Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot (French:[bʁiʒitanmaʁibaʁdo]; 28 September 1934 – 28 December 2025), often referred to by her initialsB.B.,[1][2] was a French actress, singer, model, and animal rights activist. She became one of the best-known symbols of thesexual revolution and gained international fame for portraying characters associated withhedonistic lifestyles. Although she withdrew from the entertainment industry in 1973, she remained a major pop culture icon.[3][4] She appeared in 47 films, performed in several musicals, and recorded more than 60 songs. She was awarded theLegion of Honour in 1985.
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot was born on September 28, 1934, in the15th arrondissement of Paris to Louis Bardot (1896–1975) and Anne-Marie Mucel (1912–1978).[11] Bardot's father, who originated fromLigny-en-Barrois, was an engineer and the proprietor of several industrial factories in Paris.[12][13] Her mother was the daughter of an insurance company director.[14] She grew up in a conservative Catholic family, as had her father.[15][10] She suffered fromamblyopia as a child, which resulted indecreased vision of her left eye.[16] She had one younger sister,Mijanou Bardot.[17]
Bardot's childhood was prosperous; she lived in her family's nine-bedroom apartment at 1Rue de la Pompe,[18] in the luxurious16th arrondissement;[19][20] however, she recalled feeling resentful in her early years.[21] Her father demanded that she follow strict behavioral standards, including good table manners, and wear appropriate clothes.[22] Her mother was highly selective in choosing companions for her, so Bardot had very few childhood friends.[23]
During her childhood, she, her sister, and their parents spent weekends on her paternal grandparents' property, at 17 rue du Général Leclerc inLouveciennes, with a chalet imported from Norway forExposition Universelle (1889) and large gardens,[18][24] where she later celebrated her marriage to Jacques Charrier.[25]
Bardot recalled a personal traumatic incident when she and her sister broke their parents' favourite vase while they were playing in the house. The sisters' father whipped both of them 20 times and subsequently treated the two like "strangers", demanding that they address their parents bythe formal second-person pronounvous, used in French when speaking to unfamiliar or higher-status persons outside the immediate family.[26] The incident led to Bardot decisively resenting her parents and to her future rebellious lifestyle.[27]
DuringWorld War II, whenParis was occupied byNazi Germany, Bardot spent more time at home due to increasingly strict civilian surveillance.[20] She became engrossed in dancing to records, which her mother saw as a potential for a ballet career.[20] Bardot was admitted at the age of seven to the private schoolCours Hattemer.[28] She went to school three days a week, which gave her ample time to take dance lessons at a local studio under her mother's arrangements.[23] In 1949, Bardot was accepted at theConservatoire de Paris. She attended ballet classes held by Russian choreographerBoris Knyazev for three years.[29] She also studied at the Institut de la Tour, a private Catholic high school near her home.[30]
Hélène Gordon-Lazareff, the director of the magazinesElle andLe Jardin des Modes, hired Bardot in 1949 as a "junior" fashion model.[31] On 8 March 1950, 15-year-old Bardot appeared on the cover ofElle, which brought her an acting offer for the filmLes Lauriers sont coupés from directorMarc Allégret.[32][33] Her parents opposed her becoming an actress, but her grandfather was supportive, saying that "If this little girl is to become a whore, cinema will not be the cause."[A]
At the audition, Bardot metRoger Vadim, who later notified her that she did not get the role.[35] They subsequently fell in love.[36] Her parents fiercely opposed their relationship; her father announced to her one evening that she would continue her education in England and that he had bought her a train ticket for the following day.[37] Bardot reacted by putting her head into an oven with open fire; her parents stopped her and ultimately accepted the relationship, on condition that she marry Vadim at the age of 18.[38]
Bardot then appeared in four movies that made her a star. First was a musical,Naughty Girl (1956), where Bardot played a troublesome school girl. Directed byMichel Boisrond and co-written by Roger Vadim, it was also the first time Bardot appeared alongsideAlain Delon in a sketch film where they shared a segment. The film was a major success and became the 12th most popular film of the year in France.[48][49]
