Depardieu was accused of sexual misconduct as early as the 1990s, though this did not develop into formal complaints until the late 2010s.[22] In December 2020, French authorities charged him withrape. Depardieu denied any wrongdoing but a number of controversies since 2020, not limited to the accusations of rape, damaged his popularity in France and abroad, resulting in his being stripped in 2023 of theNational Order of Quebec.[23] In May 2025, he was convicted ofsexual assault against two women in a separate case. He has appealed his sentencing.
Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu was born on 27 December 1948 inChâteauroux,Indre, France, to a working-class family. He is the third of six children[24] of Anne Jeanne Josèphe (née Marillier), a stay-at-home mother known as "La Lilette", and René Maxime Lionel Depardieu (better known in his neighborhood as "Dédé" because he could write only two letters),[25] a metal worker and volunteer fireman.[26][27] Not wishing to have a child at the time, Depardieu's mother tried unsuccessfully toabort him.[24]
Depardieu grew up in poverty in a two-room apartment at 39 rue du Maréchal-Joffre, Châteauroux, with his five siblings. His mother was not very affectionate, and sometimes violent to her children. His father, who suffered from a severe alcohol addiction, was often absent from home.[28] Depardieu helped his mother when she was in labour with his younger brothers and sisters.[29][30] His family eventually nicknamed him "Pétard" or "Pétarou", because of the habit he had acquired ofbreaking wind incessantly.[31] Depardieu's parents were both born in 1923; Anne died of a heart attack in 1988 and René, who suffered fromcirrhosis, died two months after her.[32]
Depardieu spent more time on the streets than in school, leaving at the age of 13. Practically illiterate and half stammering,[33] he learned to read only later.[34] In his 2014 autobiography, Depardieu revealed that he hadprostituted himself as a child, starting when he was 10 years old and could already pass as 15. He would sometimes rob hisclients.[35] He was later employed at a printworks, and took part in boxing matches in his spare time.[36] He also supported himself by working as a beach attendant during summers.[37]
During his difficult adolescence, he turned to theft and smuggling all kinds of goods, notably cigarettes and alcohol, to theG.I.s at the large Americanair base of Châteauroux-Déols.[38] He also acted as abodyguard for two prostitutes who came down from Paris on the G.I.s' payday.[39][40] Depardieu later credited those two women with teaching himsex.[41] In a 2005 interview, he said that he was arrested several times and put onprobation at one point, but never went to prison;[42] in his autobiography, he said that at the age of 16, he had gone to prison for three months forcar theft.[43] In 1968, Depardieu's childhood best friend Jacky Merveille, also ahoodlum from Châteauroux, died in a car accident. This prompted Depardieu, who had already moved to Paris at that time, to consider his future and to try and do something with his life.[44]
As a teenager, Depardieu befriended Michel Pilorgé, a slightly older boy from a more affluent background. In 1965, Pilorgé, whose family owned a flat in Paris and who wanted to settle in the capital to become an actor, proposed Depardieu, then aged 16, to come with him. Depardieu accepted and left Châteauroux for Paris.[45] Out of curiosity, he began attending the acting class Pilorgé was taking at theThéâtre National Populaire. One day the teacher,Lucien Arnaud, noticed Depardieu and asked him to perform. The experience helped trigger Depardieu's vocation.[46][47]
Depardieu became the boyfriend, and later husband, of actressÉlisabeth Guignot, who introduced him into entertainment circles and the Parisian bourgeoisie.[54] In 1966, Guignot brought him on the first film project he worked on,Christmas Carole, directed byAgnès Varda, where he was cast as abeatnik. The film was never completed due to a lack of funding and distribution deal.[55][56] In 1967, Depardieu made his first actual screen appearance in the short filmLe Beatnik et le minet, directed byRoger Leenhardt: his diction was still so bad at the time that his voice had to bedubbed by another actor.[24]
