The world of cinema has lost one of its most enduring and iconic stars. The French actor Brigitte Bardot has died at the age of 91, leaving behind a legacy that defined an era of European glamour and cinematic sensuality.
From Parisian Debut to Global 'Bombshell'
Born in Paris in 1934 into a prosperous family, Brigitte Bardot's path to stardom began with ballet. Her talent secured her a place at the prestigious Conservatoire de Paris as a teenager. However, the silver screen soon called. Her first film role came in 1952 with the comedy Crazy for Love.
It was her appearances at the Cannes film festival, starting in 1953, that truly ignited her fame. Her presence caused a media frenzy, later described as a 'bombshell moment'. That same year, she appeared alongside Kirk Douglas in Anatole Litvak's Act of Love.
Her personal life moved as fast as her career. In December 1952, at just 18, she married director Roger Vadim. This partnership would prove pivotal. Vadim directed her in the 1956 film And God Created Woman, a movie widely credited with cementing her global 'sex kitten' image and making Saint-Tropez a byword for Riviera chic.
A Life in the Spotlight: Films, Marriages and Motherhood
Bardot's career soared throughout the 1950s and 60s. She starred in a string of successful films, including Babette Goes to War (1959) with Jacques Charrier, whom she married after divorcing Vadim in 1957. She gave birth to her only child, Nicolas, in 1960.
Her status as a muse extended beyond cinema; she was photographed with cultural giants like Pablo Picasso at Cannes in 1956. She continued to challenge herself as an actor, starring in Jean-Luc Godard's seminal New Wave film Contempt in 1963.
In 1965, she starred with Jeanne Moreau in Viva Maria!, a performance that earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best Foreign Actress. After divorcing Charrier in 1962, she married German photographer Gunter Sachs in 1966. They divorced in 1969 but remained friends.
Retirement and Reinvention as an Activist
In a move that shocked the industry, Brigitte Bardot retired from acting in 1973 after making the comedy The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot. She then dedicated her life to a long-held passion: animal welfare.
She founded a dog refuge in Paris and became a vocal, if sometimes controversial, animal rights campaigner. In her personal life, she married for a fourth time in 1992, to Bernard d'Ormale, who is known for his far-right political views. Bardot herself faced legal challenges, being fined on four separate occasions for incitement to racial hatred.
Despite the controversies of her later years, Brigitte Bardot's impact on 20th-century culture remains indelible. From a ballet student in Paris to a global symbol of beauty and liberation, and finally a fierce protector of animals, her life was a series of dramatic and unforgettable acts.
