Brigitte Bardot
1934-2025
Known for Contempt, ...And God Created Woman, The Truth.
Biography
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot (September 28, 1934 – December 28, 2025) was a French actress, singer, model and animal rights activist. In her early life, Bardot was an aspiring ballet dancer. She started her acting career in 1952 and, after appearing in 16 films, became world-famous due to her role in her then-husband Roger Vadim's controversial film And God Created Woman. She later starred in Jean-Luc Godard's 1963 cult film, Contempt. She was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress for her role in Louis Malle's 1965 film, Viva Maria!. She caught the attention of French intellectuals. She was the subject of Simone de Beauvoir's 1959 essay, The Lolita Syndrome, which described Bardot as a "locomotive of women's history" and built upon existentialist themes to declare her the first and most liberated woman of post-war France. Bardot retired from the entertainment industry in 1973. During her career in show business Bardot starred in 47 films, performed in numerous musical shows, and recorded 80 songs. She was awarded the Légion d'honneur in 1985 but refused to receive it. After her retirement, Bardot established herself as an animal rights activist, but her longstanding support for the far-right and for discrimination against minorities in France showed a constant disdain for human rights instead.
Movie Credits
A Night at the Opera (2020)
Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen (2012)
Le mystère Bardot (2012)
The Legend of Frenchie King (1971)
The Novices (1970)
Spirits of the Dead (1968)
Two Weeks in September (1967)
Viva Maria! (1965)
Contempt (1963)
A Very Private Affair (1962)
Love on a Pillow (1962)
Please, Not Now! (1961)
The Truth (1960)
Babette Goes to War (1959)
Come Dance with Me! (1959)
A Woman Like Satan (1958)
The Night Heaven Fell (1958)
La Parisienne (1957)
...And God Created Woman (1956)
Her Bridal Night (1956)
That Naughty Girl (1956)
Caroline and the Rebels (1955)
Manina, the Lighthouse-Keeper's Daughter (1952)
Rum Runners (1971)
Shalako (1968)
Forbidden Temptations (1965)
Love Is My Profession (1958)
Plucking the Daisy (1956)
School for Love (1955)
Vadim Mister Cool (2016)
The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot (1973)
Mondo Hollywood (1967)
Nero's Mistress (1956)
Doctor at Sea (1955)
The Light Across the Street (1955)
Crazy for Love (1952)
Along the Coast (1958)
Bert Stern: Original Madman (2011)
The Grand Manoeuvre (1955)
Hollywood: No Sex, Please! (2018)
That's Sexploitation! (2013)
Dear Brigitte (1965)
Testament of Orpheus (1960)
Soul Boys of the Western World (2014)
Masculin Féminin (1966)
Helen of Troy (1956)
Oh Les Filles! (2019)
The Twelve Tasks of Asterix (1976)
Godard Cinema (2022)
Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007)
