Brigitte Bardot, the sexy movie star who changed the way we think about beauty and rebellion in post-war films, has died at 91. Her legacy is as complicated as it is timeless. Her death on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, at her beloved Saint-Tropez home marks the end of an era.
It also brings up questions about a life spent giving up Hollywood glamour for fierce activism, as well as the controversies that followed her in her last years.The cause of death has not been made public, but her foundation said she died peacefully at 'La Madrague' after spending a short time in the hospital in October and November for breathing problems.
Brigitte Bardot's Fortune: From Silver Screen to Animal Champion
Bardot burst onto the global stage in the 1950s with roles that captivated the world. Films like And God Created Woman, The Truth, and Viva Maria! – the latter snagging her a BAFTA nod – turned her into a symbol of liberated femininity. By the 1960s, she was among the highest-paid actresses alive, pocketing $350,000 for Viva Maria! alone, a sum worth about $3.66 million today. Her 1996 autobiography, Initials B.B., added another $4 million to her coffers, while modelling gigs and savvy property deals swelled her net worth to between $65 million and $100 million.
Property was her sharpest investment. La Madrague, the sun-drenched Saint-Tropez villa she snapped up in 1958, now fetches estimates north of $23 million. Then there was Le Castelet, a medieval gem near Cannes, listed for $6.5 million in 2020.
These weren't just assets; they were sanctuaries where Bardot retreated from the spotlight, channelling her energies into animal welfare after hanging up her stilettos in 1973. Her only son, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier, with whom she had a notoriously strained relationship—once describing her pregnancy as a 'cancerous tumour'—is expected to be a primary heir alongside her husband, Bernard d'Ormale.
In 1973, she said: 'I gave my youth and beauty to men; I give my wisdom and experience to animals'. Her foundation's statement captured that shift: 'The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the death of its founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, a world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation'.
That pivot saved countless creatures but came at a personal cost. Multiple hospital stays preceded her passing, as her health faded quietly in the place she loved most. Just weeks before her death, she published her final book, Mon BBcedaire, in which she took a final swing at modern France, describing it as 'submissive' and 'dull'.
Brigitte Bardot's Controversies: Wealth Eroded by Courtroom Battles
Bardot's later years were marred by a string of legal woes that chipped away at her fortune. Branded a 'Neo-Nazi' by critics, she faced French courts five times from the 1990s for inciting racial hatred – over comments on immigration, Islam, and Muslim ceremonial slaughter. Her book Un cri dans le silence (A Cry in the Silence) fuelled the fire with xenophobic and Islamophobic tones.
The heaviest blow landed in 2020: a €20,000 ($23,500) fine for labelling Réunion islanders 'degenerate savages' with 'savage genes'. In total, penalties tallied €50,000 to €55,000 ($59,000 to $65,000). She backed far-right firebrand Marine Le Pen and the National Front, while her third husband, Bernard d'Ormale, advised founder Jean-Marie Le Pen. Le Pen was among the first to pay tribute on Sunday, calling her an 'exceptional woman' and the 'Marianne' of France.
These clashes reveal a woman who never minced words, even as they drained her wealth. People who liked the person saw them as a truth-teller who was against cruelty, while people who didn't like them saw them as a bigot who was free to speak their mind because of their privilege.
Her fight for animals, which included stopping seal hunts and changing French factory farms, touched millions of people. This shows that her influence lasted long after the scandals. Her foundation now has more than 70,000 donors and 300 employees, which means that her work for animals will go on long after she is gone.
Estates like La Madrague may pass to heirs or causes, but Bardot's imprint – on film, fur, and fierce debate – lingers. Per her final wishes, she will be buried in a simple grave in her garden at La Madrague, marked only by a wooden cross, just like her animals.
