Brigitte Bardot’s name became instantly associated with sex appeal – a rare feat for a surname. While Marilyn Monroe also captivated the world in the 1950s, I believe Bardot had a broader, more global influence, affecting both men and women in a way that surpassed even Monroe and the height of Hollywood glamour.
Oh my gosh, that movie, And God Created Woman from 1956… it didn’t just make her famous, it launched her into another stratosphere! Seriously, she became a sensation everywhere. And the best part? Everyone loved her, young and old! It was like she just connected with everyone, you know? I was completely obsessed, and still am!
In 1967, she received an invitation to meet French President Charles de Gaulle at the Élysée Palace. However, the palace had a rule at the time prohibiting women from wearing pants for evening events.
In a surprisingly bold move, Brigitte Bardot arrived at the event dressed as a Napoleonic cavalry officer, her blonde hair flowing over her shoulder decorations. Charles de Gaulle, who was in his late seventies at the time, was captivated and playfully stated that she was as significant a symbol of France as Renault automobiles.
Years before, young John Lennon had a poster of Brigitte Bardot on his bedroom ceiling, which fueled his daydreams. He even convinced his wife, Cynthia, to adopt Bardot’s style – her messy hair and dramatic eyeliner. When he finally met her in 1968, he was arguably more famous, but the famously outspoken Beatle was surprisingly speechless, even after taking a dose of LSD to calm his nerves.
The next year, Brigitte Bardot became the inspiration for Marianne, the symbolic figure representing the ideals of the French Republic – liberty, equality, and fraternity. A sculpture of Marianne is displayed in every city hall throughout France.
She passed away on Sunday at the age of 91. This news came only weeks after the animal welfare organization founded in her honor refuted reports that she was unwell following a small operation.
French President Emmanuel Macron was among the first to pay tribute to Brigitte Bardot, describing her as the embodiment of a free spirit and a symbol of France. He highlighted her iconic presence – her films, voice, and even her initials – as well as her compassion for animals and her enduring image. Macron stated that she captivated audiences and will be remembered as a legend.
Jordan Bardella, the leader of France’s far-right, said that the woman in question represented a significant period in French history, and especially stood for bravery and liberty.
The young actress, once famous for her beauty and charm, sadly became known for something much different. Brigitte Bardot developed a reputation for openly expressing racist views, leading to five convictions in French courts for inciting hatred.
She asserted that France had been overrun by Muslims who she falsely accused of harming animals, and she repeatedly warned of the supposed ‘Islamization’ of her country with inflammatory language. She also used deeply offensive terms to describe LGBTQ+ individuals, calling them ‘fairground freaks’.
Brigitte Bardot was exceptionally kind to animals, welcoming a wide variety of creatures into her home and onto her property – at one point, she cared for goats, ducks, donkeys, and many cats and dogs. While her dedication to animal rights sometimes appeared extreme, she often explained it by comparing their situation to her own experiences. ‘I understand what it’s like to be pursued and vulnerable,’ she once said.
The reaction to And God Created Woman, a film about a captivating orphan who charms everyone in St. Tropez, was incredibly strong.
Compared to today’s films, it seems mild. But back then, it was shocking. Brigitte Bardot’s playful acting, and especially a scene of her dancing barefoot with glistening skin and wild hair, instantly made her a major sex symbol at just 22 years old – and arguably one of the most iconic of all time.
Several US states quickly banned the film. One prejudiced governor in the South even claimed it could cause Black men to become aroused.
Across the United States, the National Legion of Decency protested outside movie theaters showing the film, loudly demanding it be banned with the slogan ‘Ban Bardot!’
British reactions to the film were sharply divided. One critic harshly called it exploitative and deliberately provocative, while another admitted that Bardot’s sensuality was deeply unsettling to him.
The film And God Created Woman, directed by her husband Roger Vadim, was a massive success, giving Brigitte Bardot incredible publicity. Men were captivated by her, and photographers constantly sought to capture her image. This attention deeply upset her very traditional Catholic parents. However, her career began early – she was first noticed at a fashion show for her mother’s hat shop in Paris, and at just 15 years old, she graced the cover of French Elle magazine in May 1949.
A year after their first meeting, Elle was featured again, catching the eye of film director Marc Allégret. He sent his assistant, Vadim, to Paris to meet her and her family in their luxurious seven-bedroom apartment. Vadim then urgently asked her very strict father to allow her to try out for a film he’d written.
