For generations of moviegoers, Brigitte Bardot represented beauty, freedom, and a new kind of cinematic confidence. The French screen legend rose to global fame at a young age and became one of the most recognizable faces of the 20th century.
Away from the cameras, however, Bardot lived a far quieter life, carefully protecting her family and personal world from the spotlight long after she stepped away from acting.
Bardot died Sunday at her home in southern France at age 91, according to Bruno Jacquelin of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the protection of animals, who confirmed the news to The Associated Press. No cause of death has been announced. She had been hospitalized last month.
A Private Family Life Away From the Spotlight
Despite her international celebrity, Bardot rarely spoke publicly about her family. After retiring from acting in the early 1970s, she withdrew almost entirely from public life, settling in Saint Tropez and focusing on animal rights activism.
She became known as fiercely protective of her personal relationships, drawing clear boundaries between her public legacy and her private world. Those closest to her lived largely outside the glare that followed her throughout her early career.
Her Marriages and Lasting Partnership
Bardot was married four times in her life, with several relationships unfolding under intense public scrutiny. One of her most talked-about marriages was to German photographer Gunter Sachs, whom she married in 1966.
Though the marriage was short-lived, it became part of the mythology surrounding Bardot at the height of her international fame and remains one of the most remembered chapters of her personal life.
In 1993, Bardot married Bernard dâOrmale, a wealthy French industrialist.
The two remained together for more than three decades. Bardot was survived by her husband, Bernard dâOrmale, who stood by her during her later years as her health declined.
Her Son and Grandchildren
Bardot is survived by her son, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier, from her marriage to actor Jacques Charrier. Their relationship was often described as distant, a subject Bardot addressed candidly in later interviews and memoirs.
She is also survived by two granddaughters. True to her lifelong insistence on privacy, Bardot kept her grandchildren almost entirely out of public view. Their names and lives were deliberately shielded from media attention. Here’s a recap of her marriages:
Bardotâs Marriages & Romance History: A Timeline
December 20, 1952: At age 18, Bardot married director Roger Vadim, who would later help launch her international career. The couple separated in 1956 after Bardot became involved with her âAnd God Created Womanâ co-star Jean-Louis Trintignant and divorced the following year. Bardot and Vadim had no children but remained in contact and collaborated professionally later in life.
1956 to 1958: Bardot lived with Jean-Louis Trintignant for roughly two years before and after her divorce from Vadim. The couple never married, and the relationship ended amid intense public scrutiny on June 18
June 18, 1959: Bardot married actor Jacques Charrier following her recovery from a 1958 overdose. The couple welcomed their only child, son Nicolas Charrier, later that year. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1962 after Bardot became romantically involved with actor Sami Frey.
July 14, 1966: Bardot married German photographer and millionaire Gunter Sachs. The highly publicized union symbolized her jet-set years but ended in separation in 1968 and divorce on October 7, 1969.
August 16, 1992: Bardot married French industrialist Bernard dâOrmale. The marriage marked a sharp turn toward privacy and stability. The couple remained together for more than three decades until Bardotâs death, making it her longest-lasting marriage by far.
A Legacy That Outlived the Fame
Her most passionate personal commitment beyond family was her devotion to animal welfare. In 1986, she founded the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, an organization that continues to advocate for animal protection worldwide.
Her family inherits not only her estate, but also the complex legacy of a woman who reshaped cinema, challenged social conventions, and ultimately chose a life of privacy over continued fame.
In death, as in life, Bardot leaves behind a small, closely guarded family and an outsized cultural legacy that continues to define an era of French and global cinema.
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