Ulliel was born in the Paris suburb ofNeuilly-sur-Seine[2][4] to Christine,[4] a stylist andrunway show producer, and Serge Ulliel, a fashion designer.[5][6][7] Ulliel was an only child.[8] His great-grandfather, Raoul Ulliel (1889–1943), was abronzesmith who distinguished himself in combat duringWorld War I.[9] His paternal grandmother was ofItalian andSpanish descent.[10]
He had ascar on his leftcheek as a result of adoberman attacking him with its claws when he attempted to ride the dog like a horse at the age of six.[11] He once quipped that the scar increased his emotional acting abilities because it looked like adimple.[12][13] Hisobituary in the French newspaperLibération described him as having the "most famous scar in French cinema".[14]
Ulliel wanted to be ajazz musician and even tried playing the saxophone for a couple of years, but he quit because he thought he wasn't talented.[18] He also learned how to play the piano.[19] He was also interested in architecture and photography.[15][20][18]
He dreamed of becoming a film director and attended theUniversity of Saint-Denis in Paris, where he studied cinema for two years until he quit to focus on his acting career.[21][22]
Ulliel began acting while he was still at school, at eleven years old, when a friend of a friend of his mother was working at an agency and was looking for young actors. She asked Ulliel if he wanted to give it a try and he said "yes", but just for fun. It was only after he turned seventeen that he really decided to continue working in this industry.[22] He left the University of Saint-Denis after two years because he was getting more offers as an actor,[22] but he still dreamed about writing and directing his own film, stating in a 2011 interview forAnthem Magazine; "I wake up every morning with this idea stuck in my mind that I want to write and direct my own film one day. As I work more and more on different sets, I see how hard it is to be a director. It's insane the amount of work and confidence that goes into it. I’m so respectful of filmmakers and I admire what they do. I hope that one day I'll find the right subject and the confidence to try it. I'm still young."[22]
He made his acting debut with a small part in one episode ofUne femme en blanc, a 1997 miniseries forFrench television starringSandrine Bonnaire.[23][17] He continued appearing in made-for-television films and TV series during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and then became known as a film actor in France.[24]
In 2017, he was nominated for the Jury Prize for Best Actor at theRiviera International Film Festival for his role in Xavier Dolan'sIt's Only the End of the World alongside co-starVincent Cassel.[citation needed] Ulliel also won his second César Award, this time for Best Actor, for his performance in the film,[26][14] and also earned second nominations for Best Actor in both the Lumière Awards,[46] and the Globe de Cristal awards (the latter with Cassel also nominated).[47]
In 2019, he portrayed actor Igor Maleski inJustine Triet's comedy-drama filmSibyl;[31] and played the lead role in theArte/Netflix's time-travel miniseriesTwice Upon a Time, directed by Guillaume Nicloux, where Ulliel starred as Vincent Dauda, a man who gets delivered by mistake a mysterious wooden box that allows him to travel back in time to save his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, portrayed byFreya Mavor.[52][53]
In January 2021, he was a member of the jury of the Gérardmer Fantasy Film Festival in France.[55]
Between April and May 2021,[56][57] Ulliel filmedAlex Lutz and Arthur Sanigou'sLa Vengeance au Triple Galop, a comedy TV film for France'sCanal Plus (and a parody of the 1983 Australian TV seriesReturn to Eden), where he appeared as plastic surgeon Danley Marchal-Widkins oppositeMarion Cotillard andAudrey Lamy.[58][59] This was Ulliel's last film to be released during his lifetime, and it was broadcast by Canal Plus on 4 October 2021.[60]
In June 2021,[61] Ulliel finished shooting his penultimate film (and his last live-action)More Than Ever,[62] directed byEmily Atef, which made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2022.[63]
Ulliel voiced the doll Scott in Bertrand Bonello's hybrid live-action and animation filmComa,[69] which had its world premiere at theBerlin Film Festival where it competed in the Encounters section on 12 February 2022,[70] marking it as the first film released after Ulliel's death.[69] Bonello said on 24 December 2021 that he had just finished filmingComa,[71][72] which makes it the last film that Ulliel filmed but Ulliel's presence inComa was kept a secret until it was selected for the Berlin Film Festival in February 2022.[69] He was also set to collaborate for the third time with Bonello in the science-fiction filmThe Beast, co-starring with Léa Seydoux.[73] Shooting was scheduled to start in April 2022.[74]
