French legend Brigitte Bardot dies at 91
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Brigitte Bardot became a global star after appearing in And God created Woman in 1956.
PHOTO: AFP
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PARIS – French film legend Brigitte Bardot, a cinema icon of the 1950s and 60s who walked away from global stardom to become an animal rights protector, has died aged 91, her foundation said on Dec 28.
Bardot had rarely been seen in public in recent months but was hospitalised in October
The foundation did not say when or where she died.
“The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the death of its founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, a world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation,” it said in a statement sent to AFP.
Bardot became a global star after appearing in And God created Woman in 1956, and went on to appear in about 50 more movies before giving up acting.
She retired from film to settle permanently near the Riviera resort of St-Tropez, where she devoted herself to fighting for animals.
Her calling apparently came when she encountered a goat on the set of her final film, The Edifying And Joyous Story Of Colinot.
To save it from being killed, she bought the animal and kept it in her hotel room.
Key dates in her life:
Sept 28, 1934: Born in Paris.
1956: Creates a sensation as a smouldering 18-year-old in a love triangle in And God Created Woman, directed by then husband, Roger Vadim.
1958: Buys her property La Madrague in Saint-Tropez on the French Riviera, where she spends most of her life.
1959: Marries actor Jacques Charrier, with whom she has a son.
Brigitte Bardot with her then husband Jacques Charrier and their son Nicolas in 1960.
PHOTO: AFP
1962: Records her first pop single, Sidonie.
1963: Stars in Jean-Luc Godard’s critically acclaimed Contempt.
1967: Marries German billionaire Gunter Sachs. Meets Serge Gainsbourg, who writes her most successful songs.
1973: Retires from cinema to devote herself to the protection of animals after watching a documentary on seal hunting.
1986: Founds the Brigitte Bardot Foundation dedicated to animal protection.
Bardot retired from cinema in 1973 to devote herself to the protection of animals after watching a documentary on seal hunting.
PHOTO: AFP
1992: Marries industrialist Bernard d’Ormale, a friend and adviser of French far-right National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen.
1996 and 1999: Publishes her two-volume memoirs, which are a big success.
2012: Backs new National Front leader Marine Le Pen in France’s presidential election.
2018: Signs an open letter attacking the #MeToo movement. AFP
