R.I.P. Brigitte Bardot (28 September 1934 - 28 December 2025)

[Hepcat]

Brigitte Bardot passed away yesterday at the age of 91. She was perhaps my favourite actress of all time.



After retiring from acting in 1973, she devoted herself to protecting the rights of animals. She was decorated with France's highest award, the Legion of Honour, in 1985 for her dedication to animal rights as well as her acting accomplishments.

But she's also always been delightfully politically incorrect. She was adept at offending prudes of every stripe since the very start of her public career.  Her 1950's film portrayals of hedonistic young women, e.g. And God Created Woman, caused scandal on both sides of the Atlantic and were often banned in certain jurisdictions.

Since the French state no longer stands foursquare behind free speech, her frank outspoken remarks got her several convictions in French courts. "She was convicted and fined five times in French courts of inciting racial hatred, in incidents inspired by her opposition to the Muslim practice of slaughtering sheep during annual religious holidays", writes the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

She and her publisher, Éditions Grasset, were sued by her former husband Jacques Charrier and their son Nicolas-Jacques Charrier for more than £1 million in damages and were awarded £28,000 for her "hurtful" statement that she would rather have given birth to a little dog than her baby boy. (They should of course have just responded by stating that it was proof positive that Brigitte had also given birth to what little brains she had when she'd given birth to her son.)

Therefore when it came to offending the straight-laced, the Rolling Stones and even the punks of the late 1970's had nothing on Brigitte. And for that I have to give her full credit.

 

[Jim Bertges]

What has been hard to reconcile is the fact that she and Wilford Brimley were the same age.

[Lunkenstein]

Had a huge crush on her in the '60s and early '70s, especially during puberty and becoming a young teenager. I carried a photo of her in my wallet. Even recently. I've still been enamored by her and bought a few of her films.
RIP to one of the most beautiful women ever.