Working on stage, Depardieu also appeared incafé-théâtres and became a regular performer at theCafé de la Gare headed byRomain Bouteille andSotha, where he metPatrick Dewaere,Coluche, andMiou-Miou.[57] He acquired a reputation thanks to his "instinctive" approach to acting.[33] The first feature film he worked on wasMichel Audiard's crime spoofLe cri du cormoran, le soir au-dessus des jonques (1971).[58] In 1971,Jean-Louis Livi became hisagent and "mentor", introducing him into Artmedia, France's maincasting agency.[59] Theater director Claude Régy was enthusiastic about Depardieu, whom he found "extraordinary" and gifted in an "abnormal" way: he cast him in several plays, includingPeter Handke'sThe Ride across Lake Constance which Depardieu later credited with jump-starting his career.[60]
Depardieu appeared in various supporting roles in films and on television, often portraying hoodlums and petty criminals. He played a similar character in the film where he had his first major role,Bertrand Blier's raunchy and controversial comedyLes Valseuses (Going Places, 1974). Blier was initially reluctant about casting Depardieu but the actor, who felt that the character's background strongly resembled his own, pestered him until he won the role.[24][61] The film, in which Depardieu co-starred with Dewaere and Miou-Miou, was a huge box office success in France,[62] gaining acult following and making instant stars of the three actors.[61] Depardieu and Blier subsequently had a long working relationship, making eight more films together.[7][63] That same year, Depardieu was part of theensemble cast ofClaude Sautet'sVincent, François, Paul and the Others, which came to be regarded as a classic of French cinema.[64]
During the first half of the 1980s, Depardieu enjoyed a series of commercial and critical successes, including his second and last film with François Truffaut, the romantic dramaThe Woman Next Door (1981). Other notable films included the period dramaThe Return of Martin Guerre (1982),Andrzej Wajda's historical dramaDanton (1983), as well as the crime filmChoice of Arms (1981) and the war dramaFort Saganne (1984), both directed byAlain Corneau.[16][59][78] One major disappointment during that period wasJean-Jacques Beineix'sThe Moon in the Gutter (1983), which failed to meet box-office expectations. Depardieu later openly disparaged the film.[79] Also in 1984, Depardieu made his first film as a director,Le tartuffe, an adaptation ofMolière'sclassic play with himself in the title role;[80] Depardieu conceived it as a filmed version of the play, which he was performing at the time at theNational Theatre of Strasbourg. The reception was disappointing for both the play and the film.[81] Depardieu rarely returned to directing thereafter. For his performance in the crime dramaPolice (1985), his second film with Maurice Pialat, he was awarded theVolpi Cup for Best Actor at theVenice Film Festival. Depardieu became at that time one of the most successful and sought after actors in the French film industry.[59]
Already an established dramatic performer, Depardieu extended his range and box-office appeal throughout the 1980s by appearing in a series of highly successful, family-friendly comedies. FollowingInspector Blunder in 1980, he co-starred withPierre Richard in three comedy films directed byFrancis Veber,Knock on Wood (1981),ComDads (1983) andThe Fugitives (1986), that were major commercial hits in France. Depardieu functioned as thestraight man in hispairing with Richard.[82][16][59][83]
In 1985, Depardieu co-starred withSigourney Weaver in the screwball comedyOne Woman or Two, which failed to make an impact at the box-office.[84] In 1986, he worked again withBertrand Blier inEvening Dress, a provocative comedy-drama about homosexuality which was remarkably successful in France, given the subject matter.[59][85] That same year, his international profile rose as a result of his performance as a doomed, hunchbacked farmer inClaude Berri's period dramaJean de Florette, which won immense public and critical acclaim.[59][86] Also in 1986, he co-starred with singerBarbara in amusical play she had conceived,Lily Passion.[87] The show enjoyed great success.[88] The next year, he played the lead role in Maurice Pialat'sUnder the Sun of Satan, which controversially won thePalme d'Or at theCannes Film Festival.[89]
