French actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot leaves the Élysée Palace in Paris after a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Sept. 27, 2007. (Credit: Eric Feferberg/AFP archives)
French film legend Brigitte Bardot, a cinema icon of the 1950s and 60s who walked away from global stardom to become an animal rights protector, has died aged 91, her foundation said Sunday.
Bardot had rarely been seen in public in recent months but was hospitalized in October and, in November, released a statement denying rumours that she had died. The foundation did not say when or where she died.
"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," it said in a statement sent to AFP.
Bardot became a global star after appearing in "And God Created Woman" in 1956, and went on to appear in about 50 more films before retiring from acting.
She retired from film to settle permanently in the Riviera resort of Saint-Tropez, where she devoted herself to animal advocacy.
Her calling apparently came when she encountered a goat on the set of her final film, "The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot."
To save it from being killed, she bought the animal and kept it in her hotel room.
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