The 1960s screen icon retired from Hollywood decades ago and shifted her focus to animal rights advocacy.
Brigitte Bardot’s love for animal knew no bounds and continued up until the final moments of her life. The former sex symbol and screen icon of the 1960s has passed away. According to TMZ, her foundation made the announcement on Sunday without offering a cause of death. She was 91.
After launching her career as a magazine cover model at just 15 years old, the French icon quickly took Hollywood by storm just a few years later with her role in the controversially provocative film And God Created Woman in 1956.
She became an instant sex symbol, cementing her status in the 1960s with additional roles in movies like Naughty Girl, The Truth, A Very Private Affair, La Verite, and Babette Goes to War, as well as critically-acclaimed performances, like in Godard’s art-house Contempt and Dear Brigitte opposite James Stewart.
She was just 39 years old in 1973 when she announced that she would be retiring from acting. Afterward, she turned her attention to animal advocacy, creating the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals in 1986.
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In a video statement and tribute, the Foundation wrote in part, per translation, “The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the passing of its Founder and President, Brigitte Bardot, the world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her Foundation
Just one day before the announcement of her passing, Bardot appeared in a video appealing for the adoption of a Doberman named Urphé who suffers with generalized arthritis, as noted by People.
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Just two days before that, the namesake of the Foundation appeared in another clip for the holidays with another rescue dog. This one was captioned, “🎄All the teams at the Brigitte Bardot Foundation wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Thank you for your support! Take care of yourselves, your loved ones, and your pets. 💕”
People’s translation of the French caption by the Foundation notes that Bardot’s advocacy for animal rights began as early as 1962 when she appeared on a French television program to demand the stunning of animals before slaughter. In 1977, she traveled to the Arctic to advocate for protections for baby seals.
“The Brigitte Bardot Foundation wishes to honor the memory of an exceptional woman who gave everything and sacrificed everything for a world more respectful of animals,” the foundation added in their tribute,” the statement continues. “Her legacy lives on through the actions and campaigns that the Foundation pursues with the same passion and unwavering commitment to her ideals.”
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