Brigitte Bardot’s journey from celebrated French cinema star to passionate animal rights advocate and divisive political voice, leaving behind a complex legacy that spans glamour, activism, and controversy.
Brigitte Bardot, the iconic French cinema legend, gave an interview to BFMTV just months before her passing. Steven Bellery, the journalist, noted that it had been more than a decade—eleven years, to be exact—since Bardot had last appeared on screen. So why return to the camera now? Sitting on her sofa in her home in Saint-Tropez, a famous spot along the French Riviera, Bardot, petite yet commanding, said, “I’m going to war.”
Brigitte Bardot in 1954 (Studio Harcourt)
Studio Harcourt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Bardot, who became an international star for her role as a rebellious young woman in the 1956 movie And God Created Woman, urged the French government to ban hunting wild animals with hounds, calling it a “horror.” This move reflected the focus of her later years when she became involved in animal welfare. Her activism ranged from helping stray dogs in Bucharest to saving baby seals in the Arctic. Since 1986, her organization, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, has worked on global shelters, adoption drives, sterilization programs, and conservation projects.
But Bardot, whose foundation announced her death at 91, was also outspoken in her support for far-right politics in France. She criticized Muslim immigration through public letters and books. Courts found her guilty of making statements against Islam and stirring up racial hatred. In her later years, her bold claims about Muslims in France often took the focus away from her activism.
Although her films caused both scandals and curiosity decades ago, her life reflected many contradictions. She left behind a divisive legacy that bridged the 20th and 21st centuries. She shifted from being an emblem of glamour in France to an unfiltered critic and political voice.
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Her career as a symbol of allure
Brigitte Bardot born in 1934, was the oldest child in a wealthy family from Paris. She learned ballet as a young girl and started modelling in her early teens. During that time, she met filmmaker Roger Vadim, who later became her first husband.
When she was 18, she took the lead in his film And God Created Woman. The movie became a massive worldwide hit. It drew a lot of attention and controversy, making her known as a sex symbol. Over the next 20 years, she acted in many movies, including Jean-Luc Godard’s Contempt, a famous New Wave film. People admired her for her dreamy gaze and her unique smile. She became a symbol of a new kind of female freedom that defied the norms of her time. Bardot also tried her hand at music for a short time. She recorded a pop song, which helped solidify her place as one of the most prominent French stars of her generation.
Shift to becoming an animal rights activist.
Bardot’s final movie was The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot in 1973. She made it known that she was leaving her acting career behind. Afterwards, she focused on animal rights. In 1977, a Greenpeace campaign against the seal hunt featured her in a photo on the ice in Canada with baby seals.
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She didn’t limit herself to just such stunts. Bardot’s Brigitte Bardot Foundation worked with the mayor of Bucharest in Romania to create a plan to sterilize hundreds of thousands of stray dogs roaming the city instead of killing them. The foundation also took on problems like horse slaughterhouses and elephant hunting, showing how devoted Bardot was to various animal rights causes.
Brigitte Bardot in Rome, 1957
Reporters Associati & Archivi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
A far-right symbol today
In 1992, Bardot married Bernard d’Ormale, a businessman and adviser to Jean-Marie Le Pen, who led France’s far-right National Front, now called the National Rally. She started attracting attention with her political opinions and open letters criticizing different groups in society. Few were spared her criticism. Her targets included homosexuals, MeToo activists, and even kosher butchers. Various groups, including members of the Muslim community, sued her. In the end, courts convicted her five times for inciting racial hatred, with some people accusing her of being openly racist.
Bardot’s firm views against immigration and her outspoken remarks about Muslim France became key features of her identity in the 21st century. These overshadowed not just her renowned career in entertainment but even her dedication to animal rights. Her shift from being a global sex symbol to a strong nationalist and political icon was both dramatic and divisive.
When the news of Bardot’s passing spread, politician Marine Le Pen, the daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, shared her thoughts on X. She called Bardot “an extraordinary woman known for her talent, courage, honesty, and beauty.” French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke out on X saying Bardot “represented a life lived … She moved us. We grieve the loss of a century’s legend.”
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In her chat with BFMTV, available on YouTube, Bardot focuses on ending hound hunting. This cause aligns with her dream of creating a “clean France” free of what she sees as cruel traditions.
The journalist asks her, “Do you want people to remember you for pushing this abolition? Is that the legacy you want to leave behind?”
“Oh no,” she says with a shy smile. “There are so many things people should remember about me.” She laughs and glances down, perhaps thinking about her past. Then she starts talking again about the pain animals endure, showing her dedication to speaking up for their welfare. Her focus on animal rights became a significant part of her later years, even as her bold political opinions continued to spark debate in France and elsewhere.
Source:
Veronique Greenwood (Dec. 28, 2025). Brigitte Bardot, Icon and Provocateur, Dead at 91. TIMES. https://time.com/7342706/brigitte-bardot-obituary-legacy/
Header Image: Brigitte Bardot, 1959
Photo credit: Photographer not credited, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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