Brigitte Bardot, the French film star, singer and later animal rights campaigner who rose to global fame in the 1950s and became one of the defining cultural icons of her era, has died at the age of 91. The news was confirmed by the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, which announced the death of its founder and president in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse on Sunday, without providing details about the place or exact time of her passing.

Bardot became an international phenomenon with the 1956 film And God Created Woman, written and directed by her then husband, Roger Vadim. The role transformed her into a worldwide symbol of sexual freedom and youthful rebellion, and over the next two decades she came to personify the archetype of the “sex kitten.” At the height of her fame, however, she made the unexpected decision to step away from cinema. From the early 1970s onward, she withdrew from acting and devoted herself increasingly to political causes and animal welfare, a shift that later became overshadowed by controversial and inflammatory public statements.

Born in Paris in 1934, Bardot grew up in a well-off, traditional Catholic family. She showed early promise as a dancer and was accepted into the Conservatoire de Paris to study ballet. At the same time, she began working as a fashion model and appeared on the cover of Elle magazine in 1950 at just 15 years old. Her modelling work led directly to film auditions, and it was during one of these that she met Roger Vadim. The two married in 1952, shortly after she turned 18.

Her early film career consisted of small but increasingly visible roles. In 1955, she attracted international attention playing the love interest of Dirk Bogarde in Doctor at Sea, a major success in the United Kingdom. The following year, Vadim’s And God Created Woman secured her place in cinematic history. Playing a provocative and uninhibited young woman in Saint-Tropez, Bardot shocked audiences and critics alike. The film’s commercial success in France and abroad propelled her into the top ranks of French cinema and established her enduring public image.

Beyond the screen, Bardot quickly became a broader cultural reference point. Artists, philosophers and musicians responded to her persona. John Lennon and Paul McCartney famously urged their girlfriends at the time to dye their hair blond in imitation of her. Journalist Raymond Cartier examined her cultural impact in a lengthy 1958 article titled “le cas Bardot” for Paris-Match. In 1959, Simone de Beauvoir published her influential essay Brigitte Bardot and the Lolita Syndrome, portraying Bardot as a symbol of female liberation in post-war France. A decade later, in 1969, Bardot was selected as the first real woman to model Marianne, the emblem of the French Republic.

During the 1960s, Bardot starred in a series of high-profile films that reinforced her status as a leading actress. These included Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Oscar-nominated drama The Truth, Louis Malle’s Very Private Affair alongside Marcello Mastroianni, and Jean-Luc Godard’s Contempt. In the latter part of the decade, she also accepted offers from Hollywood, appearing in productions such as Viva Maria! with Jeanne Moreau and the western Shalako opposite Sean Connery.