Brigitte Bardot, Icon of French Cinema and Animal Rights, Dies at 91
Paris, Sunday, 28 December 2025.
Famous for abandoning her film career at 38 to champion animal welfare, the symbol of French liberation and controversial activist has died in Saint-Tropez at 91.
End of an Era for French Culture
Brigitte Bardot, the defining face of French cinema and a tireless advocate for animal rights, passed away today, Sunday, December 28, 2025, at the age of 91 [1][4]. The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announced her death with “immense sadness,” marking the end of an era for a figure who was as culturally potent as she was controversial [1][3]. While she had been hospitalized in the southern city of Toulon since November 2025 for medical checks, she died at her longtime property, La Madrague, in Saint-Tropez [1][4].
From Box Office Gold to Philanthropy
Before her activism defined her later years, Bardot was a cinematic force who reshaped the global entertainment market. Her breakthrough role in the 1956 film And God Created Woman (Et Dieu… créa la femme), directed by her then-husband Roger Vadim, did not just create a scandal; it generated substantial economic returns [1]. Released in the United States in 1957, the film grossed $2 million by the last quarter of that year—a staggering figure for a foreign language film at the time—and doubled that revenue in 1958 [4]. This commercial success propelled her to become the highest-paid French actress of 1958, securing a contract for four films that cemented her status as a lucrative global export of French culture [4].
A Complex and Controversial Legacy
Her advocacy proved highly influential in shifting international policy, including the 1977 ban on the import of seal skins in France and the subsequent 1983 ban by the European Communities on harp seal pup products [4]. However, her later years were frequently marred by legal and social controversy regarding her political views. Between 1997 and 2021, she was convicted six times for racist remarks, including a 2021 fine of €20,000 for public insults, reflecting the polarizing nature of her public persona [4]. French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the star on X today, stating that Bardot “embodied a life of freedom” and noting that her face, which once served as the model for the national symbol Marianne, represented a “French existence” [1].