Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, film-maker, businessman
and vineyard owner.
He is one of the most prolific character actors in film history, having completed approximately
170 movies since 1967.
He has twice won the César Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe award for
Best Actor in Green Card.
After he garnered huge critical acclaim for the title role in Cyrano de Bergerac, which
landed him a nomination for an Academy Award, Depardieu acted in many big budget Hollywood
movies.
He is a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur and Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite.
He was granted citizenship of Russia in January 2013 and the same month became a cultural
ambassador of Montenegro.
Early life Gérard Depardieu was born in Châteauroux,
Indre, France.
He is one of the five children of Anne Jeanne Josèphe and René Maxime Lionel Depardieu,
a metal worker and volunteer fireman.
Leaving school at the age of 13 he took a job at a printworks, but also began to get
involved in petty crime, resulting in his being put on probation at one point.
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.
He studied dancing under Jean-Laurent Cochet, and went on to become one of France's most
renowned actors.
His breakout film role came in 1974 playing Jean-Claude in Bertrand Blier's comedy Les
Valseuses.
Other prominent early roles include a starring role alongside Robert De Niro in Bernardo
Bertolucci's historical epic 1900 and a role in François Truffaut's The Last Metro, for
which he was nominated for a César Award.
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, for which he was
also nominated for an Academy Award.
This is still considered by many to be his most notable role.
In 1990, Gerard crossed over into the American film market by co-starring in Peter Weir's
romantic comedy Green Card, for which he won a Golden Globe Award.
He has since had other roles in other English-language films, including Ridley Scott's 1492: Conquest
of Paradise, Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, and Ang Lee's Life of Pi.
More recently, he has played Obélix in the four live-action Astérix movies in which
he is said to have discovered Mélanie Laurent when she was 14.
In 2009, he took part in a rare performance of Sardou's La Haine at the Festival de Radio
France et Montpellier Languedoc Roussillon, with Fanny Ardant; subsequently broadcast
on France Musique.
In 2013, he starred in an independent film entitled A Farewell to Fools.
Personal life
In 1970, Depardieu married Élisabeth Guignot, with whom he had two children, actor Guillaume
and actress Julie.
On 28 January 1992, while separated from Élisabeth, he had a daughter, Roxanne, with the model
Karine Silla.
In 1996 he divorced Élisabeth and began a relationship with actress Carole Bouquet,
who was his partner from 1997 to 2005.
On 14 July 2006, he had a son, Jean, with French-Cambodian Hélène Bizot, according
to the issue 3089 of Paris Match and the Phnom Penh Post.
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.
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.
In November 2012, he was arrested for driving while intoxicated after he fell from his scooter,
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.
He has been an official resident of Néchin, Belgium since 7 December 2012.
French prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault criticised his move.
On 15 December 2012, Depardieu publicly stated he was handing back his French passport.
On 3 January 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an Executive Order granting Russian
citizenship to Depardieu.
In his first interview thereafter, Depardieu attacked Putin's critics.
In February 2013 he registered as a resident of Saransk.
Also in January 2013 he was appointed a cultural ambassador for Montenegro.
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.
1981: César Award for Best Actor for his role in The Last Metro
1985: Venice Film Festival Award for best actor for his role in Police
1985: Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite 1990: Cannes Film Festival: Best actor award
for his role in Cyrano de Bergerac 1991: César Award for Best Actor for his
role in Cyrano de Bergerac 1991: Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for
his role in Green Card 1996: Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur.
2006: Moscow Film Festival: Stanislavsky Award for the outstanding achievement in the career
of acting.
Filmography
See also Cinema of France
List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards References
External links Gérard Depardieu at the Internet Movie Database
Russian artist Shishkin writes portrait of Gerard DepardieuChannel One.