Wealthy businessman Louis Bardot didn’t want his daughter, Brigitte, to become an actress – he considered ballet, which she was training in, a more appropriate career. However, filmmakers Vadim and Allégret kept trying to convince him, and eventually Brigitte was given a screen test, though she didn’t succeed. Interestingly, Leslie Caron and a then-unknown Audrey Hepburn were also rejected during the same auditions, and the planned film was ultimately never produced.
As one of Bardot’s biographers later wrote, it was surely a record for casting blunders.
Vadim wasn’t primarily focused on Brigitte Bardot’s acting potential. He was immediately captivated by her beauty when he first met her at age sixteen.
And she in turn was smitten by him – six years older, rakishly handsome, somewhat louche.
She and her lover began a secret relationship, causing her parents extreme distress. They decided to send her away to boarding school in England, but backed down when she threatened to take her own life.
Brigitte’s mother deeply distrusted Vadim and would always check the silverware after his visits. However, when Brigitte threatened a desperate act, her parents reluctantly allowed her to marry him, with the condition she wait until she turned eighteen. The wedding in December 1952 was very traditional; Brigitte looked the picture of a modest bride in her white velvet dress. But her quiet, conventional behavior didn’t last long – it ended after just one day.
She quickly changed, thanks to her husband’s clever planning of photo shoots for Paris Match and a new blonde hairstyle. Once a ballet trainee, she was becoming someone else entirely. Her parents, unable to stop it now that she was married, watched with dismay as the media began calling her a ‘sex kitten’.
Her father attempted to prevent the release of her second film, The Girl in the Bikini, which was advertised with revealing images of her backside.
Brigitte Bardot was just starting her acting career when her partner, Vadim, brought her to the 1953 Cannes Film Festival. He made sure she was photographed often with famous Hollywood actors like Kirk Douglas, hoping their celebrity status would help launch her career.
The plan was a huge success, and she quickly gained a lot of media attention, far beyond what her career as an actress would normally generate. While her first role in an English-language film – a glamorous nightclub singer opposite Dirk Bogarde in the 1955 comedy Doctor at Sea – didn’t really demonstrate her acting skills, she completely stole the show at the Royal Film Performance in London in October 1956. She outshone even the Queen, Princess Margaret, and Marilyn Monroe, who were also in attendance.
The movie they showed wasn’t about Brigitte Bardot at all – it was a war film called The Battle of the River Plate. However, even just the letters ‘BB’ were enough to make men flustered. The myth surrounding Brigitte Bardot was beginning to grow.
While her acting career was taking off, her marriage began to fall apart. During the filming of ‘And God Created Woman,’ she even became involved with her co-star, Jean-Louis Trintignant, and continued to kiss him after the director yelled ‘cut!’
By 1960, Brigitte Bardot had gone through a divorce from her domineering husband, Vadim (who would later marry Jane Fonda). She’d also had a relationship with singer Sacha Distel and married actor Jacques Charrier. That same year, she gave birth to her only child, Nicholas. The pregnancy was entirely unexpected, and she was deeply upset to discover she was expecting. She desperately sought an abortion in Switzerland, but no clinic would perform the procedure. Bardot’s fame made it impossible to keep anything private at that time.
Between 1956 and 1960, Brigitte Bardot experienced a whirlwind of fame, becoming both incredibly popular and intensely criticized – more so than almost any celebrity before or since, according to one biographer. At the time, nearly half of all conversations in France – 47 percent – were about her, compared to 41 percent about politics. This overwhelming attention took a heavy toll, leading to a nervous breakdown and multiple suicide attempts. In a recent documentary, Bardot revealed she’d struggled with depression throughout her life, and that her extraordinary fame made it much worse. She explained, ‘I wake up sad every morning.’
Her personal life was a series of unfortunate events. After divorcing Charrier in 1962, she lost custody of their son, Nicholas. Years later, in her popular 1996 autobiography, she shockingly stated she would have rather had a dog than her son. This comment led to a lawsuit filed by Charrier, and she was ultimately required to pay him financial compensation.
In 1966, she married Gunter Sachs, a rich German socialite and heir to the Opel car fortune, in Las Vegas. He famously courted her with a grand gesture – showering her French home with over a thousand red roses delivered by helicopter, just hours after they met. However, the marriage didn’t last, ending after three years.