In December 2021,[75] Ulliel started shootingOf Money and Blood, aCanal Plus crime thriller miniseries about thecarbon tax fraud where he would play a character inspired by French businessman Arnaud Mimran.[76] In January 2022, Ulliel was on a break from shootingOf Money and Blood when he died after a skiing accident.[77] The production, which was directed byXavier Giannoli, still had 84 more days of shooting. Ulliel had been expected to return to the set on 24 January.[76][78] On 18 February 2022, Canal Plus confirmed to France'sLe HuffPost that actorNiels Schneider would replace Ulliel in the miniseries. Ulliel and Schneider were friends and co-stars in the filmsOne Nation, One King (2018) andSibyl (2019).[79]
In 2003, at the age of 19, Ulliel walked the runway for the first and only time forHedi Slimane'sDior Homme Autumn/Winter 2003 fashion show entitled "Luster".[80][81]
In 2007, Ulliel appeared on the cover of the February issue of FrenchVogue with supermodelDoutzen Kroes.[82][83]
In 2008, Ulliel was the face ofLongchamp, a French leather and luxury goods company, along withKate Moss.[84]
Ulliel was announced as the face forChanel new men's fragrance,Bleu de Chanel, on 16 February 2010,[85][86] making him Chanel's first male ambassador.[87] His first television commercial for the campaign was directed byMartin Scorsese, filmed in New York City and debuted on 25 August 2010.[88][89]
In 2016, Ulliel became the face of Chanel's first men's watch, Monsieur de Chanel.[92]
His third commercial for Bleu de Chanel was released on 1 June 2018 and was directed bySteve McQueen. Shot inBangkok and London, it featured Ulliel crossing the city looking for a woman whileDavid Bowie's "Starman" plays in the background.[93][94]
In June 2020, Ulliel narrated the last episode of the "Chanel Parfumeur" series,I Am a Fragrance Trail, in both French and English.[95][96]
Ulliel was the face of Bleu de Chanel for twelve years.[97] His last campaign for the fragrance was released on 8 December 2020.[98] Upon his death, Chanel released a statement on their officialInstagram and Facebook accounts paying tribute to him.[99] Chanel also paid tribute to Ulliel during their Spring/Summer 2022 Haute Couture show atParis Fashion Week on 25 January 2022. A model dressed as a bride finished the show by holding a bouquet of camellias—Coco Chanel's favorite flower—tinted midnight blue as a nod to Ulliel and the Bleu de Chanel perfume.[100]
Ulliel dated French actress and singerCécile Cassel (the younger sister ofVincent Cassel) from 2005 to 2007,[110][111][112] and Chanel's then-International VIP relations officer, Jordane Crantelle, from 2008 to 2011.[113][114] He was in a relationship with French model and singer Gaëlle Pietri from 2013 to 2020,[114][115][116] with whom he had a son, born in January 2016.[117][118][119][120]
In 2012, Ulliel supported the charity campaign "Juste Un Coeur" ("Just One Heart") by choosing a blue T-shirt whose sales were donated toUNICEF's Action Against Hunger.[122][123] That same year, he donated the coat he had worn in the 2010Bleu de Chanel commercial to be auctioned off for the "Vestiaire Solidaire" ("Solidarity Closet") campaign in support of the FrenchTelethon and the French Muscular Dystrophy Association (AFM).[124][125]
In 2015, Ulliel signedThe Calais Appeal, which asked the French government for an emergency plan to end the undignified living conditions that migrants and refugees were facing in theCalais Jungle.[126] In August 2018, he signed a petition supportingAquarius, the humanitarian ship chartered by the European sea rescue organizationSOS Méditerranée and carried out in partnership withDoctors Without Borders, demanding the ship to be allowed to return to the sea and continue to rescue people in mortal danger in international waters after being prevented from saving refugees and turned back from the rescue zone off the coast of Libya in June 2018.[127] In November 2018, he signed French magazineL'Express's petition against homophobic attacks.[128]