Depardieu's next film was the Americanromantic comedyGreen Card, directed byPeter Weir and co-starringAndie MacDowell. His firstHollywood picture,[94] it was specifically conceived as a vehicle to introduce him to a wide English-speaking audience. Though the film performed moderately at the box-office, it earned Depardieu aGolden Globe Award for Best Actor.[12] However, remarks Depardieu had made in a 1978 interview about raping women during his teenage years re-emerged in the American press. The resulting controversy damaged his nascent Hollywood career. It was speculated in the French media that it had also prevented him from winning the Academy Award forCyrano de Bergerac.[94][96]
Depardieu also developed a passion for the films directed byJohn Cassavetes. In the early 1990s, together withJean-Louis Livi, he bought thedistribution rights for most of Cassavetes' films, including some that had never been released in France, to introduce them to a new audience. He later co-produced and appeared inNick Cassavetes' first film as a director,Unhook the Stars (1996)[103] and co-produced his next film,She's So Lovely (1997).[104]
Depardieu's next box-office successes in France wereClaude Berri's epic period dramaGerminal (1993) where he was part of an ensemble cast,Jean Becker's dramaÉlisa (1995) where he played a supporting role alongsideVanessa Paradis, andJean-Marie Poiré's comedyGuardian Angels (also 1995) in which he co-starred withChristian Clavier.[105] In 1993, Depardieu starred in the experimentalHélas pour moi, directed byJean-Luc Godard, though Godard and Depardieu disliked working together and Depardieu eventually refused to promote the film.[106] During the same period, the science fiction thrillerThe Machine (1994) was a box-office flop; Depardieu's performance in that film received unusually poor reviews.[105]
By the mid-2000s, though Depardieu remained very active, many of the films he starred in were less successful internationally than before. He readily admitted that some of them were of poor quality.[42] In 2004, the large-budget action comedySan-Antonio was a major box-office failure in France. Depardieu, who was set to play the protagonist, contributed to the production's troubles by being unable to lose weight for his role as planned, which caused him to be recast as the hero's overweightsidekick.[121] Depardieu's subsequent notable appearances included starring roles in the crime filmThe 36 (2004),[122] the romantic dramaWhen I Was a Singer (2006) which won him theLumière Award for Best Actor,[123]Claude Chabrol's last film, the murder mysteryBellamy (2009),[124] as well as supporting parts inLa Vie en Rose (2007),[125]Mesrine (2008)[126] andAng Lee'sLife of Pi (2012).[127] He also published acookbook in 2005.[42]
In 2010, Depardieu played starring roles in the successful comedy filmPotiche,[128] the biographical filmDumas[129] and the comedy dramaMy Afternoons with Margueritte.[130] Also in 2010, he starred in the surprise successMammuth,[131] a low-budget dramedy for which he had agreed to work at the union minimum wage in exchange for a percentage of the revenue.[132]
In the early 2010s, Depardieu's popularity in France suffered from the controversies following histax exile first inBelgium then inRussia, and his public praise ofVladimir Putin. Several of his films performed dismally at the French box-office, including the period dramaThe Man Who Laughs (2012) which was released in the midst of the controversy.[133][134] In 2014, Depardieu starred inAbel Ferrara's controversialWelcome to New York as a thinly-disguised impersonation of disgraced formerIMF chiefDominique Strauss-Kahn.[135] The film was released only onVOD.[136] Also in 2014, Depardieu appeared inUnited Passions, a promotional film about the history ofFIFA that bombed at the box-office and was lambasted by critics.[137][138] Still in 2014, the crime filmViktor, an English-language Russian production, flopped in its limited U.S. release, failed to secure a release in France and was ridiculed by several French media.[139][140][141]
From 2016 to 2018, Depardieu played a starring role inMarseille,Netflix's first French-language original series.[144] He authored or co-authored four books between 2014 and 2020, either to tell his life story[24] or to express his personal philosophy.[145] Starting in 2017, Depardieu performedBarbara's songs on stage as a homage to the late singer. He reprised this show several times in the following years.[146]