Her fourth and longest-lasting marriage was to businessman Bernard d’Ormale, who previously advised Jean-Marie Le Pen, a leader of the French National Front. However, she was also rumored to have had many affairs – at least 100, and even relationships with women. Among her lovers were American actors Warren Beatty and Glenn Ford, and the French singer Serge Gainsbourg. Gainsbourg was so captivated when he met her in 1967 that he became unusually shy, much like John Lennon did the following year.
Honestly, I was shocked when I heard about this! Apparently, after whatever happened, Brigitte Bardot actually called Serge Gainsbourg and challenged him. She told him, point-blank, that if he wanted to earn her respect back, he needed to write the most breathtaking love song the world had ever known. It’s such a dramatic request, but perfectly her, and it set the stage for something truly special, as we all know!
He wrote the song ‘Je t’aime … moi non plus’, and it successfully sparked a romance. They began a passionate relationship, recording the song while also engaging in intimate physical affection – as one surprised sound engineer put it.
The rumors really went wild, claiming they’d been having an affair, and it actually worried Brigitte Bardot – which was surprising for her, and maybe she should have been concerned sooner! She pleaded with Serge Gainsbourg not to release the song, but he refused to budge. He held onto it until he re-recorded it years later, this time with Jane Birkin, his new love.
At nearly 40 years old, Brigitte Bardot suddenly stopped acting in 1973, despite still being considered beautiful. She famously said she felt like she’d lost control of her own life. Though she’d starred in many films, she never achieved major success in Hollywood—most of her English-language movies weren’t well-received—and didn’t consider herself a particularly skilled actress.
Many critics shared this opinion, but few actors left a bigger mark on film. She appeared in several excellent movies, notably La Verite (1960), a gripping courtroom drama where she portrays a whimsical young woman on trial for murder.
In Louis Malle’s acclaimed film Vie Privée (1962), also known as A Very Private Affair, she portrayed a movie star constantly pursued by the press. Interestingly, she found the American promotional tour for the film overwhelming, describing it as ‘insane,’ and decided to only work in France from then on. This led her to decline opportunities to act alongside stars like Frank Sinatra, Steve McQueen, and Marlon Brando.
Regardless of how gifted she was, she believed she would have suffered the same fate as Marilyn Monroe if she hadn’t quit acting. In the mid-1970s, she began working to end the killing of baby seals in Canada and committed the rest of her life to protecting animals.
At her home, La Madrague, near St. Tropez – a property she purchased in 1958 when she was incredibly famous and which contributed to the town becoming a popular resort – she actively engaged in philanthropy through a foundation she established in 1986. She even supported the Daily Mail’s 1998 campaign to save Woofie, a collie mix facing destruction after an incident with a police officer in Scotland.
Bardot flew to Scotland to make a personal appeal on Woofie’s behalf.
Brigitte Bardot’s romantic relationships with people rarely lasted, but she always maintained a strong love for animals. She recently described her life as simple and rural, similar to a farmer’s – without modern technology like computers or phones – and shared by a large menagerie of cats, dogs, sheep, pigs, a pony, and a donkey.
I spent my best years pleasing men with my looks, but now I plan to share my knowledge and life lessons with animals instead,” she said.
She recently sparked outrage among MeToo supporters by calling actresses who spoke out about sexual harassment ‘ridiculous’ and accused them of hypocrisy.
She stated that many actresses flirt with producers to try and land parts, but insisted she had never personally experienced any form of predatory behavior.
She once said she enjoyed receiving compliments about her appearance, even comments about her body. More recently, during the trial of Gerard Depardieu, she strongly defended actors accused of unwanted touching, specifically mentioning grabbing a woman’s bottom, and stated she doesn’t identify with feminist ideals.
Brigitte Bardot remained a figure of controversy throughout her life. Even as rumors about her declining health surfaced in October, she responded with her characteristic bluntness, declaring, ‘I don’t know who started the false reports of my death, but I have no plans to die anytime soon.’
With her passing, a remarkable life has come to a close, and her own words seem the perfect way to remember her. She once said, ‘I just wanted to be myself, truly myself.’ And she lived that truth. Unlike many older actors, she never had plastic surgery, and late in life, she famously responded to someone who called her ‘ugly’ during a protest for animal rights.
‘I’m not ugly,’ she snapped. ‘I’m Bardot.’
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2025-12-29 03:09