In 2020, he was one of the signatories of the tribune "Académie des Césars : nous n'avons aucune voix au chapitre" ("César Academy: we have no voice in the matter"), published on 10 February 2020 on the website of the French newspaperLe Monde asking for an in-depth reform of theCésar Awards Academy to remedy its "elitist and closed" functioning.[129][130] In March 2021, he signed the petition of France's Society of Film Directors (SRF) entitled "Un jour sans fin" ("An Endless Day"), asking President Emmanuel Macron to reopen theaters in France following a decision to close them in 2020 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[131]
Ulliel was anenvironmentalist and committed toplanetary health.[132] He said in a 2019 interview forMadame Figaro that he was trying to fly less frequently for the sake of the environment, "but only action by governments will really make a difference."[133] In 2019, he signed the petition "Résister et créer" ("Resist and Create"), created by the movementOn Est Prêt along withCyril Dion to challenge the world of cinema at a time of mobilizations for the climate,[134][135] and also narrated the campaign "Nos objets ont plein d’avenirs" ("Our objects have plenty of future"), designed by DDB Paris for Ademe and the Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition, which highlights all the actions to be taken to extend the life of objects and help preserve the planet's resources and reduce the production of waste.[136][137]
While supporting the Monte-Carlo Gala for Planetary Health in September 2021, he said: "We are facing an unprecedented ecological crisis. Never before has our planet and life on earth been so threatened. [...] I want to be part of those fighting to leave a healthy planet for our future generations. Let's see this as a hopeful wake-up call. It is still within our reach, but not for long - we have entered this highly decisive period. Today, there are no more important concerns or priorities to address."[132]
On 18 January 2022 at around 4:00 pm, Ulliel was critically injured whileskiing at the resort ofLa Rosière inSavoie, France, when he collided with another skier at an intersection between two blue/intermediate slopes after turning left, presumably to join his friends on an adjoining slope, and suffered seriousbrain trauma.[138] Ulliel was airlifted by helicopter to the trauma unit of theCentre Hospitalier Universitaire Grenoble Alpes in nearbyLa Tronche,[139][140] where he died the following day around 4:00 p.m. at the age of 37.[141][142] According to French magazineParis Match, Ulliel arrived brain dead at the hospital.[115] Ulliel's parents along with his last partner, Gäelle Pietri, decided to donate his organs, saving the lives of six people.[143]
An investigation indicated that both skiers fell to the ground after the collision, and that Ulliel was motionless and unconscious when rescuers arrived.[138] La Rosière's director, Jean Regaldo, told France'sBFM TV that Ulliel was not wearing a helmet when rescuers arrived.[138] Helmets are not required on French ski slopes.[138] Regaldo also said weather conditions were "perfect" at the time of the accident and that there were no rocks in the area of the collision, which he described as easily accessible.[138] The other skier, a Lithuanian man in his forties, was wearing a helmet and was not injured.[144] He told the investigators that the collision was not too violent.[144][145]
Upon hearing the Lithuanian skier and other eyewitnesses of the accident, the public prosecutor ofAlbertville, Anne Gaches, stated that wearing a helmet "would not necessarily have changed things", and that "it was not noted excessive speed, inappropriate behavior or fault of one of the two skiers".[144][145] Following their testimonies, the prosecutor also declared that the two skiers were moving side by side when they collided. "For the moment, it is difficult to say whether it was the shock or the fall that led to Mr. Ulliel's death", she said.[144][145] Gaches also stated that no autopsy would be performed on Ulliel's body.[145] The resort offered psychological support for both the Lithuanian skier, who was very shocked, and for Ulliel's friends and relatives.[145] Ulliel was on vacation at the resort with his friends.[115][146]
On 18 January 2023, a year after the accident, Albertville's public prosecutor, Anne Gaches, announced to French radio stationRTL that the investigation on the accident had been officially closed with no further action several months before. Justice has officially cleared the Lithuanian skier of all responsibilities and he will not be subjected to any prosecution.[152]
