French actor and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot died at 91 on Sunday, December 28, 2025. According to a statement released by the Brigitte Bardot Foundation to CNN, "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."
"Her legacy lives on through the actions and struggles the Foundation continues with the same passion and the same fidelity to her ideals," it further read.
The foundation has not revealed the cause of her death.
Life Of Brigitte Bardot: From A Conservative Catholic To A Legend On Screen
Born in 1934 in Paris, Bardot grew up in a conservative Catholic family. She was a trained ballet dancer, which helped her get admitted to the prestigious Conservatoire de Paris.
Apart from getting professional training in dance, she began her career as a model and even featured on the cover of Elle magazine at a young age of 15.
She debuted with And God Created Woman in 1956. It was directed and written by Roger Vadim, whom she had married four years earlier. The couple separated in 1957. Irrespective, the film earned her the title 'sex kitten'.
Speaking about her role, Vadim said, "Brigitte always gave the impression of sexual freedom - she was a completely open and free person, without any aggression."
Thus began her career in the French film industry, where she played bold roles and became a symbol of the sexual revolution. In fact, philosopher Simone de Beauvoir's 1959 essay The Lolita Syndrome declared her the most liberated woman of France.
In 1973, Bardot retired from acting and became an animal rights activist. She created the Brigitte Bardot Foundation and remained known for her fierce and unfiltered voice.
She was a member of the Global 500 Roll of Honour of the United Nations Environment Programme and was bestowed with many awards and accolades.
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