Brigitte Bardot — a French actress who helped usher in a sexual revolution on the big screen with her sensual, uninhibited performances in movies such as Jean-Luc Godard’s “Contempt” — has passed away.
She was 91 years old.
The Brigitte Bardot Foundation confirmed the long-time had died in a statement shared with the French news agency AFP.
“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,” the statement read, according to the BBC.
The outlet didn’t specify the time or place of Bardot’s death.
“The Brigitte Bardot Foundation pays tribute to the memory of an exceptional woman who gave everything and gave up everything for a world more respectful of animals,” the foundation added.
“Her legacy lives on through the actions and struggles the Foundation continues with the same passion and the same fidelity to her ideals.”
Brigitte Bardot kicked off her career as a model, eventually appearing on the cover of Elle in 1950 at the age of 15.
In 1952, at 18 years old, Bardot appeared in the film Manina, the Girl in the Bikini.
She garnered international recognition for her role in the 1957 movie And God Created Woman, earning the label of global sex symbol in the process.
Other memorable credits included 1960’s The Truth, 1963’s Le Mépris and 1965’s Viva Maria!; Bardot also pursued a music career, releasing her debut album, Brigitte Bardot Sings, in 1963.
Bardot retired from acting in 1973 at age 39, emphasizing at the time that she wanted to “get out elegantly.”
After leaving the movie industry, Bardot became an animal rights activist, launching the Brigitte Bardot Foundation in 1986.
In September 1983, on her 49th birthday, Bardot overdosed on pills and red wine. She was rushed to the hospital, where her stomach was pumped. That same year, Bardot was treated for breast cancer.
Late on Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Bardot, saying she “embodied a life of freedom.”
“Her films, her voice, her dazzling glory, her initials, her sorrows, her generous passion for animals, her face that became Marianne (the symbol of the French republic), Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom,” Macron wrote on X.
“We mourn a legend of the century.”