It was followed by a comedy,Plucking the Daisy (1956), also written by Vadim. This was succeeded byThe Bride Is Much Too Beautiful (1956) withLouis Jourdan. Finally, there was the melodramaAnd God Created Woman (1956). The movie marks Vadim's debut as director, with Bardot starring oppositeJean-Louis Trintignant andCurt Jurgens. The film, about an immoral teenager in an otherwise respectable small-town setting, was an even larger success, not just in France but also around the world, listed among the ten most popular films in Great Britain in 1957.[50]
Bardot featured on the cover ofScreenland, March 1959
In the United States, the film was the highest-grossing foreign film ever released, by grossing $12 million (earning $4 million), which author Peter Lev describes as "an astonishing amount for a foreign film at that time".[51][52] It turned Bardot into an international star.[45] From at least 1956,[53] she was hailed as the "sex kitten".[54][55][56] The film scandalized the United States and some theater managers were even arrested just for screening it.[6] Paul O'Neil ofLife (June 1958) in describing Bardot's international popularity, writes:
In gaining her present eminence, Brigitte Bardot has had certain advantages beyond those she was born with. Like the European sports car, she has arrived on the American scene at a time when the American public is ready, even hungry, for something racier and more realistic than the familiar domestic product.[57]
During her early career, professional photographer Sam Lévin's photos contributed to the image of Bardot's sensuality. British photographerCornel Lucas made images of Bardot in the 1950s and 1960s that have become representative of her public persona. Bardot followedAnd God Created Woman up withLa Parisienne (1957), a comedy co-starringCharles Boyer for director Boisrond. She was reunited with Vadim in another melodramaThe Night Heaven Fell (1958), and played a criminal who seducedJean Gabin inIn Case of Adversity (1958). The latter was the 13th most seen movie of the year in France.[58] In 1958, Bardot became the highest-paid actress in the country of France.[59] She was voted among the top ten box office draws in North America based solely on her French films, something that had never happened before.[49] In August 1956 it was announcedPreston Sturges would direct her inLong Live the King but the film was never made.[60]
Bardot in 1961
The Female (1959) for directorJulien Duvivier was popular, butBabette Goes to War (1959), a comedy set in World War II, was a huge hit, the fourth biggest movie of the year in France.[61] Also widely seen wasCome Dance with Me (1959) from Boisrond. Bardot's next film was courtroom dramaThe Truth (1960), fromHenri-Georges Clouzot. It was a highly publicized production, which resulted in Bardot having an affair and attempting suicide. The film was Bardot's biggest commercial success in France, the third biggest hit of the year, and was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Film.[62] Bardot was awarded aDavid di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actress for her role in the film.[63]
Bardot andMichel Piccoli caught by paparazzi in Italy during the filming ofContempt in 1963
The following year, she co-starred withAnthony Perkins in the comedyUne ravissante idiote (1964).Dear Brigitte (1965), Bardot's first Hollywood film, was a comedy starringJames Stewart as an academic whose son develops a crush on Bardot. Bardot's appearance was relatively brief in the film, and the movie was not a big success. More successful was the Western buddy comedyViva Maria! (1965) for director Louis Malle, appearing oppositeJeanne Moreau. It was a big hit in France and many other countries but not in the United States as much as had been hoped.[64]
After a cameo appearance in Godard'sMasculin Féminin (1966), Bardot starred in her first outright flop in some years,Two Weeks in September (1968), a French–English co-production.[65] She had a small role in the all-starSpirits of the Dead (1968), acting oppositeAlain Delon, then tried a Hollywood film again:Shalako (1968), a Western starringSean Connery, which was another box-office disappointment.[66]
Bardot in 1968
