate herself to advocating for animal rights.

“It’s what I dreamed of,” she explained. “It’s what I always wanted.”

Brigitte Bardot was married four times throughout her life. Her husbands included Roger Vadim, Jacques Charrier, and Gunter Sachs. She spent her final years married to Bernard d’Ormale, who was 84 years old when she passed away.

Reflecting on her career, Brigitte Bardot – who has a son, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier, with her second husband – often downplayed the lasting impact of her 20 years in film. In a 2012 interview, she explained, “I didn’t intentionally set out to challenge conventions or break rules. That wasn’t my aim.”

As Bardot aged, she openly lived through each phase of her life, even thoughtfully considering what lay ahead at its conclusion.

She told Vogue after turning 90 in 2024 that she wasn’t worried about death. ‘It’s simply a natural part of life,’ she explained. ‘Everyone experiences aging, and eventually, everyone dies, so there’s no need to fear it.’

She added, “But I’m not going to be anxious about it, because then it’d feel horrible.”

Read More

2025-12-28 18:17