Depardieu next appeared in the dramaHome Front (2020),[147] the literary adaptationLost Illusions (2021),[148] the successful comedyRetirement home,[16] the crime filmMaigret[149] and the dramaThe Green Shutters (all 2022).[150] His public image was then impacted by the accusations of rape and sexual assault against him.[151] In April 2023, he was excluded from the promotion of his latest film,Umami.[152] Later that year, his public performances of Barbara's songs were disrupted by feminists, causing the cancellation of several shows.[153][154][155]
As a result of these allegations and the criminal charges brought against him, Depardieu was ostracized by most French filmmakers: in March 2025, while he was on trial, it was reported that he hadn't worked on a film since the completion ofThe Green Shutters in 2021.[151][156] In May 2025, Depardieu began work on his first film in four years,Elle regardait sans plus rien voir, aPortuguese-French coproduction directed byFanny Ardant.[157]
In 1970, Depardieu married actressÉlisabeth Guignot (later known professionally as Élisabeth Depardieu), with whom he had two children: actorGuillaume (1971–2008) and actressJulie (b. 1973). They separated in the early 1990s, though their divorce was only finalised in 2006 once asettlement was found after a lengthy court dispute.[158][159]
As his marriage deteriorated, Depardieu met model Karine Silla (sister of producerVirginie Besson-Silla) and began a relationship with her.[158] On 28 January 1992, while Depardieu was separated from Guignot, he and Silla had a daughter, Roxane. Silla remained Depardieu's partner until 1996.[160] Also in 1996, Depardieu and his wife definitely separated following attempts at reconciliation.[158]
From 1996 to 2005, Depardieu was in a relationship with actressCarole Bouquet.[161] On 14 July 2006, he had a son, Jean, with Hélène Bizot (daughter ofFrançois Bizot, not to be confused withthe actress of the same name).[162][163] Between 2005 and 2023, Depardieu was in a relationship with Clémentine Igou. As of 2024, he is in a relationship with Magda Vavrusova.[164]
On 13 October 2008, Depardieu's son Guillaume died frompneumonia at the age of 37. Guillaume's health had been adversely affected by drug addiction and a 1995 motorcycle crash that eventually required the amputation of his right leg in 2003. Depardieu and Guillaume had a turbulent relationship, including a public falling out in 2003,[98] but had reconciled prior to Guillaume's death.[165] In his 2014 autobiography, Depardieu acknowledged his shortcomings as a father, saying that he had been unable to provide an answer to Guillaume's suffering.[24] Later on, he blamed his son's death on the prison sentence he had received at the age of 17 for drug offences: he said that Guillaume had never recovered from it and that he had been unfairly treated by the court due to being his son. Depardieu commented that his son had been "killed" for two grams of heroin.[166]
Depardieu's eating and drinking habits have caused his weight to increase noticeably over the years. He managed several times to lose weight through strict diets, only to later gain it back.[167][42] In the course of the 2000s he became permanently, then severelyoverweight.[168][169] In a 2014 film review,The Hollywood Reporter called Depardieu "morbidly obese".[170] As Depardieu weighed 150 kilograms (330 lb) at the end of 2008, film criticPascal Mérigeau commented on Depardieu's large amounts of food consumption, "at lunch he ingests 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) ofred meat, swallows handfuls ofsaltine crackers".[168] Laurent Audiot, thechef of the Parisian restaurantLa Fontaine Gaillon, compared Depardieu to the gluttonous giantGargantua, saying that "he has excessive energy and he compensates with food, but sometimes it takes on incredible proportions".[171]
According to a 2024 biography, Depardieu's already heavy drinking worsened after his sonGuillaume died in 2008.[172] In September 2014, Depardieu stated he drank twelve, thirteen or fourteen bottles of alcoholic drinks daily, starting at 10:00 a.m., drinkingchampagne,wine, andpastis, and ending the day withvodka,whisky, or both. He said: "I'm never totally drunk, just a bit of a pain in the ass".[173]
On 18 May 1998, Depardieu had a motorcycle accident with a highblood alcohol content, of 2.5 g/L[174] on the way to the shooting ofAsterix and Obelix vs. Caesar. He was prescribed forty days off work.[175] In 2000, Depardieu underwentheart bypass surgery after two weeks of chest pains.[176] In 2011, he was removed from aCityjet flight toDublin after refusing to sit down due to being refused access to the toilet and urinating in a bottle. Depardieu apologised for this and his fellow actorÉdouard Baer attributed it to prostate issues.[177]