Bardot participated in several musical shows and recorded many popular songs in the 1960s and 1970s, mostly in collaboration withSerge Gainsbourg, Bob Zagury, andSacha Distel, including "Harley Davidson"; "Je me donne à qui me plaît"; "Bubble gum"; "Contact"; "Je reviendrai toujours vers toi"; "L'Appareil à sous"; "La Madrague"; "On déménage"; "Sidonie"; "Tu veux, ou tu veux pas?"; "Le Soleil de ma vie" (a cover ofStevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life"); and "Je t'aime... moi non plus". Bardot pleaded with Gainsbourg not to release this duet and he complied with her wish; the following year, he rerecorded a version with British-born model and actressJane Birkin that became a massive hit all over Europe. The version with Bardot was issued in 1986 and became a download hit in 2006 whenUniversal Music made its back catalog available to purchase online, with this version of the song ranking as the third most popular download.[67]
From 1969 to 1972, Bardot was the official face ofMarianne, who had previously up until then been anonymous, to represent the liberty of France.[68][69]
Bardot's next filmLes Femmes (1969) was a flop, although the screwball comedyThe Bear and the Doll (1970) performed better. Her last few films were mostly comedies:Les Novices (1970),Boulevard du Rhum (1971) (withLino Ventura).The Legend of Frenchie King (1971) was popular, helped by Bardot co-starring withClaudia Cardinale. Bardot made one more movie with Vadim,Don Juan, or If Don Juan Were a Woman (1973), in which she played the title role. Regarding the film, Vadim said: "Underneath what people call 'the Bardot myth' was something interesting, even though she was never considered the most professional actress in the world. For a few years, since she has been growing older and the Bardot myth has become just a souvenir, I wanted to work with Brigitte. I was curious in her as a woman, and I had to get to the end of something with her, to get out of her and express many things I felt were in her. Brigitte always gave the impression of sexual freedom – she is a completely open and free person, without any aggression. So I gave her the part of a man – that amused me."[70]
During the filming, Bardot said: "IfDon Juan is not my last movie it will be my next to last."[71] She kept her word and made only one more film,The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot (1973). In 1973, Bardot announced she was retiring from acting as "a way to get out elegantly".[72] In 1974, Bardot appeared in a nude photo shoot inPlayboy magazine, which celebrated her 40th birthday.[73]
After appearing in more than 40 motion pictures and recording several music albums, Bardot used her fame to promoteanimal rights. In 1986, she established theBrigitte Bardot Foundation for the welfare and protection of animals.[77] She became a vegetarian[78] and raised three million francs (about US$430,000 in 1986[43]) to fund the foundation by auctioning off jewelry and personal belongings.[77]
Bardot was a strong animal rights activist and a major opponent of the consumption ofhorse meat.[79][80] In 1989, while looking after her neighbor Jean-Pierre Manivet's donkey, it displayed excessive interest in Bardot's older donkey mare, and she subsequently had the neighbor's donkey castrated due to concerns the mating would prove fatal for her mare. The neighbor then sued Bardot, and Bardot later won, with the court ordering Manivet to pay 20,000 francs for creating a "false scandal".[81][82] Bardot urged French television viewers to boycott horse meat and was soon the target of death threats in January 1994. Not backing off from the threats, she sent a letter to theminister of agriculture,Jean Puech, calling on him to ban the sale of horse meat.[83] Bardot wrote a 1999 letter to People's Republic of China PresidentJiang Zemin, published in French magazineVSD, in which she accused the PRC of "torturing bears and killing the world's last tigers and rhinos to makeaphrodisiacs". She donated more than US$140,000 over two years in 2001 for a massneutering and adoption program forBucharest's stray dogs, estimated to number 300,000.[84]
In August 2010, Bardot addressed a letter to QueenMargrethe II of Denmark, appealing for the sovereign to halt thekilling of dolphins in theFaroe Islands. In the letter, Bardot described the activity as a "macabre spectacle" that "is a shame forDenmark and the Faroe Islands ... This is not a hunt but a mass slaughter ... an outmoded tradition that has no acceptable justification in today's world".[85] On 22 April 2011, French culture ministerFrédéric Mitterrand officially includedbullfighting in the country's cultural heritage. Bardot wrote him a highly critical letter of protest.[86] On 25 May 2011, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society renamed its fast interceptor vessel, MVGojira, asMVBrigitte Bardot in appreciation of her support.[87]
