Gérard Depardieu

Gérard Depardieu, CQ

Depardieu at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival
Born Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu
27 December 1948
Châteauroux, Indre, France
Citizenship French, Russian
Years active 1964–present
Spouse(s) Élisabeth Guignot (m. 1971–96)
Partner(s) Carole Bouquet (1997–2005)
Clémentine Igou (2005–present)
Children Guillaume (deceased), Julie, Roxanne, Jean

Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu (French: [ʒeʁaʁ dəpaʁdjø]; 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. In 2015 he left Russia declaring that he intends to give up the citizenship and to live in Belgium.[1]

Early life

Gérard Depardieu was born in Châteauroux, Indre, France. He is one of the five children of Anne Jeanne Josèphe (née Marillier) and René Maxime Lionel Depardieu, a metal worker and volunteer fireman.[2][3] 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.[4] In his youth, Depardieu was also once a rent boy, a petty thief who served three weeks in prison for stealing a car and also turned his hand to grave robbing before being saved from destitution by a gay theatre talent spotter who paid for him to study French drama.[5]

Acting career

Depardieu at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival

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.[6] 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 (Going Places).[7] Other prominent early roles include a starring role alongside Robert De Niro in Bernardo Bertolucci's historical epic 1900 (1976) and a role in François Truffaut's The Last Metro (1980), 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 (1992), Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1996), and Ang Lee's Life of Pi (2012).

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.[8]

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.[9]

In 2013, he starred in an independent film entitled A Farewell to Fools.[10]

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 Silla. In 1996 he divorced Élisabeth and began a relationship with actress Carole Bouquet, who was his partner from 1997 to 2005.[11]

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).[12][13] Since 2005, Depardieu has lived with 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.[14]

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.[15] 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.[16]

He has been an official resident of Néchin, Belgium since 7 December 2012.[17] French prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault criticised his move.[18] On 15 December 2012, Depardieu publicly stated he was handing back his French passport.[19][20] On 3 January 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an Executive Order granting Russian citizenship to Depardieu.[21] In his first interview thereafter, Depardieu attacked Putin's critics.[22] In his autobiography Depardieu said Putin 'immediately liked my hooligan side.' [23] In February 2013 he registered as a resident of Saransk. Also in January 2013 he was appointed a cultural ambassador for Montenegro.[24]

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.

