Gérard Depardieu - celebrated and shunned

Gérard Depardieu is one of France's greatest actors, has worked with the most famous directors and has appeared in over 200 films. But now that he is 75, the scandals and accusations are piling up and his reputation is in decline. However, he has always been known for his boorishness.

Special shows, galas, retrospectives of his most popular films - all this would have been expected when one of the most famous French actors turns 75. But Gérard Depardieu, whose birthday is on December 27, has been in a steep decline in public opinion since more and more allegations of sexual violence against him have come to light. The actor rejects these accusations.

"The man is dark, but the actor is outstanding," Catherine Deneuve once said about Depardieu. She played alongside him in 1980 in "The Last Metro" by François Truffaut - the first film for which Depardieu was awarded the César film prize. Rude, touching, excessive - Depardieu became world-famous with his loudmouth and impulsive acting.

He has worked with France's most famous directors and actresses and has appeared in more than 200 films. In them, he embodied the eloquent Cyrano de Bergerac just as brilliantly as a washed-up pop singer, a slaughterhouse worker or an Alzheimer's patient. His performances as Obelix, for which he had long since attained the appropriate physique due to his culinary passion, will be remembered in particular.

A classic story of rising stars

His career is a classic story of upward mobility: Depardieu grew up in a working-class family, his father was an alcoholic. He stuttered as a child, left school at 13 and worked as a hustler, among other things, as he reported in his autobiography. Eventually, a friend introduced him to the theater, which offered him the opportunity of a lifetime.

Because of his immense acting talent, he was always forgiven for his boorish and sexist behavior. Depardieu has had a drinking problem for years, which has not only led to numerous unsightly scenes, but also to traffic accidents. He once confessed to drinking up to 14 bottles a day - from champagne to vodka. One of his lowest points was a public pee break in the aisle of an airplane when the plane was already on the runway.

Criticism of closeness to Russia

His tax evasion to Belgium, his acceptance of Russian citizenship and his closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin and other dubious rulers in the region caused his star to fall further.

In 2018, Depardieu registered a residence in Novosibirsk, Siberia, where he sold groceries with a portrait of himself from his younger years. With the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Depardieu cautiously distanced himself from Moscow. He donated the proceeds from an unusual appearance as a singer of Barbara's chansons to Ukrainian children.

Depardieu himself has recognized four children from three relationships. In 2008, he had to cope with the death of his son Guillaume, also an actor, who died from the late effects of a motorcycle accident. In his book "Ailleurs" (Elsewhere), Gérard Depardieu confessed: "Sometimes I'm an innocent, sometimes a monster. Everything in between doesn't interest me."

He rejects accusations of rape

Last October, he spoke out for the first time about the rape allegations against him. "I have absolutely never abused a woman," he assured. He countered that the plaintiff Charlotte Arnould had given herself to him of her own free will. "If she was under duress, then under her own duress," he remarked.

Since then, another French actress has filed a lawsuit against Depardieu for sexual assault. Spanish journalist Ruth Baza also made it public that she had filed a complaint against the French film star for rape in her home country. Both cases are presumably time-barred, but both women expressly want to encourage other alleged victims to take legal action.

"Shame on France"

A recently broadcast documentary showing Depardieu on a filming trip to North Korea did the rest to massively damage the actor's reputation. Depardieu was so vulgar and sexist there, especially towards his young translator, that French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak spoke of a "disgrace for France".

She has since initiated Depardieu's expulsion from the Legion of Honor. The removal of his statue from the Paris wax museum - just over a week before his special birthday - is almost even more significant for his fall from grace. The Musée Grévin cited negative reactions from the public as the reason for this.