Brigitte Bardot, French film icon and animal rights activist, dies aged 91

Brigitte Bardot died on 28 December 2025 at the age of 91. Her death was announced by the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, the animal welfare charity she founded in 1986. She died at her home in the south of France, where she had lived in seclusion for decades.

Bardot became an international star in the 1950s, above all with And God Created Woman (1956), directed by Roger Vadim. She came to symbolise a new, freer image of French womanhood and was one of the most photographed people of her era. She retired from acting in 1973, aged 39, and turned to defending animals.

Her later years were marked by controversy. She was convicted several times in France of inciting racial hatred over public remarks, and her political views divided opinion.

Her death prompted tributes across France, from political leaders to the film world and animal protection groups. It also renewed attention to Saint-Tropez, the Riviera town she helped make world famous and where she kept her home, La Madrague.