French actor and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot dies at 91
(NBC, KYMA) - Brigitte Bardot, French actor and animal rights activist, has died at 91.
The Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Protection of Animals told the Associated Press Bardot died at her home in southern France.
No cause of death was provided, but bardot had been hospitalized last month after a period of ill health.
Born on September 28, 1934, in Paris, Bardot became world famous for her portrayals of free-spirited ingenues, making made her an international sex symbol.
Bardot won critical acclaim for her turns in internationally produced movies like "The Truth" and "Viva Maria!"
She went on to appear in more than 40 movies, including a handful of Hollywood productions, before retiring from acting at age 39.
Bardot also recorded some 60 pop songs in the 1960s and 1970s.
She later became a hero to animal rights activists, starting her foundation in 1986, and harnessing her fame to lead campaigns against various causes like the eating of horse meat and the hunting of turtle doves in France.
