The world of cinema and animal welfare mourns the loss of an icon, as news confirms that Brigitte Bardot has died at the age of 91. The French actress, singer, and activist, who revolutionised on-screen sexuality in the 1950s before dedicating her life to animals, passed away at an undisclosed location. Her foundation announced the news, stating she had chosen to abandon her prestigious career to focus entirely on animal welfare.
From Parisian Debutante to Global Sex Symbol
Bardot's journey to becoming 'France's most ogled export' began in the affluent 16th arrondissement of Paris, where she was born on September 28, 1934. Enrolled in ballet school by her wealthy parents, her first taste of fame came at just 15, when she graced the cover of Elle magazine in May 1949. By 18, her signature 'sex kitten' look was crystallising: flat ballet shoes, a thick fringe, and figure-accentuating clothes.
Her personal and professional life became inextricably linked when, at 16, she met film assistant Roger Vadim, who was scouting for his boss, director Marc Allégret. Though she didn't get the film role, she captivated Vadim instantly. Author Ginette Vincendeau noted Bardot once wrote of that first meeting: 'He looked at me, scared me, attracted me, I didn't know where I was anymore.'
Their secret romance faced fierce parental opposition, leading to a dramatic suicide attempt by the young Bardot. Her parents eventually relented, on the condition the couple wait until she was 18 to marry. They wed in a Catholic ceremony in Paris on 21 December 1952.
A Scandalous Star is Born and a Pattern of Passion
Vadim directed Bardot in the film that would catapult her to international notoriety: And God Created Woman (1956). Despite heavy censorship, it became the highest-grossing foreign film in the US at the time. Yet, the marriage was crumbling; both were unfaithful, and they divorced in 1957. Vadim later philosophised, preferring a wife with 'spirit and sexual curiosity' over mere fidelity.
This set the tone for Bardot's life. She admitted to having more than 100 lovers, including women, and was always the first to leave. A two-year relationship with her co-star Jean-Louis Trintignant was followed by affairs with married men like singer Gilbert Bécaud.
In 1959, she married actor Jacques Charrier, with whom she had a son, Nicolas, in January 1960. The pregnancy and birth were traumatic; Bardot confessed she never bonded with her child, famously stating, 'I'm not made to be a mother.' Her autobiography contained shocking passages where she described the foetus as a 'cancerous tumour' and detailed self-harm attempts, leading to a successful lawsuit by Charrier and her son for defamation.
Helicopter Roses, Rejected Bonds, and a Final Marriage
Her third marriage was to German millionaire playboy Gunter Sachs in 1966, who famously wooed her by showering her Saint-Tropez home with roses dropped from a helicopter. The union lasted only until 1969, after she reportedly began an affair with singer Mike Sarne. Sachs remained gracious, saying, 'A year with Bardot was worth 10 with anyone else.'
Bardot's allure captivated Hollywood, but she claimed to have rebuffed Sean Connery's advances on the set of 1968's Shalako, recalling he entered her bed 'stark naked except for his socks'.
After a period of loneliness in her forties, she found lasting partnership with Bernard d'Ormale, a former adviser to the far-right Front National, marrying him in 1992. They remained together until her death.
Bardot retired from acting in 1973, channelling her formidable energy into animal rights activism through her foundation. In a statement that encapsulated her defiant life philosophy, she once said: 'I knew my career was based only on my looks, so I decided to leave movies the way I always left men - before they could leave me.' The original 'Sex Kitten' left on her own terms, leaving behind a complex legacy of breathtaking beauty, scandal, and profound compassion for animals.