From 2013, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, in collaboration with Kagyupa International Monlam Trust of India, operated an annualveterinary care camp. Bardot committed to the cause of animal welfare inBodhgaya over several years.[88] On 23 July 2015, Bardot condemned Australian politicianGreg Hunt's plan to eradicate 2 million cats to save endangered species such as theWarru andnight parrot.[89] At the age of 90, Bardot appealed to free activistPaul Watson, who had been detained inGreenland since 21 July 2024, when Japan requested hisextradition. Through a request expressed in mid-October 2024 by her lawyers and Sea Shepherd France, Bardot asked French PresidentEmmanuel Macron to grant Watsonpolitical asylum. Bardot asked Macron to show "a little bit of courage". During that month, she initiated a demonstration in support of Watson in front of theHôtel de Ville, Paris.[74] Bardot also wrote a letter to Danish Prime MinisterMette Frederiksen, asking her to "not choose the camp of the oceans' gravediggers".[90]
Bardot had a habit of goingbarefoot in the streets ofSaint-Tropez andCapri,[91] which became a part of her public image, and was incorporated into her character Juliette inAnd God Created Woman.[92]
Bardot was married four times with her final marriage lasting longer than the previous three combined. By her own count, she had a total of 17 romantic relationships.[93] She often left one partner for another when, in her words, "the present was getting lukewarm"; she explained, "I have always looked for passion. That's why I was often unfaithful. And when the passion was coming to an end, I was packing my suitcase."[94]
Bardot married directorRoger Vadim on 20 December 1952, atNotre-Dame-de-Grace de Passy,[95] when she was 18.[96] They separated in 1956 after she became involved withAnd God Created Woman co-starJean-Louis Trintignant, and they divorced the following year.[45] Trintignant was at the time married to actressStéphane Audran. Bardot and Vadim had no children together, but remained in contact for the rest of his life and later collaborated on several projects. Bardot and Trintignant lived together for about two years, spanning the period before and after her divorce from Vadim, although they never married. Their relationship was complicated by Trintignant's frequent absences due to military service and Bardot's affair with musicianGilbert Bécaud.[97]
After recovering from an overdose in 1958, Bardot began a relationship with actorJacques Charrier, whom she married inLouveciennes,[98][99] on 18 June 1959. She had an affair withGlenn Ford in the early 1960s.[100] Bardot and Charrier divorced in 1962.[101]Sami Frey was mentioned as the reason for her divorce from Charrier. Bardot was enamoured of Frey, but he quickly left her.[102]
Bardot became pregnant before she and Charrier married.[97] Bardot was extremely dismayed—she had previously stated "I am not a mother, nor do I want to be one"[103]—and sought anabortion; however, abortion was illegal at that time in France.[104] In her bookInitiales B. B: Mémoires, she recalled: "I looked at my flat, slender belly in the mirror like a dear friend upon whom I was about to close a coffin lid."[105] Numerous times, she punched herself in the stomach and asked her doctor formorphine in an attempt to abort the baby.[106]
During the final months of her pregnancy, photographers surrounded her house, vying for photos of a pregnant Bardot.[104] Nicolas-Jacques Charrier was born on 11 January 1960, seven months after their wedding.[101] He was Bardot's only child. She had been so wary of the press that she decided to give birth at home.[104] Following his birth, Bardot became depressed and attempted suicide.[103]
She later wrote that her son was a "cancerous tumour" and that she would have "preferred to give birth to a little dog".[106] She also added, "I'm not made to be a mother. I'm not adult enough—I know it's horrible to have to admit that, but I'm not adult enough to take care of a child."[105] She refused tobreastfeed Nicolas and whenever she held him, he sensed her agitation and began to cry.[104]
After she and Charrier divorced, the latter gained sole custody of Nicolas.[107] When Nicolas was 12, he asked Bardot if he could stay with her, but she turned him away in favour of party guests. Nicolas was hurt and did not speak to her afterwards. In her memoirs, Bardot wrote that she loved Nicolas "the most in the world", but Nicolas wanted nothing to do with her.[104] When he married Norwegian model Anne-Line Bjerkan in 1984, Bardot was not invited to the wedding.[104][108]