In 2012, Depardieu was hit by a car while riding his scooter in Paris.[178] The same year, while intoxicated with 1.8 g/L of alcohol in his blood, he had another scooter accident, without injury and without collision with another party.[179] In 2013, it was reported that since the 2000s he had been involved in at least seven motorcycle or scooter accidents.[180]
On 7 December 2012, after French PresidentFrançois Hollande introduced a plan to tax high incomes at 75%,[183] Depardieu registered as a resident ofNéchin, Belgium in atax avoidance move.[184] French Prime MinisterJean-Marc Ayrault criticized Depardieu's move as "shabby" and unpatriotic.[185][186] On 15 December, Depardieu said that he felt "insulted" by Ayrault's remarks, commented that in the eyes of the French government, "success, creation, talent, anything different, must be punished" and stated he would be handing back hisFrench passport.[187][188]
On 20 December, Russian PresidentVladimir Putin offered Depardieu Russian citizenship,[189] which the actor accepted. On 3 January 2013, Putin signed an Executive Order granting Russian citizenship to Depardieu.[190][191] On 5 January, Depardieu met with Putin at the latter's residence inSochi, to receive hisRussian passport.[192] The controversy harmed Depardieu's public image in France.[133][193] Also in January 2013, Depardieu was appointed a cultural ambassador forMontenegro,[194] a country where he had also considered becoming a tax resident.[190] In February, he registered as a resident ofSaransk, Russia.[194] He received a preferential tax treatment in Russia, where he became subject to a 6%tax rate, half as high as the majority of other fiscal residents.[183] In 2018, he stated that he wished to become a citizen ofTurkey.[166]
In February 2022, Depardieu revealed in an interview that he had become a citizen of theUnited Arab Emirates, although he did not specify when this occurred.[195] In that same interview, he said that he had retained his French passport, even though he wished to live "less and less" in France.[196] Depardieu's friendGuy Roux said that the actor's resentment of France stemmed from the 2008 death of his sonGuillaume, which he blamed on the French judiciary.[166]
While residing in Russia part of the year, Depardieu remained registered as a resident of Néchin. In February 2025, it was reported that the FrenchNational Financial Prosecutor's office had opened an investigation into aggravatedtax evasion andmoney laundering pertaining to Depardieu's tax residence in Belgium. Magistrates aimed to establish whether Depardieu really had been living in Néchin, or if he had instead been staying in France for a period longer than that allowed by his status as a tax resident abroad.[197]
Since the 1990s, Depardieu has publicly associated himself withauthoritarian leaders, based on his economic interests.[198][202][203][166] In the course of that decade, while investing into anoil exploration project inCuba, he met then-PresidentFidel Castro and expressed his sympathy for him.[198][202] In 1998, he supportedSlovak Prime MinisterVladimír Mečiar'sbid for reelection.[204] It was later revealed that Depardieu had been paid 45,000 euros for his endorsement of Mečiar,[198] which he acknowledged in 2004.[205] Depardieu eventually said he had realised afterwards that Mečiar was "a real fascist".[198] Depardieu also expressed support forAlgerian PresidentAbdelaziz Bouteflika after investing into vineyards in Algeria.[198] His associations withpolitical strongmen were long tolerated by the French general public.[206]
AfterVladimir Putin granted him Russian citizenship, Depardieu penned anopen letter to the Russian President, praising him and calling Russia "a great democracy".[190][207] His support for Putin was widely condemned in France, by a broad spectrum of political actors.[193] That open letter also drew ridicule from theRussian opposition.[207] Depardieu granted his first extensive interview after becoming a Russian national to the state-owned news channelRussia-24: he was dismissive of Putin's opponents, stating that "The Russian opposition has no programme; it has nothing".[208] In his autobiography, he commented that Putin "immediately liked [his] hooligan side."[35] Depardieu subsequently made public appearances with Putin's allies,Chechen leaderRamzan Kadyrov andBelarusian PresidentAlexander Lukashenko, and expressed his support for them.[209][210] In August 2015, Depardieu's films were banned from television and cinemas inUkraine after he said "I love Russia and Ukraine, which is part of Russia".[211] Following his acquisition of Russian citizenship, Depardieu also expressedanti-American sentiment: in 2015, while in Moscow where he was performing a play, he stated that the United States were "a people who have constantly destroyed others".[212]
