Brigitte Bardot has passed away. The actress, who rose to fame in the film And God Created Woman , died at the age of 91 at her residence in La Madrague, Saint-Tropez, leaving behind her only son Nicolas Charrier and her granddaughters Anna and Théa.
French cinema has lost one of its last icons: Brigitte Bardot. It is with profound sadness that the foundation bearing her name announced her passing on Sunday, December 28. “The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the death of its founder and president, Brigitte Bardot, the world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to give up her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her Foundation,” reads a statement sent to AFP . Brigitte Bardot leaves behind grieving fans, her husband Bernard d’Ormale, many friends, and a few members of her family, including her son Nicolas-Jacques Charrier, from her marriage to her second husband.
Far from France, Nicolas Charrier built his life in Norway, where he raised his daughters Anna and Théa, whom he had with his wife, model Anne Line Bjerkan. While they remained discreet throughout their lives, their illustrious grandmother didn’t hesitate to share news of them. “My granddaughters are 30 years old. They have two children, aged 7 and 3. I am the great-grandmother of descendants who have Norwegian nationality and don’t speak French. Contact is difficult, but delightful,” she told our colleagues at Gala.fr in June 2020.
A few years earlier, the film icon revealed that she didn’t have much contact with her granddaughters. “I’ve never seen my grandchildren. They don’t speak French. They’re intelligent and mature enough to form their own opinions ,” she confided in an interview with Laurent Delahousse. And regarding her great-grandchildren, she added: “As for the ‘kids ,’ my great-grandchildren, I still can’t quite believe I have great-grandchildren . “
Brigitte Bardot was the great-grandmother of “three little Norwegians”
In addition to being a grandmother, Brigitte Bardot was also the proud great-grandmother of three grandchildren whom she saw only very rarely, as she confided in an interview with director Christian Brincourt for a special edition of Paris Match . “People say that one of your granddaughters looks just like you at the same age. Do you realize that you’re even a great-grandmother?” her friend asked her. To which the star of the film And God Created Woman replied: “Yes, I’m the great-grandmother of three little Norwegian children who don’t speak French and whom I rarely see .