Bardot became a grandmother when the two had daughters in 1985 and 1990. She tried to make peace with him on multiple occasions, but to no avail.[104] In 1997, Charrier and Nicolas sued her and her publisher,Grasset, for the hurtful remarks she had made in her memoir. She was ordered to pay Charrier £17,000 and Nicolas £11,000.[106] In 2018, she stated that she and Nicolas, by then a grandfather himself,[104] were on good terms, speaking regularly and visiting each other once a year.[107][108]
Bardot's third marriage was to German millionaire playboyGunter Sachs, lasting from 14 July 1966 to 7 October 1969, though they had separated the previous year.[97][45][109]
Bardot's fourth and last husband was Bernard d'Ormale, who has been described as a former advisor to the right-wing politician,Jean Marie Le Pen.[110] They were married from 16 August 1992 until her death on 28 December 2025.[111]
Bardot was invited to the birthday party of musicianSacha Distel in 1958, and they had a much-publicized relationship until 1959.[112] From 1963 to 1965, she lived with musician Bob Zagury.[113] While filmingShalako, she rejectedSean Connery's advances; she said, "It didn't last long because I wasn't aJames Bond girl! I have never succumbed to his charm!"[114] In 1967, while married to Sachs, she had a relationship with singer-songwriterSerge Gainsbourg; they recorded two songs together: "Je t'aime... moi non plus", which was not released until 1986, and "Bonnie and Clyde".[115] In 1968, she began dating Patrick Gilles, who co-starred with her inThe Bear and the Doll (1970); but she ended their relationship in 1971.[113]
Yahoo estimated Bardot's net worth to be around US$65million.[119] She was estimated to have made about $5million from her 1997 memoirInitials B.B.[106] After her separation from Vadim, Bardot acquired a historic property dating from the 16th century, called Le Castelet, inCannes. The fourteen-bedroom villa, surrounded by lush gardens, olive trees, andvineyards, consisted of several buildings. She listed it for sale in 2020, for €6 million.[120] In 1958, she bought a second property calledLa Madrague [fr], located inSaint-Tropez, for 24 million francs, where she lived until her death in 2025.[121][122]
In 1997, Bardot and her publisher,Éditions Grasset, were ordered to pay £28,000 because of "hurtful remarks" in her autobiography about her former husbandJacques Charrier and their son who had originally sued for more than £1million in damages.[106]
In her 1999 bookLe Carré de Pluton (Pluto's Square), Bardot criticized the procedure used in theritual slaughter of sheep during the Muslim festival ofEid al-Adha. Additionally, in a section in the book entitled "Open Letter to My Lost France", she writes that "my country, France, my homeland, my land" was "again invaded by an overpopulation of foreigners, especially Muslims". She was fined €1,500 (equivalent to €3,000 in 2023) in 1997 for the original publication of this open letter inLe Figaro,[124] fined €2,785 (equivalent to €5,000 in 2023) in 1998 for making similar remarks,[125][126] and fined €4,500 in June 2000 (equivalent to €7,000 in 2023).[43]
In her 2003 book,Un cri dans le silence (A Scream in the Silence), Bardot contrasted her close gay friends with homosexuals who "jiggle their bottoms, put their little fingers in the air and with their littlecastrato voices moan about what those ghastly heteros put them through", and said some contemporary homosexuals behave like "fairground freaks".[127] In her defence, Bardot wrote in a letter to a French gay magazine: "Apart from my husband—who maybe will cross over one day as well—I am entirely surrounded by homos. For years, they have been my support, my friends, my adopted children, my confidants."[128][129]
In the same book, Bardot also criticizedinterracial marriage, immigration,the role of women in politics, andIslam. The book contained a section attacking what she called the mixing of genes, and praised previous generations which, she said, had given their lives to push out invaders.[130] On 10 June 2004, Bardot was convicted for a fourth time by a French court for inciting racial hatred and fined €5,000 (equivalent to €7,000 in 2023).[131] Bardot denied the racial hatred charge and apologized in court, saying: "I never knowingly wanted to hurt anybody. It is not in my character."[132]
In 2008, Bardot was convicted of inciting racial/religious hatred regarding a letter she wrote, a copy of which she sent toNicolas Sarkozy when he wasminister of the interior. The letter stated her objections to Muslims in Franceritually slaughtering sheep by slitting their throats withoutanesthetizing them first. She also said, in reference to Muslims, that she was "fed up with being under the thumb of this population which is destroying us, destroying our country and imposing its habits". The trial concluded on 3 June 2008, resulting in a conviction and a fine of €15,000 (equivalent to €20,000 in 2023).[133] The prosecutor stated she was weary of charging Bardot with offences related to racial hatred.[129]
