Brigitte Bardot has died at her home in southern France, the actress's foundation told the AP. The star was hospitalized several times last fall, but vehemently denied media reports that she was dying.
French President Emmanuel Macron compared Brigitte Bardot to the French national symbol Marianne on X.
"Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom, typically French and of universal brilliance. She touched us all. We mourn the loss of a century of legend," Macron wrote.
A champion
Brigitte Bardot became one of the most celebrated film stars of the 1950s and was called "the most beautiful woman in the world," but showed her detractors she was more than her looks. In the end, Brigitte Bardot received the most attention for her controversial views, but she was also considered a champion of feminism and women's liberation.
Bardot retired from film in 1973. In recent decades, she was occasionally active as an animal rights activist, but she was also known for her far-right views. In 1992, she married Bernard d'Ormale, an associate of far-right figure Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Breakthrough with Vadim
Her film career began in 1949. She was the cover girl for an issue of Elle magazine, which led to an offer of a role in the film "Les lauriers sont coupés". At the age of 15, she met filmmaker Roger Vadim and began a relationship with him.
Bardot was naturally dark-haired, but began bleaching her hair. Her big breakthrough came in 1956. She appeared in four films, all of which were successful. Roger Vadim's "And God Created Woman" received attention not only in France but also internationally.
Not forgotten
Although she had not been the woman in the headlines for several decades in the same way as during the years she was active in film, she was definitely not forgotten.
Brigitte Bardot was one of the world's most famous women - and an early feminist, according to Julia de Nunez, who had the lead role in the TV series "Bardot" a few years ago.
She was a champion for women's liberation and for feminism. At that time, women had completely different roles. She fought for women's liberation and for the right to be free," she said in a TT interview before the series premiere.
Mikael Forsell/TT
Gunnar Rehlin/TT
Facts: Brigitte Bardot
TT
Born in Paris in 1934.
Bardot's most famous films, selected: “And God Created Woman” (1956), “The Sinful Game” (1958), “The Truth” (1960), “Private Life” (1962), “Contempt” (1963).
She had one child, son Nicolas-Jacques Charrier, with Jacques Charrier, whom she married in 1959.
