Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu (French
pronunciation: [ʒeˡʁaːʁ
dəpaʁˡdjøː] (
listen); born 27 December 1948) is a French actor,
film-maker, businessman and vineyard owner. He is a Chevalier of the
Légion d'honneur, Chevalier of the
Ordre national du Mérite and has twice won the
César Award for Best Actor. He also won the
Golden Globe award for Best Actor in
Green Card and was nominated for an
Academy Award for the title role in
Cyrano de Bergerac. After he garnered huge critical acclaim for
Cyrano de Bergerac he acted in many big budget
Hollywood movies. He was granted
Russian
citizenship on 3 January 2013, by
Russian President
Vladimir Putin.
Early life
Gérard Depardieu was born in
Châteauroux,
Indre,
France.
He is one of five children of Anne Jeanne Josèphe "la Liette" (née
Marillier) and René Maxime Lionel "le Dédé" Depardieu, a metal worker
and volunteer fireman.[1][2]
Depardieu spent more time on the street than in the classroom and
left school at 15.[3]
Acting career
At the age of 16, Depardieu left Châteauroux for Paris. There, he
began acting in the new comedy theatre
Café de la Gare, along with
Patrick Dewaere, Romain Bouteille,
Sotha,
Coluche,
and
Miou-Miou.[4]
His breakout film role came in 1974 playing Jean-Claude in
Bertrand Blier's comedy
Going Places.[5]
He studied dancing under Jean-Laurent Cochet, and went on to become one
of France's most renowned actors. In 1986, his international fame grew
as a result of his performance as a doomed, hunchbacked farmer in the
film
Jean de Florette. Five years later he won a
César for his starring role in
Cyrano de Bergerac.
Gerard crossed over into the American film market by co-starring in
the 1990 film
Green Card. He has since acted in many English-language films,
including
The Man in the Iron Mask,
102 Dalmatians,
Last Holiday, and
Life of Pi.
More recently, he has played
Obélix
in the four live-action
Astérix movies in which he is said to have discovered
Melanie Laurent when she was 14.[6]
Personal life
In 1970, Depardieu married
Élisabeth Guignot, with whom he had two children, actor
Guillaume (1971–2008) and actress
Julie (1973). On 28 January 1992, while separated from Élisabeth, he
had a daughter, Roxanne, with the model Karine Sylla. In 1996 he
divorced Élisabeth and began a relationship with actress
Carole Bouquet, who was his partner from 1997 to 2005.[7]
On 14 July 2006, he had a son, Jean, with French-Cambodian Hélène
Bizot (daughter of
François Bizot and not to be confused with actress
Hélène Bizot), according to the issue 3089 (31 July 2008) of
Paris Match and the
Phnom Penh Post.[8]
Since 2005, Depardieu has lived with a
Harvard-educated novelist, Clémentine Igou.
On 13 October 2008, his son Guillaume, whose health had been severely
affected by drugs, a motorbike crash and, most importantly, a hospital
infection contracted during the post-accident operations, eventually
leading to the amputation of his leg, died at the age of 37 from
complications linked to a sudden case of
pneumonia.[9]
Gérard Depardieu and Vladimir Putin,
Sochi, Russia, January 5, 2013.
In recent years, Depardieu has attracted attention from the media and
legal authorities for his behavior. In August 2012, he was accused of
assault and battery for punching a motorist in Paris.[10]
In November 2012, he was arrested for driving while intoxicated after he
fell from his scooter, slightly injuring his elbow, and was found to
have a blood alcohol level of 1.8 grams per litre, well above the French
limit for driving of 0.5.
[11]
He has been an official resident of
Néchin,
Belgium
since 7 December 2012.[12]
French prime minister
Jean-Marc Ayrault claimed the reason for the move was to avoid a
looming 75% top rate of tax.[13]
On 15 December 2012, Depardieu publicly stated he was handing back his
French passport.[14][15]
On 3 January 2013, Russian President
Vladimir Putin signed an Executive Order granting Russian
citizenship to Depardieu.[16]
Awards
Depardieu has been nominated for the Best Actor in a Leading Role
César 15 times during his career and won it twice, in 1981 and 1991.
He was also nominated for an Oscar in 1990 for his role in
Cyrano de Bergerac.
Filmography