Dec 28 (Reuters) – Tributes to Brigitte Bardot, an icon of French cinema, poured in on Sunday following the announcement of her death at the age of 91. Below are a selection.
FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON
“Her films, her voice, her dazzling fame, her initials, her sorrows, her generous passion for animals, her face that became Marianne – Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom. A French existence, a universal radiance. She moved us. We mourn a legend of the century.”
(Bardot’s face was used as the model for an official bust of Marianne, an allegorical female figure who symbolizes the values of the French Republic, which was installed in town halls across the country from the late 1960s onward.)
THE BRIGITTE BARDOT FOUNDATION
“Mrs Brigitte Bardot (was) a world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to give up her prestigious career in order to devote her life and energy to the defence of animals and to her Foundation,” it said.
“The Brigitte Bardot Foundation wishes to honour the memory of an exceptional woman who gave everything and gave up everything for a world more respectful of animals.”
FRENCH FAR-RIGHT POLITICIAN JORDAN BARDELLA
“The French people today lose the Marianne they so deeply loved and whose beauty astonished the world. Brigitte Bardot was a woman of heart, conviction, and character. A passionate patriot and a lover of animals that she protected throughout her life, she alone embodied an entire era of French history, and above all a certain idea of courage and freedom.”
FRENCH ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY (SPA FRANCE)
“The SPA pays tribute to Brigitte Bardot, an iconic figure and a passionate advocate for the animal cause. Since the 1970s, and later through her foundation created in the 1980s, she devoted her life to defending those who have no voice. Her unwavering commitment helped change attitudes and achieve major advances in animal protection … Thank you, B.B., for all that you have accomplished.”
THE CITY OF SAINT-TROPEZ, BARDOT’S LONGTIME HOME
“An icon of French cinema and an international figure, Brigitte Bardot will forever be associated with Saint-Tropez, of which she was the most radiant ambassador. Through her presence, her personality, and her aura, she left her mark on the history of our town and helped to make Saint-Tropez shine across the world,” the city said. “Brigitte Bardot now belongs to the collective memory of Saint-Tropez, which we must preserve. She will continue to inhabit the soul of our town.”
FRENCH ACTOR PIERRE ARDITI
“She wasn’t just one of the most beautiful women in the world – she was the most beautiful woman in the world, and she still is, in fact,” he said.
“She had a courage that men still don’t reference, and if she cared so deeply about animals … it’s probably because she had been disappointed by men – all men – and I understand that. We are relatively disappointing; I can speak for my own gender.”
(Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter, America Hernandez, Alessandro Parodi; Editing by Frances Kerry and Hugh Lawson)
