Actress Brigitte Bardot shot to international fame dancing the mambo barefoot in “And God Created Woman, her tousled hair and fierce energy radiating a sexual magnetism rarely before seen in mainstream cinema. A global icon was born.

At just 21, she scandalised censors and captivated audiences.

Brigitte Bardot, often referred to in France simply as “B.B.” and whose later years were marked by animal rights campaigns and far-right political sympathies, has died at the age of 91, her foundation said on Sunday.

The cause was not immediately known.

Born in Paris on September 28, 1934, Bardot graced the cover of Elle magazine by the age of 15, launching a modelling career that soon led to film.

Bardot became a symbol of 1950s and 60s France.

Despite her influence, Bardot often spoke of being a prisoner of her own fame.

Her personal life was shaped by four marriages and struggles with depression.

Bardot made the last of her 42 films in 1973 and left public life. She founded the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals in 1986 and campaigned vigorously against animal cruelty.

Bardot’s later years were also marked by multiple convictions in France over remarks on immigration and Islam.

Yet her cultural influence endured, with regular tributes highlighting her impact on cinema and pop culture.