During the2008 United States presidential election, Bardot brandedRepublican Party vice-presidential candidateSarah Palin as "stupid" and a "disgrace to women". She criticized the former Alaskan governor for her stance onglobal warming andgun control. She was further offended by Palin's support forArctic oil exploration and by her lack of consideration in protectingpolar bears.[134] On 13 August 2010, Bardot criticised American filmmakerKyle Newman for his plan to produce a biographical film about her. She told him, "Wait until I'm dead before you make a movie about my life!", otherwise "sparks will fly".[135]
In 2014, Bardot wrote an open letter demanding the ban in France of Jewish ritual slaughtershechita. In response, theEuropean Jewish Congress released a statement saying "Bardot has once again shown her clear insensitivity for minority groups with the substance and style of her letter[...] She may well be concerned for the welfare of animals but her longstanding support for the far-right and for discrimination against minorities in France shows a constant disdain for human rights instead."[136] In 2015, Bardot threatened to sue aSaint-Tropez boutique for selling items featuring her face.[137] In 2018, she expressed support for theyellow vests protests.[138]
In the wake of theMeToo movement (adopted in France as#BalanceTonPorc, or "Squeal on your pig") Bardot called actresses claiming to have been victims of sexual harassment "hypocrital, ridiculous, uninteresting" in an interview withParis Match. She went on to say that "Many actresses flirt with producers to get a role. Then when they tell the story afterwards, they say they have been harassed[...] in fact, rather than benefit them, it only harms them."[139]
On 19 March 2019, Bardot issued an open letter toRéunion prefectAmaury de Saint-Quentin in which she accused inhabitants of the Indian Ocean situatedFrench overseas territory ofanimal cruelty and referred to them as "autochtones who have kept the genes of savages". In her letter relating to animal abuse and sent through her foundation, she mentioned the "beheadings of goats and billy goats" during festivals, and associated these practices with "reminiscences ofcannibalism from past centuries". The public prosecutor filed a lawsuit the following day.[140]
In June 2021, Bardot was fined €5,000 (equivalent to €6,000 in 2023) by theArras court for public insults againsthunters and the president of theFédération nationale des chasseurs (National Federation of Hunters)Willy Schraen [fr]. She had published a post at the end of 2019 on her foundation's website, calling hunters "sub-men" and "drunkards" and carriers of "genes of cruel barbarism inherited from our primitive ancestors", and which specifically insulted Schraen. At the time of the hearing, she had not removed the comments from the website.[141] Following her letter sent to theprefect of Réunion in 2019, she was convicted on 4 November 2021 by a French court for public insults and fined €20,000 (equivalent to €23,000 in 2023), the largest of her fines.[142]
Until her final days, Bardot remained involved in the work of her foundation.[146] She continued to take public positions on animal‑welfare issues, including calling for the abolition ofstag hunting.[146]
In her final statements, she acknowledged the deaths ofAlain Delon, her long‑time friend and former co‑star, who died in August 2024 aged 88,[146] andJacques Charrier, her former husband and the father of her son, who died in September 2025.[146]
In early 1958, her breakup withJean-Louis Trintignant was followed by a reportednervous breakdown in Italy, according to newspaper reports. Press reports also noted a possible suicide attempt with sleeping pills two days earlier, a claim that was denied by her public relations manager.[147] She recovered within several weeks.[97]
According to contemporary press reports, on 28 September 1983, her 49th birthday, Bardot ingested a quantity ofsleeping tablets ortranquilizers with red wine at her St. Tropez home and then went to the nearby beach, where she was later found in the water and brought ashore.[118] She was taken to the L'Oasis clinic, where her stomach was pumped, and she was discharged later that evening.[118]
