Actress Brigitte Bardot, legend of French cinema, died this Sunday (28), aged 91. The cause of death was not disclosed, but she had been in poor health for a few months, undergoing periods of long hospitalizations. She died in a hospital in the south of France, where she was undergoing surgery.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke out about Brigitte’s death. He wrote: “Her films, her voice, her dazzling fame, her initials, her sorrows, her generous passion for animals, her face that became Marianne — Brigitte Bardot personified a life of freedom. A French existence, a universal brilliance. She touched us. We mourn the loss of a legend of the century.”
In addition to being an actress, Brigitte was a singer and animal activist. Born in Paris in 1934, into a wealthy family, she began her artistic career as a model at the age of 15. She graced the cover of Elle magazine and her beauty drew immediate attention from other areas, such as cinema.
He made his screen debut in 1952, at the age of 18, in the film Le Trou Normand, by director Jean Boyer, in which he played the character Javotte Lemoine, a small role. In the same year he worked in Manina, the Unveiled Girl. Directed by French director Willy Rozier, her character was not very prominent, but Brigitte drew attention when she appeared in a bikini, helping to make the piece of clothing common.
In 1953, the young actress, not yet very famous, acted in Stronger than Deathhis first work in an American feature film. With Kirk Douglas and Dany Robin as protagonists, the production had many scenes shot in France. Although she did not have much prominence in the film, the actress caught attention at the Cannes Festival that year during the promotion of the film starring Douglas. She appeared in a bikini at the event, which caused a stir in the media.
The actress continued acting in French, Italian and English films. In 1955 he worked in several productions such as The Commander’s Bride, The Great Maneuvers and The Light of Desire. In 1956, he joined the cast of films such as Helen of Troy, Mademoiselle Pigalle and My Son Nero.
In these features, Brigitte was already attracting attention and acting more prominently, being the protagonist in some productions. Still in 1956, he starred And God Created Womandirected by her then husband, Frenchman Roger Vadim.
In the film, Brigitte plays Juliette, a young woman living in Saint-Tropez who marries the brother of a man who rejected her. She, who is an orphan, struggles not to return to the orphanage and does so by awakening passions.
The production propelled Brigitte to stardom: she became a sex symbol and began to influence women’s fashion in much of the world.
From then on, the Frenchwoman became synonymous with movie stars, acting in famous productions such as The Contemptfrom 1963, from director Jean-Luc Godard and acted alongside stars such as Anthony Perkins, Marcello Mastroianni, Alain Delon, Sean Connery, among others.
Buzios
Brigitte went through relationship crises in the 60s, had depression and serious issues with alcoholic beverages. He had an unwanted son, which disrupted his relationship with him throughout his life.
In 1965, Brigitte came to Brazil, when she was dating Bob Zagury, a Brazilian basketball player for Flamengo. While visiting the country, the actress was in the city of Búzios, in Rio de Janeiro, on a visit that became famous. The local city hall created a statue of Brigitte, which remains in the municipality to this day.
Brigitte’s last film was the French L’histoire très bonne et très joyeuse de Colinot Trousse-Chemisereleased in 1973. After that, the actress decided to leave her artistic life and began to dedicate herself to another of her passions: defending animals.
She created the Brigitte Bardot Foundation to help save animals of various species around the world. His activist side was highly praised and celebrated, which did not prevent him from receiving criticism in the last years of his life for political positions considered controversial.
In 2021, when she was 87 years old, Brigitte was convicted by a French court and fined 20 thousand euros for making racist insults against residents of the French island of Réunion.
She also recently declared support for Marine Le Pen, a representative of the French extreme right.
Brigitte Bardot leaves behind a son, two granddaughters and a great-granddaughter.
