The French cinema icon Brigitte Bardot has died on Sunday, December 28, 2025, at the age of 91, at her La Madrague residence in Saint-Tropez, alongside her husband Bernard d’Ormale. The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announced her passing, highlighting her dedication to animal rights after a prestigious film career. Tributes are pouring in from political figures and the cultural world.
Brigitte Bardot, known by her initials B.B., passed away at dawn on Sunday, December 28, 2025, at the age of 91, in her La Madrague villa in Saint-Tropez. According to Bruno Jacquelin, the foundation's press director, she uttered a final loving word, 'piou piou,' to her husband Bernard d’Ormale before dying at 5:55 a.m. The foundation, established in 1986, honored a woman who left cinema in 1973 to dedicate herself to animal welfare, rescuing over 12,000 animals and operating in 70 countries.
Born on September 28, 1934, in Paris to a bourgeois family, Bardot began her career in 1952 with 'The Hole' (Le Trou normand). She skyrocketed to fame in 1956 with Roger Vadim's 'And God Created Woman,' her first husband's film shot in Saint-Tropez, making her a global icon of freedom and sensuality. Iconic films include Jean-Luc Godard's 'Contempt' (1963) and Louis Malle's 'Viva Maria!' (1965). Before turning 40, she appeared in 46 films before retiring, weary of the industry.
TV channels are paying tribute: France 2 airs 'Contempt' tonight followed by the 2016 documentary 'Bardot in Love'; T18 shows '(In) Search of Meaning' on her animal advocacy; Paris Première 'Bardot in Love' on Monday; France 3 'Viva Maria!'; France 5 the series 'Bardot' next week.
Reactions are flooding in. Emmanuel Macron calls her a 'legend of the century' embodying a 'life of freedom.' Marine Le Pen describes an 'exceptional woman' and 'incredibly French.' Thierry Frémaux, Cannes delegate, sees her as a 'total myth' who defined stardom. Peta calls her an 'angel for animals.' However, Bardot was convicted five times for racist remarks, openly supporting the far right since the 1990s, notably through her husband Bernard d’Ormale, close to Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Saint-Tropez's municipality, where she settled at the height of her fame, thanks her for globalizing the village. A hearse left La Madrague early afternoon, as fans leave flowers outside the villa guarded by police.