Selected filmography

Depardieu with Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia, January 5, 2013.
Year Film Cesar nomination Cesar win Director
1972 Nathalie Granger Marguerite Duras
1972 Le Viager Pierre Tchernia
1973 Au rendez-vous de la mort joyeuse Juan Luis Buñuel
1973 The Year 01 Jacques Doillon
Alain Resnais
Jean Rouch
1974 Pas si méchant que ça Claude Goretta
1974 Vincent, François, Paul and the Others Claude Sautet
1974 Going Places Bertrand Blier
1975 Sept morts sur ordonnanceBest Actor Jacques Rouffio
1976 Barocco André Téchiné
1976 The Last WomanBest Actor Marco Ferreri
1976 1900 Bernardo Bertolucci
1976 Je t'aime... moi non plus Serge Gainsbourg
1976 Maîtresse Barbet Schroeder
1977 Violanta Daniel Schmid
1977 This Sweet SicknessBest Actor Claude Miller
1977 The Lorry Marguerite Duras
1977 Baxter, Vera Baxter Marguerite Duras
1977 Rene the Cane Francis Girod
1978 The Left-Handed Woman Peter Handke
1978 Le Sucre Best Actor Jacques Rouffio
1978 Bye Bye Monkey Marco Ferreri
1978 Get Out Your Handkerchiefs Bertrand Blier
1979 Traffic Jam Luigi Comencini
1979 Buffet froid Bertrand Blier
1979 Temporale Rosy Mario Monicelli
1979 The Dogs Alain Jessua
1980 Je vous aime Claude Berri
1980 The Last Metro Best Actor François Truffaut
1980 Loulou Maurice Pialat
1980 Mon oncle d'Amérique Alain Resnais
1980 Inspecteur la Bavure Claude Zidi
1981 La Chèvre Francis Veber
1981 Le Choix des armes Alain Corneau
1981 The Woman Next Door François Truffaut
1982 Le Grand Frère Francis Girod
1982 The Return of Martin Guerre Daniel Vigne
1983 Les CompèresBest Actor Francis Veber
1983 DantonBest Actor Andrzej Wajda
1983 Moon in the Gutter Jean-Jacques Beineix
1984 Le tartuffe Himself
1984 Rive droite, rive gauche Philippe Labro
1984 Fort SaganneBest Actor Alain Corneau
1985 Une Femme ou Deux Daniel Vigne
1985 PoliceBest Actor Maurice Pialat
1986 Jean de Florette Claude Berri
1986 Manon des Sources Claude Berri
1986 Les Fugitifs Francis Véber
1986 Tenue de soirée Bertrand Blier
1987 Under the Sun of SatanBest Actor Maurice Pialat
1988 Camille ClaudelBest Actor Bruno Nuytten
1988 A Strange Place to Meet François Dupeyron
1989 Too Beautiful for YouBest Actor Bertrand Blier
1989 Deux Claude Zidi
1989 I Want to Go Home Alain Resnais
1990 Green Card Peter Weir
1990 Uranus Claude Berri and Arlette Langmann
1990 Cyrano de Bergerac Best Actor Jean-Paul Rappeneau
1991 Merci la vie Bertrand Blier
1991 Tous les matins du monde Alain Corneau
1991 My Father the Hero Gérard Lauzier
1992 Timekeeper Jeff Blyth
1992 1492: Conquest of Paradise Ridley Scott
1993 Hélas pour moi Jean-Luc Godard
1993 Germinal Claude Berri
1994 A Pure Formality Giuseppe Tornatore
1994 My Father the Hero Steve Miner
1994 La Machine Francois Dupeyron
1994 Le Colonel ChabertBest Actor Yves Angelo
1995 Les Anges gardiens Jean-Marie Poiré
1995 Élisa Jean Becker
1996 Bogus Norman Jewison
1996 Hamlet Kenneth Branagh
1996 Unhook the Stars Nick Cassavetes
1996 The Secret Agent Christopher Hampton
1996 The Best Job in the World Gérard Lauzier
1998 The Count of Monte Cristo Josée Dayan
1998 The Man in the Iron Mask Randall Wallace
1999 Asterix & Obelix vs Caesar Claude Zidi
2000 Les Acteurs Bertrand Blier
2000 102 Dalmatians Kevin Lima
2000 Les Misérables Josée Dayan
2000 The Envy of Gods Vladimir Menshov
2000 Tutto l'amore che c'è Sergio Rubini
2000 Vatel Roland Joffé
2000 Mirka Rachid Benhadj
2001 Vidocq Pitof
2001 CQ Roman Coppola
2001 The Closet Francis Veber
2002 A Loving Father Jacob Berger
2002 City of Ghosts Matt Dillon
2002 I Am Dina Ole Bornedal
2002 Napoléon Yves Simoneau
2002 Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra Alain Chabat
2003 Tais-toi! Francis Veber
2003 Nathalie... Anne Fontaine
2003 Bon voyage Jean-Paul Rappeneau
2003 Crime Spree Brad Mirman
2003 Le Pacte Du Silence Graham Guit
2004 Les temps qui changent André Téchiné
2004 RRRrrrr!!! Alain Chabat
2004 36 Quai des Orfèvres Olivier Marchal
2004 Nouvelle-France Jean Beaudin
2005 Olé! Florence Quentin
2005 The Accursed Kings Josée Dayan
2005 Boudu Gérard Jugnot
2005 How Much Do You Love Me? Bertrand Blier
2006 Quand j'étais chanteurBest Actor Xavier Giannoli
2006 Last Holiday Wayne Wang
2007 Michou d'Auber Thomas Gilou
2007 La Vie en Rose Olivier Dahan
2007 Paris, je t'aime himself (sequence)
2008 Hello Goodbye Graham Guit
2008 Mesrine: L'instinct de Mort Jean-François Richet
2008 Babylon A.D. Mathieu Kassovitz
2008 Disco Fabien Onteniente
2008 Asterix at the Olympic Games Frédéric Forestier and Thomas Langmann
2009 Bellamy Claude Chabrol
2009 In the Beginning Xavier Giannoli
2009 Diamant 13 Mat
2010 Houba ! Le Marsupilami et l'Orchidée de Chicxulub Alain Chabat
2010 Une femme d'affaires Frédéric Schoendoerffer
2010 Potiche François Ozon
2010 La tête en friche Jean Becker
2010 Le grand restaurant (TV) Gérard Pullicino
2010 MammuthBest Actor Benoît Delépine and Gustave de Kervern
2010 L'Autre Dumas Safy Nebbou
2010 My Afternoons with Margueritte Jean Becker
2011 Grenouille d'hiver Slony Sow
2011 Un baiser papillon Karine Silla
2011 Raspoutine Josée Dayan
2012 The Man Who Laughs (L'homme qui rit) Jean-Pierre Améris
2012 Life of Pi Ang Lee
2012 Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia Laurent Tirard
2012 Le grand soir
2013 A Farewell to Fools (Condamnat la viață) Bogdan Dreyer
2013 Cadences obstinées Fanny Ardant
2013 Turf Fabien Onteniente
2013 Niente può fermarci Luigi Cecinelli
2013 La marque des anges - Miserere Sylvain White
2014 Zaytsev+1 Vsevolod Brodsky
2014 La voix des Steppes Yermek Shinarbayev
Gérard Depardieu
2014 Welcome to New York Abel Ferrara
2014 United Passions Frédéric Auburtin
2014 Viktor Philippe Martinez
2014 Sport bez granits (Sports Without Borders) Alexander Lomakin
Otto Retzer
2014 Falconman Anthony Hickox
2015 La blessure Abdellatif Kechiche
2015 The Valley of Love Guillaume Nicloux

