Historical Figures Codexery

Gérard Depardieu

French actor and icon of cinema

Depardieu was accused of sexual misconduct as early as the 1990s, and in May 2025 he was convicted of sexual assault against two women.[1][2] Born on 27 December 1948 in Châteauroux, Indre, France, Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu is a French actor.[3][4] Since 1967, Depardieu has appeared in more than 200 films; he ranks second only to Louis de Funès in all-time French cinema box office gross.[5]

Quick Facts

Birth name
Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu
Born
27 December 1948
Birthplace
Châteauroux, France
Citizenship
  • France
  • Russia
  • United Arab Emirates
Occupation
Actor
Years active
1966–present
Children
  • 4, including
  • Guillaume Depardieu
  • Julie Depardieu
Relatives
Delphine Depardieu (niece)

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

His mother tried unsuccessfully to abort him, and his father suffered from severe alcohol addiction.[4][6] Depardieu later studied with Jean-Laurent Cochet, who helped him correct his disastrous diction through therapy.[7] He married actress Élisabeth Guignot in 1970 and had two children, Guillaume and Julie, though their divorce was not finalized until 2006.[8] Depardieu was the third of six children and spent his childhood in a two-room apartment in Châteauroux, living in poverty.[4][6]

At age 13, he quit school, at which point he was nearly illiterate and had a stutter.[9] Depardieu's first major role came in 1974, playing a character in Bertrand Blier's controversial comedy Les Valseuses; the film's success made him an instant star.[10] Depardieu was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the title character in Cyrano de Bergerac (1990).[11]

What the cited sources add

The RTL article on Depardieu's autobiography notes that his mother tried to abort him because she did not want another child.[12] The Observer interview reports that Depardieu briefly dreamed of becoming a butcher after leaving school at 13.[13] That interview also states that Depardieu moved in with two prostitutes and sold stolen booze, cigarettes, and petrol, but never went to prison.[13] The Europe 1 article quotes Bertrand Blier calling Depardieu "the best actor in Europe".[14]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Gérard Depardieu" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "French actor Gérard Depardieu stands trial in Paris for alleged sexual assaults on film set", PBS News, 2025-03-24 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Gérard Depardieu" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Gérard Depardieu radié de l'Ordre national du Québec", Radio-Canada, 13 December 2023 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Gérard Depardieu" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; "Depardieu, Gérard", Oxford University Press; ; "Depardieu, Gérard", Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English; "Depardieu, Gérard", Oxford University Press, 2010 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Gérard Depardieu" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lehut, "Gérard Depardieu publie son autobiographie", RTL, 2014-10-02; Rigoulet 2007, p. 197; "Gerard Depardieu Biography (1948–)", Film Reference; "Les ancêtres de Gérard Depardieu (1948)"; Lehut, "Gérard Depardieu publie son autobiographie", RTL, 2014-10-02 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Gérard Depardieu" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Gérard Depardieu : le recordman du box-office français", Premiere.fr, 27 December 2018; Cahoreau, "François Truffaut: 1932-1984", (Julliard) réédition numérique FeniXX, 1 January 1989; Dupuy, "Bertrand Blier : "Depardieu est le meilleur acteur d'Europe"", Europe 1, 2020-07-18; Mérigeau, "Maurice Pialat l'imprécateur", Grasset, 8 January 2003; Thomas, "Alain Resnais, les coulisses de la création: Entretiens avec ses proches collaborateurs", Armand Colin, 5 October 2016; Baecque, "Chabrol: Biographie", Stock, 22 September 2021; Raw, "Th en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Gérard Depardieu" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rigoulet 2007, p. 197; Cojean, "Il était une fois... Dédé et Lilette Depardieu, racontés par leur fils Gérard", 2002; Djian, "Interview de Gérard Depardieu", France Culture, 2012; Rigoulet 2007, p. 197; Zimmerman 2013, p. 46-47 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Gérard Depardieu" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lehut, "Gérard Depardieu publie son autobiographie", RTL, 2014-10-02; Zimmerman 2013, p. 46-47; Zimmerman 2013, p. 46-47; Rigoulet 2007, p. 197; Buisson, "Gérard Depardieu, la liberté à tout prix", Le Figaro, 2012-12-21; "Épisode 2/5 : La formation de l'acteur", France Culture, 2013-03-02; Rigoulet 2007, p. 197; Dana, "Depardieu: «Je n'aurais pas dû naître!»", L'Illustré, 2018-06-20; Josselin, "Gérard Depardieu, en 1990 : « Je ne suis pas un mangeur de cinéma »", Le Nouvel Obs, 2022-12-04 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Gérard Depardieu" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rigoulet 2007, p. 197; Dubois, "Les Depardieu veulent un divorce à l'amiable", Le Parisien, 2006-10-11 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Gérard Depardieu" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Buisson, "Gérard Depardieu, la liberté à tout prix", Le Figaro, 2012-12-21; Moine, "Gérard Depardieu : une autre de ses facettes dévoilée", Gala, 2020-08-13 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Gérard Depardieu" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lehut, "Gérard Depardieu publie son autobiographie", RTL, 2014-10-02; Bacqué, "« Les Valseuses » ou le surgissement Depardieu : « Putain, le personnage de Jean-Claude, c'est moi ! »", Le Monde, 2020-07-18; "Les Valseuses", AlloCiné; Bacqué, "« Les Valseuses » ou le surgissement Depardieu : « Putain, le personnage de Jean-Claude, c'est moi ! »", Le Monde, 2020-07-18; Dupuy, "Bertrand Blier : "Depardieu est le meilleur acteur d'Europe"", Europe 1, 2020-07-18; ""Les Valseuses", "Tenue de soirée"... la carrière de Bertrand Blier en cinq fi en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Gérard Depardieu" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Zimmerman 2013, p. 46-47; Bacqué, "En 1991, Depardieu version Cyrano à la conquête de l'Amérique : c'est un pic, c'est un cap, c'est une catastrophe", Le Monde, 2020-07-21; "" URANUS ", DE CLAUDE BERRI, D'APRES LE ROMAN DE MARCEL AYME Les rescapés de la planete noire", Le Monde, 1990-12-13 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Lehut, "Gérard Depardieu publie son autobiographie", RTL, 2014-10-02. facts only, no text reused. rtl.fr
  13. Atkin, "Voulez-vous poulet avec moi?", The Observer, 4 September 2005. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
  14. Dupuy, "Bertrand Blier : "Depardieu est le meilleur acteur d'Europe"", Europe 1, 2020-07-18. facts only, no text reused. europe1.fr

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Gérard Depardieu (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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