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Paris — French politicians were divided connected Monday implicit however to wage tribute to the precocious Brigitte Bardot who, contempt her surface legend, courted contention — and convictions — successful aboriginal beingness with her far-right views.
The movie prima died connected Sunday astatine the property of 91 astatine location successful the southbound of France. Media astir the globe splashed iconic images of her and tributes pursuing the announcement.
Bardot changeable to fame successful the 1956 movie "And God Created Woman" and went connected to look successful astir 50 films, but turned her backmost connected cinema successful 1973 to propulsion herself into warring for carnal rights.
But her links to the far-right stirred controversy.
Bardot was convicted 5 times for hatred speech, mostly astir Muslims but besides astir the inhabitants of the French land of Reunion, whom she described arsenic "savages."
She died earlier dawn connected Sunday greeting with her 4th husband, Bernard d'Ormale, a erstwhile advisor to the acold right, by her side.
"She whispered a connection of emotion to him ... and she was gone," Bruno Jacquelin, a typical of her instauration for animals, told BFM television.
French President Emmanuel Macron hailed her arsenic a "legend" of 20th period cinema who "embodied a beingness of freedom."
Photographs, plush toys and flowers displayed connected barriers astatine the entranceway of "La Madrague" house, spot of precocious Brigitte Bardot successful Saint-Tropez, southeastern France connected Dec. 29, 2025. The French movie fable died astatine the property of 91 the time before.
MIGUEL MEDINA /AFP via Getty Images
Right-wing politicians laud Bardot
Far-right figures were among the archetypal to mourn her.
Marine le Pen, whose National Rally enactment is riding precocious successful polls, called her "incredibly French: free, untameable, whole."
Bardot backed Le Pen for president successful 2012 and 2017 and described her arsenic a modern "Joan of Arc" she hoped could "save" France.
Conservative person Eric Ciotti suggested a nationalist farewell similar the 1 organized for French stone fable Johnny Hallyday.
He launched an online petition that had garnered conscionable implicit 7,000 signatures Monday.
Brigitte Bardot poses with a immense sombrero she brought backmost from Mexico, arsenic she arrives astatine Orly Airport successful Paris, France, connected May 27, 1965.
AP
Left-wing politicians temper praise and immoderate are sharply critical
But fewer left-wing politicians person spoken astir Bardot's passing.
"Brigitte Bardot was a towering figure, a awesome of freedom, rebellion, and passion," Philippe Brun, a elder Socialist enactment deputy, told Europe 1 radio.
"We are bittersweet she is gone," helium said, adding helium did not reason a nationalist homage.
But helium did hint astatine her arguable governmental views.
"As for her governmental commitments, determination volition beryllium clip capable -- successful the coming days and weeks -- to speech astir them," helium said.
Communist enactment person Fabien Roussel called Bardot a divisive figure.
But "we each hold French cinema created BB and that she made it radiance passim the world," helium wrote connected X.
Lawmaker Sandrine Rousseau, of the left-leaning Greens Party, was much critical.
"To beryllium moved by the destiny of dolphins but stay indifferent to the deaths of migrants successful the Mediterranean -- what level of cynicism is that?" she quipped connected BlueSky.
Bardot's remarks connected her ceremonial raised immoderate eyebrows
Bardot said she wanted to beryllium buried successful her plot with a elemental woody transverse supra her sedate -- conscionable similar for her animals -- and wanted to debar "a assemblage of idiots" astatine her funeral.
Such a burial is imaginable successful France if section authorities assistance permission.
Born connected Sept. 28, 1934 successful Paris, Bardot was raised successful a well-off accepted Catholic household.
Married 4 times, she had 1 child, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier, with her 2nd husband, histrion Jacques Charrier.
After quitting the cinema, Bardot withdrew to her location successful Saint-Tropez to give herself to carnal rights.
Her calling seemingly came erstwhile she encountered a goat connected the acceptable of her last film, "The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot." To prevention it from being killed, she bought the carnal and kept it successful her edifice room.
"I'm precise arrogant of the archetypal section of my life," she told AFP successful a 2024 interrogation up of her 90th birthday.
"It gave maine fame, and that fame allows maine to support animals -- the lone origin that genuinely matters to me."
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