French acting star Brigitte Bardot dies
"It is with great sadness that the Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces the death of its founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, a world-renowned actress and singer who decided to leave her prestigious career to devote her life and energy to animal protection and her foundation," said a statement on Sunday, reported by the Guardian newspaper, citing AFP. The agency did not give a closer time and place of death.
Bardot rose to worldwide fame thanks to the film ... and God Created Woman in 1956, written and directed by her then-husband Roger Vadim. The film became a huge hit in France and abroad and catapulted Bardot to the acting pedestal. She also became a sex symbol for the next two decades.
In the early 1970s, she announced the end of her acting career and became increasingly involved in politics. Her fight for animal rights escalated into provocative comments about ethnic minorities and outspoken support for France's National Association party, leading to a series of convictions for her alleged racial hatred, the Guardian reports.
(luc)