On 16 October 2025, it was reported that Bardot had been admitted to the Saint-Jean Hospital inToulon three weeks earlier for surgery for a "serious illness". The operation was successful, and she was reported to be recovering at her home in Saint-Tropez.[152][153][154]
Bardot died from cancer at her home, "La Madrague", inSaint-Tropez, on 28 December 2025. She was 91.[155][156]
French presidentEmmanuel Macron paid tribute to Bardot on social media, describing her as a "legend of the century".[157] TheSociété Protectrice des Animaux, France's oldest animal‑protection organization, also paid tribute to Bardot, describing her as an "iconic and passionate figure for the animal cause".[158][159]
You know, the one thing that was so great in those days was that a woman named Brigitte Bardot came along withEt Dieu... créa la femme. Over here, we were fighting censorship in the 1950s and 1960s, when you couldn't even show you had a bust. We had to cover everything, and when Bardot's movie was released in anart house in Los Angeles, my God, people were lining up all the way down Wilshire Boulevard to see it. I also stood in line, and I thought, "Why can't I do that?"[160] –Mamie Van Doren, 2000
The Guardian named Bardot "one of the most iconic faces, models, and actors of the 1950s and 1960s". She had been called a "style icon" and a "muse forDior,Balmain, andPierre Cardin".[161] In fashion, the Bardot neckline (a wide-open neck that exposes both shoulders) is named after her. Bardot popularised this style, which is especially used for knitted sweaters or jumpers, although it is also used for other tops and dresses. Bardot popularized thebikini in her early films such asManina (1952) (released in France asManina, la fille sans voiles). The following year, she was also photographed in a bikini on every beach in southern France during theCannes Film Festival.[162]
Bardot in Spoleto, Italy, 1961
Bardot gained additional attention when she filmed...And God Created Woman (1956) withJean-Louis Trintignant (released in France asEt Dieu… créa la femme). In it, Bardot portrays an immoral teenager who seduces men in a respectable small-town setting. The film was an international success.[45] Bardot's image was linked to the shoemakerRepetto, who created a pair of ballerinas for her in 1956.[163]
In the 1950s, the bikini was relatively well accepted in France but still considered risqué in the United States. As late as 1959,Anne Cole, one of the United States' largest swimsuit designers, said, "It's nothing more than a G-string. It's at the razor's edge of decency."[164] She also brought into fashion thechoucroute (lit.'sauerkraut') hairstyle (similar to thebeehive hair style) andgingham clothes after wearing a checkered pink dress, designed by Jacques Esterel, at her wedding to Charrier.[165] French philosopherSimone de Beauvoir described Bardot as "a locomotive of women's history".[79]
Isabella Biedenharn ofElle wrote that Bardot "has inspired thousands (millions?) of women to tease their hair or try out winged eyeliner over the past few decades". A well-known evocative pose describes an iconic modeling portrait shot around 1960, in which Bardot is dressed only in a pair of blackpantyhose, cross-legged over her front and cross-armed over her breasts; known as the "Bardot Pose".[166] This pose has been emulated numerous times by models and celebrities such asGisele Bündchen,[167]Lindsay Lohan,[168]Elle Macpherson,[169] andRihanna.[170]
In the late 1960s, Bardot's silhouette was used as a model for designing and modeling the statue's bust ofMarianne, a symbol of the French Republic.[59] In addition to popularizing the bikini swimming suit, Bardot was credited with popularising the city ofSt. Tropez and the town ofArmação dos Búzios in Brazil, which she visited in 1964 with her boyfriend at the time, Brazilian musician Bob Zagury.[171] The town hosts a Bardot statue by Christina Motta.[172]
Bardot was idolized by the youngJohn Lennon andPaul McCartney.[173][174] They made plans to shoot a film featuringThe Beatles and Bardot, similar toA Hard Day's Night, but the plans were never fulfilled.[45] Lennon's first wife,Cynthia Powell, lightened her hair color to more closely resemble Bardot, whileGeorge Harrison made comparisons between Bardot and his first wife,Pattie Boyd, as Cynthia wrote later inA Twist of Lennon. Lennon and Bardot met in person once, in 1968 at theMay Fair Hotel, introduced by Beatles press agentDerek Taylor; a nervous Lennon tookLysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) before arriving, and neither star impressed the other. Lennon recalled in a memoir: "I was on acid, and she was on her way out."[175]
