And the film− created BB “I don’t know who gave rise to the myth, in any case I’m happy to be a myth, if I am, but I don’t particularly believe in it, no,” he declared on the set of the film The truth. Yet, it is right up there with icon which has been elevated since its inception in the 1950s. Brigitte Bardot passed away this Sunday, December 28, 2025, at the age of 91.
Brigitte Bardot was born on September 28, 1934 in Paris. Already at the age of 7 he became passionate about classical dance and entered the Paris Conservatory in 1949. After posing for several magazine covers, including ELLEthe teenager dreams of becoming a film actress. It is against the advice of his parents, but with the support of his grandfather, who supports his first auditions. He gets his first role in The Norman Hole in 1952, alongside Bourvil.
In 1956, audiences discovered her in her first major role with Too many like itunder the direction of Roger Vadim – who he married at just 18 years old. In this film he stars alongside Jean-Louis Trintignant. The film, combined with a disruptive sensuality and a crazy desire for freedom, contributes to creation of the BB myth in every corner of the globe.
Later, he worked with the biggest names in French cinema: from Jean Gabin to The girl of sin (1958) – where Brigitte Bardot’s legs under shortened skirts make rivers of ink flow – to Marcello Mastroianni in “Private Life” (1962).
The Sixties marked a turning point in his career. Her talent as an actress is seen in a new light with The truthin which she plays the poignant Dominique Marceau during a grueling shoot. The critically acclaimed film takes the team up to the Oscar to compete for the statuette as best foreign language film in 1961.
Then comes 1963, the year of the release of Contempt by Jean-Luc Godard, alongside Michel Piccoli. Although it is one of the most emblematic works of the Nouvelle Vague director’s filmography and that of the actress, the feature film did not please everyone at the time.
Brigitte Bardot’s emblematic roles in cinema
Brigitte Bardot continues her rise in cinema by multiplying female collaborations: she shares the poster with Jeanne Moreau in Long live Mary! and with Claudia Cardinale Le gunnerstwo western films.
It is even said that she was considered to play, alongside Audrey Hepburn, one of the Garnier sisters in Josephine (The Young Ladies of Rochefort) by Jacques Demy. In the end it was Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac who played the famous twins in 1967.
In 1973, after having indelibly marked the seventh art for two decades, Brigitte Bardot put an end to her career on the big screen to dedicate herself entirely to animal protection.
The 8 films that made Brigitte Bardot a global icon
To celebrate his memory, we have selected the essential films to understand the cultural and cinematic impact of BB
Too many like it in Roger Vadim (1956)
Juliette Hardy, an 18-year-old orphan, lives near the picturesque harbor of Saint-Tropez. To avoid ending up in a boarding school with nuns, she marries Michel, the brother of Antoine, the man she is in love with. This marriage upsets the balance of the village. Brigitte Bardot and Jean-Louis Trintignant form an explosive duo: it’s the official birth of the BB myth.
A Parisian by Michel Boisrond (1957)
In this comedy directed by Michel Boisrond, Brigitte Bardot plays Brigitte Laurier, a seductive young woman who tries to make her husband jealous by having an affair with a prince.
The girl of sin by Claude Autant-Lara (1958)
Yvette Maudet, a 22-year-old young woman, is in trouble with the law after attacking the wife of a watchmaker. André Gobillot, a lawyer, agrees to defend her. Thus one is born love story between two beings that separate everything. Their relationship takes a tragic turn when Yvette falls in love with a student. Here Brigitte Bardot stars alongside the legendary Jean Gabin.
The truth by Henri-Georges Clouzot (1960)
Dominique Marceau is tried at the assize court for killing her lover Gilbert Tellier. Throughout the film, viewers travel into the past to discover the backstory of this twisting love story. Acting alongside Sami Frey is heartbreaking. In 1961, the film received an Oscar nomination for best foreign film and won the Golden Globe in the same category.
Contempt by Jean-Luc Godard (1963)
Paul Javal, a French writer, goes to Rome with his wife Camille to work on a film screenplay. The couple falls apart inexorably during their stay. Brigitte Bardot and Michel Piccoli form one of most iconic couples of French cinema in this masterpiece of aesthetics and melancholy.
Long live Mary! by Louis Malle (1965)
The action takes place in 1907 in San Miguel, Central America. The fate of Maria II, daughter of an Irish republican anarchist, changes when she meets Maria I, a circus singer. He decides to form an artistic duo with her and, gradually, establishes himself in the world political struggle who shakes the country, joining the revolution.
Le Pistolere in Christian-Jaque (1971)
Louise and her four sisters specialize in train thefts and robberies. When they get the deed to a ranch, they decide to retire. But their rest is short-lived when they cross paths with Maria Sarrazin (Claudia Cardinale), who is interested in the property’s oil potential. An epic meeting between two icons of European cinema.
The rum route by Robert Enrico (1971)
In this film directed by Robert Enrico, Lino Ventura plays an alcohol smuggler on the West Coast of the United States. Hunted by the police, he flees to Mexico where he meets Linda Larue (Brigitte Bardot), a movie star busy on a set. From that moment on, he will only have eyes for her.
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