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Brigitte Bardot, the 1960s French actress who became one of the greatest screen sirens of the 20th century and later an animal rights activist and far-right supporter, has died. She was 91.
Bardot died on Sunday at her home in southern France, according to Bruno Jacquelin, of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the protection of animals.
Speaking to The Associated Press, he gave no cause of death and said no arrangements have yet been made for funeral or memorial services. She had been hospitalized last month.
Bardot became an international celebrity as a sexualized teen bride in the 1956 movie And God Created Woman. Directed by her then-husband Roger Vadim, it triggered a scandal with scenes of the long-legged beauty dancing on tables naked.
At the height of a cinema career that spanned some 28 films and three marriages, Bardot came to symbolize a nation bursting out of bourgeois respectability. Her tousled, blond hair, voluptuous figure and pouty irreverence made her one of FranceтАЩs best-known stars.
Such was her widespread appeal that in 1969, her features were chosen to be the model for Marianne, the national emblem of France and the official Gallic seal. BardotтАЩs face appeared on statues, postage stamps and even coins.
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