Brigitte Bardot, French film icon turned far-right provocateur, dies at 91

The French prima reshaped post-war cinema earlier retreating from planetary fame into carnal rights activism and, later, far-right politics.

Brigitte Bardot, the French histrion and vocalist who became a planetary sensation earlier reinventing herself arsenic an carnal extortion campaigner and outspoken protagonist of the acold right, has died aged 91.

The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announced her decease connected Sunday, saying “with immense sadness” that its laminitis and president had died.

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In a connection sent to the AFP quality agency, the instauration described Bardot arsenic “a world-renowned histrion and singer, who chose to wantonness her prestigious vocation to dedicate her beingness and vigor to carnal payment and her foundation”. It did not springiness details astir erstwhile oregon wherever she died.

Bardot roseate to planetary fame successful 1956 with her relation successful And God Created Woman, a movie that sought to task pistillate sexuality connected screen. She went connected to look successful astir 50 films, becoming 1 of the astir recognisable faces of post-war French cinema.

In the aboriginal 1970s, Bardot discontinue acting astatine the tallness of her fame, turning her attraction to carnal protection. While her campaigning earned admiration from supporters, her nationalist beingness grew progressively arguable arsenic she embraced far-right authorities and made repeated racist and inflammatory remarks.

French histrion Brigitte Bardot poses with a immense sombrero she brought backmost from Mexico, arsenic she arrives astatine Orly Airport successful Paris, France, connected May 27, 1965 [AP Photo]

Her activism hardened into unfastened enactment for France’s far-right National Front, present known arsenic National Rally, and the party’s longtime person Marine Le Pen. Over the years, French courts convicted Bardot aggregate times for inciting radical hatred.

In 2022, a tribunal fined her 40,000 euros ($47,000) aft she described radical from Reunion, a French overseas territory, arsenic “degenerates” who had “kept their savage genes”. It marked the sixth clip authorities had sanctioned her for racist and hatred speech. Muslims and immigrants were among her predominant targets.

Born successful Paris successful 1934, Bardot grew up successful a blimpish Catholic household and trained arsenic a ballet dancer astatine the Conservatoire de Paris. She began modelling arsenic a teenager, appearing connected the screen of Elle astatine 15, which led to aboriginal movie roles and her matrimony to manager Roger Vadim.

Despite aboriginal being hailed by immoderate arsenic a trailblazer for women successful cinema, Bardot dismissed complaints astir intersexual harassment successful the movie industry.

“Many actresses flirt with producers to get a role. Then erstwhile they archer the communicative afterwards, they accidental they person been harassed. … In existent fact, alternatively than payment them, it lone harms them,” she said.

“I thought it was bully to beryllium told that I was beauteous oregon that I had a beauteous small a**. This benignant of compliment is nice.”