Brigitte Bardot at the European Council to speak out against hunting seals, January 24 1978. LAURENT MAOUS / GAMMA
Her first battle focused on slaughter conditions for cattle, and her last act was a significant donation – €350,000 – from her foundation, announced in February 2018, to accelerate the construction of a retirement home for circus elephants in southwest-central France. Between the two, there was an unwavering commitment: Once she announced the end of her film career, Brigitte Bardot, who died on Sunday, December 28, at the age of 91, dedicated her life's work to the protection of animals.
"Without animals, I would have committed suicide," she confided to Le Monde in January 2018, right after she had published Larmes de combat (Tears of Battle: An Animal Rights Memoir), a "testamentary" book sharing her convictions, revolts and hopes for animal rights. Coincidence? In 1973, in the final shot of her last film, L'Histoire très bonne et très joyeuse de Colinot Trousse Chemise (The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot), Bardot is seen holding a dove. "I'm quitting cinema, it's over, this film is the last one. I've had enough!" she announced during the shoot. And she made good on her promise: From then on, she devoted her fame and fortune to the protection of animals. But her commitment goes back a long way.