On 25 February 2022, the47th César Awards ceremony opened with a tribute video to Ulliel featuring his last scene in the 2016 filmIt's Only the End of the World, and a message on the screen that read "this ceremony is dedicated to Gaspard Ulliel".[160] Later in the evening, Xavier Dolan, who directed Ulliel inIt's Only the End of the World, paid a tribute to him in the form of a letter addressed to Ulliel's mother,[161] which he finished by saying "Because a mother's love is stronger than anything. I believe it. Stronger than life. Stronger than art itself. And certainly stronger than death."[162] Dolan's speech was followed by the ceremony's "In Memoriam" segment, which also began with a tribute to Ulliel featuring scenes from the filmsA Very Long Engagement andSaint Laurent.[163]
On 27 February 2022, Ulliel was honored in the "In Memoriam" segment from the28th SAG Awards ceremony, which featured his last scene inA Very Long Engagement.[164] Despite not being mentioned during theOscars' In Memoriam segment on 27 March 2022,[165] Ulliel was included in the online memorial from the official website of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences among other artists who had died recently.[166]
On 13 April 2022, that week's episode of theMarvel Studios miniseriesMoon Knight, which featured Ulliel guest starring in the role ofAnton Mogart, was dedicated to his memory with a tribute in the end credits.[167] Marvel Studios also shared a tribute to Ulliel on their social media.[168]
Ulliel's last partner, Gaëlle Pietri, wrote a book paying tribute to him titledLe Temps de te dire adieu ("Time to Say Goodbye"), published on 26 April 2023.[146]
Bertrand Bonello dedicated the filmThe Beast to “Gaspard” (who was originally to play the part of Louis in the film).[169]
Following Ulliel's death, politicians and ski professionals urged for helmets to be made obligatory on the French slopes.[170]Jean-Marc Peillex, the mayor ofSaint-Gervais-les-Bains in Haute-Savoie, stated that they must impose helmet-wearing to reduce the risk of serious accidents and also reexamine on a case-by-case basis the dangerousness of different pistes and potentially reclassify their colors.[170] When asked if helmets should be made compulsory for skiing in France – like they are in other European countries – during a press conference on 20 January 2022, government spokespersonGabriel Attal said that it was "not the moment to begin a debate around the subject."[170] It was reported that 97% of children under the age 12 do wear a helmet in France, but the National Mountain Safety Observation System noted that this percentage decreases as people get older.[170] The Canadian Medical Association Journal estimates that wearing a helmet reduces the risk of head injury by 35%.[170]
Ulliel's death caused a rise in the number of ski helmet sales in France.[171]
On 19 February 2022, Ulliel's ex-girlfriend, Gaëlle Pietri, announced that the family wanted to honor his memory by contributing to the French non-governmental organization Tara Ocean Foundation, which has the mission of raising awareness about the impact ofclimate change and the current ecological crisis on the oceans. Pietri said: "Gaspard was a diver, sensitive to climate issues and concerned about the protection of underwater biodiversity, he would have liked the momentum generated by his death to go to the defense of these causes that were close to his heart."[172] A special page was opened on the foundation's website in memory of Ulliel to support this cause.[173]
^ab"Les Cinq Légendes – making-of : les voix VF" [Rise of the Guardians – making-of : the French voices].YouTube. Paramount Pictures France. 21 November 2012.Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved7 February 2022.
^"Gaspard Ulliel a une nouvelle copine" [Gaspard Ulliel has a new girlfriend].people.ados.fr (in French). 28 November 2008.Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved4 January 2016.
^"Tribune - Un Jour Sans Fin".Société des Réalisateurs de Films (in French). 3 March 2021.Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved25 November 2022.
^"Décès de Gaspard Ulliel" [Death of Gaspard Ulliel].Élysée (in French). 19 January 2022.Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved27 February 2022.
^Canal Plus (25 February 2022)."À ceux qu'on oubliera jamais. 🤍 #Cesar2022" [To those we will never forget. 🤍 #Cesar2022].Twitter (in French).Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved27 February 2022.
^"En mémoire de Gaspard" [In Memory of Gaspard].Fondation Tara Océan (in French). 19 February 2022.Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved19 February 2022.
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