See also

References

  1. "Жерар Депардье больше не хочет жить в России" [Gerard Depardieu no longer wants to live in Russia]. Woman.ru. 2015-04-08. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
  2. "Gerard Depardieu Biography (1948–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  3. "Les ancêtres de Gérard Depardieu (1948)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2008.
  4. Atkin, Tim (4 September 2005). "Voulez-vous poulet avec moi?". The Observer. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  5. "I was a grave robber and a RENT BOY, admits Depardieu: Actor reveals details of his troubled past in autobiography". Associated Newspapers Ltd. Daily Mail. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  6. 30th Anniversary of Café de la Gare, L'Express, 15 August 2002, (in French)
  7. Gérard Depardieu at IMDb
  8. Lichfield, John (10 February 2003). "This Europe: Confessions of Depardieu". The Independent (UK). Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  9. Presentation of concert on Festival de Radio France site.
  10. "Monterey Media Acquires Three Films, Including Works Starring Gerard Depardieu and Harvey Keitel". indiewire.com. 17 October 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  11. "Bouquet — Depardieu en crise". Dhnet.be. 31 August 2005. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  12. Issue 3089, 31 July 2008, Paris Match
  13. Sloan, Michael (22 April 2011). "Upheaval of life blamed on Apsara". The Phnom Penh Post (Cambodia). Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  14. Lichfield, John (14 October 2008). "Gérard Depardieu's son dies of pneumonia at 37". The Independent. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  15. Henry Barnes (17 August 2012). "Gérard Depardieu accused of punching motorist in road rage assault". guardian.co.uk.
  16. Kimberley Dadds (29 November 2012). "French actor Gerard Depardieu 'arrested for driving scooter drunk' in Paris following minor accident". DailyMail.
  17. Fraser, Christian (17 December 2012). "Depardieu: French film star stirs tax row". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  18. "Depardieu tax exile move 'shabby' - French PM Ayrault". BBC. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  19. "Depardieu 'to give up passport' in tax exile row". BBC news. 16 December 2012.
  20. "Gérard Depardieu : "Je rends mon passeport"". lejdd.fr. 15 December 2012.
  21. "Executive Order on granting Russian citizenship to Gerard Depardieu". Russian Presidential Executive Office. January 3, 2013.
  22. "Depardieu attacks Russia's opposition.". Aljazeera.com. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  23. news.com.au 6 October 2104 putin liked depardieus hooligan side at once
  24. "Depardieu nommé ambassadeur de la culture du Monténégro". La Voix de la Russie. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  25. "ORDRE DE LA LÉGION D'HONNEUR Décret du 30 décembre 1995 portant promotion et". JORF 1996 (1): 8. 2 January 1996. PREX9513805D. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  26. "28th Moscow International Film Festival (2006)". MIFF. Retrieved 21 April 2013.

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