Five Things You Never Knew About Brigitte Bardot

On December 28, 2025, Brigitte Bardot died at the age of 91. Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot was born and raised in Paris and before she became an actress, singer, model, and animal rights activist, she originally wanted to become a ballerina. When she began acting in the ’50s, she quickly became one of the best-known sex symbols of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. Although she retired from the entertainment industry in 1973, her legacy continued and many aspiring stars are still inspired by her beauty and talent.

If you’re interested in learning more about her often tragic life, there are several documentaries and mini-series about it and rumors are another biopic about her is in the works right now.

One incident in her childhood led to her rebellious lifestyle

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While her family was very rich, her parents were extremely strict and often cruel. Bardot and her sister reportedly broke a vase on accident while playing and their father whipped them 20 times and started treating them as strangers. Bardot began to resent her parents for this harsh treatment and it led to her future rebellions, including attempting to marry Roger Vadim at 14 years old. When her father refused to accept the engagement, for obvious reasons, she apparently stuck her head in the oven and almost died.

She had one son but admitted she never wanted him

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Bardot did go on to marry Vadim when she was 18 years old but they split when she cheated on him with her co-star Jean-Louis Trintignant. She went on to marry three more times and remained married to Bernard d’Ormale from 1992 until her death. She has one child, a son named Nicolas-Jacques Charrier with her ex-husband Jacques Charrier. She once said that she had no maternal instincts and her son lived mainly with his father. Bardot tried to reconnect with him later in life, but he reportedly refused.

After retiring, she has dedicated her life to a cause close to her heart

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Bardot said that she loved animals more than people and since she retired from Hollywood at the age of 39, she dedicated her life to animal rights activism. In 1986, she established the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals and raised millions to save and protect our wildlife. She was also a vegetarian for many years.

She was once drugged by a director

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While working on the film La Vérité, Bardot said that the director drugged her with sleeping pills to make her look more drowsy on camera. Unfortunately, after filming the movie, she also attempted suicide by slashing her wrists and overdosing on pills. She recovered and perhaps this is what led to her decision to retire. Another reason is that she was reportedly getting attacked in public for posing nude.

Catholics condemned one of Bardot’s films

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Bardot grew up Catholic and her family was unsurprisingly not very happy about her pursuing an entertainment career. The movie long considered one of her best films, And God Created Woman, wasn’t beloved by all. Catholics condemned the film and said that watching it was a mortal sin. However, it didn’t sway too many viewers and the film was a success.