Saint-Tropez bids adieu to Brigitte Bardot with a funeral and public homage

PARIS (AP) — Brigitte Bardot's funeral will be held Wednesday with a private service in Saint-Tropez and a public homage at the French Riviera resort where she lived for more than half a century after retiring from movie stardom at the height of her fame.

The animal rights activist and far-right supporter died Dec. 28 at age 91 at her home in southern France.

Once one of the world’s most photographed women and a defining screen siren of the 1960s, the ceremony will take place at the Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption Catholic Church in the presence of guests invited by the family and the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the protection of animals.

The service is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., according to the foundation.

Local authorities said the ceremony will be broadcast live on large screens set up at the port and two plazas in the small town, allowing residents and admirers to follow the farewell.

After the church service, Bardot is to be buried “in the strictest privacy” at a cemetery overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, according to the Saint-Tropez town hall.

She had long called Saint-Tropez her refuge from the celebrity that once made her a household name.

A public homage will take place at a nearby site for admirers of the woman whose image once symbolized France’s postwar liberation and sensuality.

“Brigitte Bardot will forever be associated with Saint-Tropez, of which she was the most dazzling ambassador,” the town hall said last week. “Through her presence, personality and aura, she marked the history of our town.”

Bardot settled decades ago in her seaside villa, La Madrague, and retired from filmmaking in 1973 at age 39, during an international career that spanned more than two dozen films.

She later emerged as an animal rights activist, founding and sustaining a foundation devoted to the protection of animals.

While she withdrew from the film industry, she remained a highly visible and often controversial public figure through decades of militant animal rights activism and links with far-right politics.

She will be buried in the so-called marine cemetery, where her parents are also interred.

The cemetery, overlooking the Mediterranean sea, is also the final resting place of several cultural figures, including filmmaker Roger Vadim, Bardot’s first husband, who directed her breakout film “And God Created Woman,” a role that made her a worldwide star.

Actor Brigitte Bardot's coffin is carried into Notre-Dame de l'Assomption church for her funeral ceremony, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026 in Saint-Tropez, southern France. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

Actor Brigitte Bardot's coffin is carried outside Notre-Dame de l'Assomption church for her funeral ceremony, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026 in Saint-Tropez, southern France. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

Actor Brigitte Bardot's coffin is carried into Notre-Dame de l'Assomption church for her funeral ceremony, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026 in Saint-Tropez, southern France. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

People walk in. Street leading to Notre-Dame de l'Assomption church before Brigitte Bardot's funeral ceremony, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026 in Saint-Tropez, southern France. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

A police officer signs the condolence book outside Notre-Dame de l'Assomption church before Brigitte Bardot's funeral ceremony, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026 in Saint-Tropez, southern France. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

A woman carries a bouquet of flowers reading" BB, memory of an eternal animals lover" outside Notre-Dame de l'Assomption church before Brigitte Bardot's funeral ceremony, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026 in Saint-Tropez, southern France. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

Flowers lay at actor Brigitte Bardot's home in Saint-Tropez, southern France, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 after the French 1960s sex symbol who became one of the greatest screen sirens of the 20th century and later a militant animal rights activist and far-right supporter, has died. She was 91. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

A woman lays flowers at actor Brigitte Bardot's home in Saint-Tropez, southern France, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 after the French 1960s sex symbol who became one of the greatest screen sirens of the 20th century and later a militant animal rights activist and far-right supporter, has died. She was 91. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

FILE - Former French film star and animal right activist Brigitte Bardot acknowledges applause prior to a press conference, Sept. 28, 2006 in Paris. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File)

FILE - French actress Brigitte Bardot poses with a huge sombrero she brought back from Mexico, as she arrives at Orly Airport in Paris, France, on May 27, 1965. (AP Photo/File)

SYDNEY (AP) — Mitchell Starc took 31 wickets. Travis Head posted three centuries and tallied 629 runs. Alex Carey completed 28 dismissals.