One of Depardieu's biographers, Bernard Violet, stated that the actor's fascination withdictators stemmed in part from his interest in extraordinary characters, whom he saw as "shakespearian monsters", and also from his taste for provocation. Another biographer,Lionel Duroy, said that Depardieu had no understanding of politics and was totally naive in this area.[166]
In a 2021 interview, Depardieu said that he disliked dictators, had never met one, and did not consider Putin to be one.[213] In March 2022, following theRussian invasion of Ukraine, he distanced himself from Putin, condemning the invasion and accusing the Russian President of "crazy, unacceptable excesses".[214]
Though notbaptised at birth, Depardieu had aCatholic upbringing.[215] In the 2010s, he revealed that as a young man, he had converted toIslam as part as his interest inspirituality. Depardieu credited anUmm Kulthum concert he attended in Paris in 1965 with starting his interest in Islam. According to Depardieu, this conversion took place in the late 1960s,[216][217] though he also said in some interviews that it had occurred during the 1970s.[215][218] He "was a Muslim for two years" before giving up due to his inability to speakArabic. He later expressed interests inBuddhism andHinduism.[215][219]
Bottles of Moroccan wine produced by Gérard Depardieu
In 1983, Depardieu created the company DD Productions to co-produce films and rent filming equipments. Owning shares of the films he starred in allowed him to earn additional income from box office receipts, home video and television broadcastings.[223]
Over the years, Depardieu has invested into various ventures,[226] including in the late 1990s an unsuccessful oil exploration project inCuba.[227] During the 1990s, he was associated withPlanet Hollywood, to which he provided wine.[228] Depardieu has generated additional income by appearing incommercials and advertising campaigns. In the early 1990s, he starred in twoBarilla commercials, directed respectively byRidley Scott andDavid Lynch.[229] He was later featured in various campaigns aimed exclusively at theEastern European market.[226]
In Paris, Depardieu owns luxury restaurants, a Japanese delicatessen, a wine bar, and a seafood shop.[230][224] By 2012, he employed over a hundred people in France through fifteen companies.[224] In 2013, Depardieu's wealth was estimated at US$200 million.[231] He said that the 2006 divorce settlement with his wife cost him 15 million euros.[158] Depardieu owns a luxury hotel built in 1805 in the 6th arrondissement of Paris valued at 50 million euros ($53.5 million).[232]
In 1977,Harry Stein interviewed Depardieu on the set ofGet Out Your Handkerchiefs. The interview, which was published in the March–April 1978 issue ofFilm Comment under the titleDepardieu: French Primitive, addressed the actor's difficult upbringing and turbulent youth: it quoted Depardieu as saying that he had first participated in a rape when he was nine years old and in more rapes since then, and commenting that there were "too many [rapes] to count... There was nothing wrong with it. The girls wanted to be raped. I mean, there's no such thing as rape. It's only a matter of a girl putting herself in a situation where she wants to be.".[233][234][235]
The story re-emerged in February 1991, shortly after the release ofGreen Card, whenTime published an interview of Depardieu where he appeared to confirm these statements and commented: "it was absolutely normal in those circumstances. That was part of my childhood."[236][235][237] On 15 March 1991, Depardieu's American publicist Lois Smith stated: "He's sorry, but it happened".[96] TheNational Organization for Women requested an apology from Depardieu.[237] Later that month, Depardieu's French publicist Claude Devy discounted the statements made by Smith, and Depardieu threatened legal action against any media outlet that published the comments.[96] Depardieu's team said thatTime had mistranslated the French verb "assister" as "participate", when a more accurate translation would be "attend" or "be witness to".[238]Time refused to retract the story and claimed that Depardieu had told them he had "participated" in the rapes.[239]
