Brigitte Bardot, the world-famous actress who became a sex symbol of global cinema before renouncing acting for animal rights activism, has died at 91, according to her foundation. “The Brigitte Bardot Foundation pays tribute to the memory of an exceptional woman who gave everything and gave up everything for a world more respectful of animals,” the Paris-based organization said in a statement to CNN. The foundation did not specify when or where Bardot died. The blonde bombshell rose to international stardom at just 23 after starring in the 1956 French film And God Created Woman, which flopped in France but exploded in the United States, The New York Times reported. From there, Bardot cultivated a femme fatale persona that captivated audiences worldwide. Women copied her dramatic eye makeup and provocative fashion, while Bardot herself became the first model for Marianne, a symbol of the French Republic. “Her films, her voice, her dazzling fame, her initials, her sorrows, her generous passion for animals, her face that became Marianne—Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom,“ French President Emmanuel Macron wrote in a statement on X Sunday, calling her a legend.
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