According to the liner notes of his first (self-titled) album, musicianBob Dylan dedicated the first song he ever wrote to Bardot. He also mentioned her by name in "I Shall Be Free", which appeared on his second album,The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. The first-ever official exhibition spotlighting Bardot's influence and legacy opened inBoulogne-Billancourt on 29 September 2009 – a day after her 75th birthday.[176]
A portrait of Bardot by Warhol, commissioned by Sachs in 1974, was sold atSotheby's in London on 22 and 23 May 2012. The painting, estimated at£4 million, was part of Sachs' art collection put on sale a year after his death.[181] She inspiredNicole Kidman, who had "Bardot-esque" hair in the 2013 campaign by the British brandJimmy Choo.[182] In 2015, Bardot was ranked number six in "The Top Ten Most Beautiful Women of All Time" according to a survey carried out byAmway's beauty company in the UK involving 2,000 women.[183]
American alternative rock bandBrigitte Calls Me Baby was named after her, inspired by pen-pal correspondence between frontman Wes Leavins and Bardot.[184] Bardot is mentioned inBilly Joel's song "We Didn't Start the Fire," released in 1989. In 2020,Vogue named Bardot number one of "The most beautiful French actresses of all time".[185] In a retrospective retracing women throughout the history of cinema, she was listed among "the most accomplished, talented and beautiful actresses of all time" byGlamour.[186]
On 12 May 2025, the 90-year-old Bardot was interviewed at her house inSaint-Tropez for 47 minutes. The interview was broadcast on the French networkBFMTV and was her first television appearance in eleven years. During the interview she discussed her acting career, songs, love of nature, life memories, and her good health, again expressing her commitment to animal rights. She also said, "Feminism isn't my thing. I like guys," regarding her criticism of feminism and feminist organizations that she had called "excessive or ideological", and expressed her views on the legal problems ofNicolas Bedos andGérard Depardieu, saying: "Those who have talent and put their hands on a girl's buttocks are relegated to the bottomless pit. We could at least let them continue to live. They can no longer live."[190] She also revealed that she did not use a mobile phone or computer.[191][192][193][194]
^Original quote: "Si cette petite doit devenir putain ou pas, ce ne sera pas le cinéma qui en sera la cause."[34]
^Bardot admits to two abortions in her memoir and is the first openly postabortive celebrity to go public with a breast cancer diagnosis, followed byGloria Steinem andSondra Locke.[148] Scientific research studies have not found a causal relationship.[149]
^Tizio, Alexandra (1 November 2020)."Flashback ..." [Flashback: when Brigitte Bardot refused the advances of Sean Connery].Gala (in French).Archived from the original on 27 November 2021.
^"La justice ..." [Justice being seized after offensive remarks by Brigitte Bardot against Reunionese].Le Monde (in French).AFP,Reuters. 20 March 2019.Archived from the original on 29 November 2021.
^Mesureur, Claire (29 June 2021)."Brigitte ..." [Brigitte Bardot convicted for public insult against Willy Schraen, the president of the hunters].France Bleu (in French).Archived from the original on 27 November 2021.
^"France ..." [France: Brigitte Bardot is fined 20,000 euros for insulting the Reunionese].Le Monde (in French). AFP, Reuters. 4 November 2021.Archived from the original on 29 November 2021.
^Madelmond, Marine (17 January 2018)."Brigitte ..." [Brigitte Bardot: why she refused chemotherapy during her breast cancer?].Gala (in French).Archived from the original on 28 November 2021.
^Mazdon, Lucy; Wheatley, Catherine (1 November 2010).Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus: Franco-British Cinematic Relations. Berghahn Books. p. 1.ISBN978-1-84545-855-3.
^Bardot, Brigitte (1978).Noonoah le petit phoque blanc. Grasset Jeunesse.ISBN2246005744.
^"Saint-Tropez ..." [Saint-Tropez: A statue of Brigitte Bardot installed in front of the gendarmerie].20 minutes (in French).AFP. 29 September 2017.Archived from the original on 5 December 2021. [The bronze is inspired by a watercolor by the Italian master of erotic cartoon comic,Milo Manara.]
^"Brigitte..." [Brigitte Bardot awarded by GAIA].DPG Media (in French). 14 October 2019.Archived from the original on 27 November 2021.
^Peté, Rodolphe (27 June 2021)."Désormais ..." [Now covered with thousands of gold leaves, the statue of Brigitte Bardot unveiled in Saint-Tropez].Nice-Matin (in French).Archived from the original on 5 December 2021.
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