The bowling, batting and fielding performances feature highly on the all-time lists for Aussies in the Ashes, underscoring Australia's dominance in the 4-1 series win that was completed on Day 5 of the fifth test with a five-wicket in Sydney.

“Yeah, it has been magnificent,” Steve Smith, Australia’s stand-in captain for four of the five tests in the absence of Pat Cummins, said of the individual contributions. “I think everyone’s stood up at different times. (Starc, Head and Carey) were obviously huge standouts, but other guys stood up at different times throughout the series and, you know, that’s what makes a good team.”

The Australians bowled England out for 342 on the fifth morning of the series finale and, chasing 160 for victory, finished 161-5 with Carey hitting the winnings runs and Cameron Green unbeaten on 22. Usman Khawaja was sent into retirement with a guard of honor and a standing ovation.

“It was nice to finish on a high note,” said Smith, who scored a century in the first innings to move up to No. 6 on the all-time list. “We know the importance of every test match with the World Test Championship, so to get the result here and finish the series on a high was incredibly pleasing.”

The Australians retained the Ashes with wins in the first three tests, but England was determined to narrow the margin after its drought-breaking win in Melbourne.

“Tough one to take knowing that we can play a lot better than that, but ... the Australian cricket team, they’ve just been incredible for five test matches," injured England captain Ben Stokes said. “But also, being pretty truthful to ourselves, we’ve done a little bit of damage ourselves.”

The 39-year-old veteran walked to the crease after Smith was bowled by Will Jacks and Australia was 92-3. He was given a guard of honor from the England players, shook hands with Stokes and hugged Marnus Labuschagne.

He got off the mark with a paddled reverse sweep and edged another ball between the wicketkeeper and first slip for another 2.

Labuschagne had a reprieve when he was dropped on 20 by Jacob Bethell and took 16 off the next over, bowled by Jacks, to get the chase down to 41.

That's where Khawaja's 88-test career finished, dragging a delivery from Josh Tongue (3-42) onto his stumps.

He saluted the crowd, then kneeled and kissed the turf in front of a “Thankyou Uzzy” sign that was painted onto the field.

Labuschagne was soon run out for 37 when he took off for a single, only to get sent back by Carey.

At 121-5, it was tense, until Carey and Green combined to usher Australia home.

England resumed on Day 5 at 302-8, a lead of 119 runs, and was bowled out for 342, a 159-run lead with 2 1/2 sessions remaining.

Starc dismissed Bethell for 154 and Tongue (6) to finish off the England innings and finish the series with 31 wickets at an average of 19.9, a performance that earned him the player of the series honors.

The Australians started their chase quickly, scoring 10 in the first over, before Head was caught in the deep for 29.

After getting a major reprieve on a contentious DRS decision on 16, Jake Weatherald misjudged a short ball from Tongue and was caught out for 34.

That DRS ruling added extra spice to the last day of the series.

England reviewed umpire Ahsan Raza’s not out decision to a caught behind appeal against Weatherald from Brydon Carse's bowling.

DRS technology appeared to show a slight murmur when the ball passed the toe of Weatherald’s bat before going through to the wicketkeeper. But TV umpire Kumar Dharmasena deemed there was inconclusive evidence, and upheld the original decision.

The England players were stunned, after watching the DRS replays on the stadium screens, and Stokes had to step in to move Carse away from umpire Raza as he demanded an explanation. Stokes calmly approached the umpire, discussed the decision-making process, and got on with the game.

The total crowd across five days of the fifth test was 211,032, a record for the Sydney Cricket Ground.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Australia Usman Khawaja kisses the turf as he leaves the field during play on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Australia's Jake Weatherald bats during play on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

England's Brydon Carse, right, and teammate Ben Stokes talk to umpire Ahsan Raza during play on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

England's Matthew Potts, left, gestures to teammate Jacob Bethell after he was dismissed during play on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

England's Jacob Bethell bats during play on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

England's Jacob Bethell bats during play on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)