Famed actress Brigitte Bardot dead at 91

Legendary French actress, animal rights activist and racist crank Brigitte Bardot is dead at 91, according to reports in French media.

"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," her foundation announced.

Born in Paris, Bardot became a 1960s superstar, left the entertainment industry in 1973 after appearing in 47 films and recording more than 60 songs, then turned to animal rights activism. She was awarded France's Legion of Honour in 1985. In this century, though, she was more often in the news for extremist political views and legal problems generated by her frequently racist and defamatory remarks.

As well as for cinema audiences, Bardot swiftly became an inspiration for intellectuals and artists; not least the young John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who demanded their then-girlfriends dye their hair blond in imitation of her. Columnist Raymond Cartier wrote a lengthy article about "le cas Bardot" in Paris-Match in 1958, while Simone de Beauvoir published her famous essay Brigitte Bardot and the Lolita Syndrome in 1959, framing the actor as France's most liberated woman. In 1969, Bardot was chosen as the first real-life model for Marianne, the symbol of the French republic. …

France's most "sensational" export, writes Peter Bradshaw, if one they later tried to forget was still around.

Her home in Bazoches, near Paris (now the home of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation), was a place where animals were allowed to wander indoors: six goats, a dozen cats, a rabbit, 20 ducks, a donkey and some sheep. The aroma was distinct.

Bardot made some great films.