At that time, Depardieu received support from the French media, who claimed he was being mistreated and blamed American "puritanism." As a result, his career in France was not affected, and the French general public eventually forgot the controversy over time.[240][241][242][234]
In August 2018, Depardieu was accused of sexual assault and rape by Charlotte Arnould, a 22-year old actress and dancer.[243] Arnould, whose identity was initially concealed, made her name public in December 2021.[244]
The daughter of a longtime friend of Depardieu, Arnould said that on 7 August 2018 she had been invited by the actor to his Parisian home, ostensibly to discuss her career: there, she said, Depardieu haddigitally raped her. According to her account, on 13 August she went back to Depardieu's home to confront him, only to be similarly raped a second time.[245]
Arnould made her statement on 27 August[245] to police inLambesc, southern France, after which the case was passed to prosecutors in the capital. Depardieu denied the allegations.[246] In 2019, the charges were dropped after a nine-month police investigation.[247] ActressEmmanuelle Debever commented the news by accusing Depardieu of groping her on the set of the 1983 filmDanton.[248] The case was reopened in October 2020 after Arnould refiled the complaint.[249]
Following Arnould's second complaint, French authorities charged Depardieu with rape on 16 December 2020. The actor rejected the allegation through his lawyer.[250] In March 2022, theParis Court of Appeal rejected Depardieu's attempt to have the charges dropped and announced that the actor would remain under formal investigation.[251] On 14 August 2024, the Paris Public Prosecutor requested that Depardieu go to trial.[252][253][254] On 2 September 2025, judges ordered case to be heard against him on charges of rape and sexual assault, though no trial date was set.[255][256]
On 11 April 2023, investigative websiteMediapart reported that 13 women were accusing Depardieu of sexual assault and sexual harassment pertaining to incidents that occurred on film and television sets between 2004 and 2022. Several of these women said that Depardieu's behavior had happened in full view, without anyone objecting.[257][258][259] On 23 May, Charlotte Arnould gave a television interview where she recounted her version in detail.[260] On 1 October 2023, after several of his public performances were disrupted by feminist protesters and hecklers, Depardieu published an open letter disputing the accusations.[261][262]
In that context, Depardieu's reputation was further damaged on 7 December 2023, when French television newsmagazineComplément d'enquête broadcast a segment about the accusations against the actor, which included behind-the-scenes footage from a documentary project Depardieu had worked on with author-directorYann Moix. In that footage, shot in 2018 inNorth Korea, Depardieu could be seen making multiple obscene, sexist and misogynistic remarks.[172][263][264]
Emmanuelle Debever died on 6 December 2023 after one week in a hospital following a suicide attempt, leading to speculation that her death was connected to theComplément d'enquête broadcast.[265][248] On 13 December 2023, Gérard Depardieu was stripped of theNational Order of Quebec, on the grounds of what Quebec premierFrançois Legault called "scandalous remarks made by Gérard Depardieu in front of the cameras".[23] He had been appointed as a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 2002 by premierBernard Landry.[266][267] That segment also causedRadio Télévision Suisse, the French-language television ofSwitzerland, to announce that for the time being it would no longer broadcast films starring Depardieu.[268] On 17 December, Depardieu's daughterJulie, her two half-siblings and several other family members signed an op-ed in support of him.[269]
On 19 December, Spanish author and photographerRuth Baza [es;fr] toldLa Vanguardia that Depardieu had forcibly kissed and groped her in 1995 when, at age 23, she had interviewed him in Paris.[270][271][272] Although the facts were likelytime-barred, Baza filed a complaint in Spain, saying that she hoped it would encourage other people to speak out.[273]
