Brigitte Bardot, French film icon turned far-right provocateur, dies at 91

The French actor and singer Brigitte Bardot, who reinvented herself as an animal protection advocate and outspoken supporter of the far right, passed away at the age of 91.

The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announced her passing on Sunday, stating that the foundation’s founder and president had passed away.

The foundation described Bardot as a “world-renowned actress and singer” who “decided to devote her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation” in a statement sent to the AFP news agency. It provided no information about her death or whereabouts.

In 1956, Bardot gained international recognition with her role in the 1956 film And God Created Woman, which attempted to portray female sexuality on screen. She became one of the most recognizable faces of post-war French cinema after making appearances in about 50 movies.

At the height of her fame, Bardot stopped acting and turned her attention to animal welfare in the early 1970s. Although her supporters praised her campaign, her public life became more and more content as she embraced far-right policies and made frequent racist and inflammatory remarks.

Her activism led to the party’s longtime leader Marine Le Pen and France’s far-right National Front, now known as National Rally, receiving immediate support. French courts have repeatedly found Bardot guilty of inciting racial hatred in recent years.

After calling Reunion, a French overseas territory, “degenerates” who had “kept their savage genes,” a court fined her 40, 000 euros ($47, 000) in 2022. She was given a sixth sanction by the authorities for her racist and hate speech. She frequently targeted Muslims and immigrants.

Bardot was born in Paris in 1934, raised in a traditional Catholic family, and studied ballet dance at the Conservatoire de Paris. She first started modeling as a teenager, and at age 15 she first appeared on the cover of Elle, which led to her marriage to Roger Vadim.

Bardot dismissed complaints about sexual harassment in the film industry despite later being hailed by some as a pioneer for women in the industry.

“Many actresses stifle producers to land a role,” says one actress. Then, when they later elaborate, claim to have been harassed. She said that in reality, it only hurts them rather than helping them.