French politicians also reacted to theComplément d'enquête documentary. Culture MinisterRima Abdul Malak expressed outrage at Depardieu's behavior, saying that he brought "shame" to France,[274] and launched a disciplinary procedure that could lead to the actor'sLegion of Honour being rescinded. On the contrary, when asked for comment on 21 December, PresidentEmmanuel Macron denounced the "manhunt" against Depardieu and said that the actor made France "proud".[271][272][275][276] Macron later clarified that he was not "complacent" about sexual abuse and had defended Depardieu'spresumption of innocence.[277] Depardieu later suedFrance Télévisions over the report.[278]
Depardieu's former partnerCarole Bouquet went on television to defend his character.[279] On 25 December 2023, a group of over 50 French actors and other prominent figures including Bouquet,Charlotte Rampling,Carla Bruni,Fanny Ardant,Nathalie Baye,Bertrand Blier andRoberto Alagna, signed an open letter published in French newspaperLe Figaro that denounced the "lynching" of Depardieu. The text, titledDo not cancel Gérard Depardieu, claimed that the actor was the victim of a "torrent of hatred", adding that he was "probably the greatest of all actors" and that attacking him was an attack on art itself.[280][281][282][275] Several signatories, including Bouquet andPierre Richard, eventually distanced themselves from the op-ed due to its content and after it was revealed that it had been penned by an actor withfar-right connections.[283][284]
Depardieu's former partner Karine Silla also defended him.[285]Sophie Marceau, who had made two films with Depardieu during the 1980s, said that she had found his attitude "rude and inappropriate", though he wouldn't harass famous actresses and instead "went more for low-level assistants".[286] On 1 January 2024, over 150 French performers signed an op-ed inLibération, saying that artists should be held accountable like anyone and expressing support for the victims of sexual assault.[287] That text eventually attracted 500 signatories.[288][289][290] In a January 2024 French opinion poll, 23% of respondents stated that they would no longer watch films starring Depardieu.[291]
In September 2023 and January 2024 respectively, two women, an actress and an assistant, filed complaints for assault against Depardieu, for incidents they said had occurred on film sets in 2007 and 2014. Both complaints were dismissed as time-barred. In February 2024, two other women, a set decorator and an assistant director, filed complaints against Depardieu for assaulting them in 2021 on the set of the filmThe Green Shutters.[292] On 29 April 2024, police detained Depardieu for questioning over the sexual assault accusations. He was formally charged for the incidents on the set ofThe Green Shutters.[293][294][295]
Depardieu's trial on two counts of sexual assault said to have occurred during the shooting ofThe Green Shutters was scheduled to begin on 28 October 2024. That day, Depardieu's lawyer said that health concerns meant he was unable to attend court. The trial was rescheduled, and began on 24 March 2025.[296][297][298][299]
Depardieu spoke in his own defense,[182] taking the stand for three days. He denied any sexual misconduct, but appeared sometimes confused and unfocused. Several women testified that they had been groped by Depardieu on film sets, or had seen him grope other women.[300]Fanny Ardant, his friend and co-star in several films includingThe Green Shutters, testified of hisgood character.[301]Anouk Grinberg, who had also co-starred with Depardieu in that film, attended the trial in support of the two plaintiffs.[302]
On 13 May 2025, Depardieu was convicted on both counts of sexual assault. He was handed an 18 month suspended sentence.[303] The court commented that Depardieu did not appear to have "grasped the notion ofconsent".[304] He appealed his conviction.[305]
Depardieu has been nominated for theCésar for Best Actor in a Leading Role 17 times during his career and won it twice, in 1981 and 1991. He was also nominated for an Oscar in 1990 for his role inCyrano de Bergerac.
Besides his acting accolades, he has been awarded the followingorder of merits:
^"Gérard Depardieu: voici l'hôtel ..." [Gérard Depardieu: here is the 50 million euro hotel put up for sale by the actor].CNews. 4 April 2022.Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved29 May 2023.
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