Oscar-nominated actor Gérard Depardieu found guilty of sexual assault in France
French actor Gérard Depardieu was found guilty of sexual assault in France.
The Associated Press reported that the court requested he be added to a national sex offender list.
Depardieu's attorney tells EW they will appeal the "entirely unfounded" allegations.Oscar-nominated French actor Gérard Depardieu has been found guilty of sexual assault by a Parisian court.
After the 76-year-old Cyrano de Bergerac star was accused of sexually assaulting two women on the set of the 2021 film The Green Shutters, the court found the performer guilty and gave him an 18-month suspended sentence.
Depardieu, who wasn't present for the hearing, was fined an estimated $32,350, according to the Associated Press. The court also requested that the actor be added to France's national sex offender registry.
When reached for comment, Depardieu's attorney, Jérémie Assous, tells Entertainment Weekly that the French actor "intends to lodge an appeal" and calls the sexual assault allegations "entirely unfounded," citing what he claims are further issues with "investigative requests" he says were dismissed as part of the trial.
The trial involved alleged occurrences from the production of Green Shutters, as Depardieu was convicted of groping a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant on the film.
'It is the victory of two women, but it is the victory of all the women beyond this trial,' said the set dresser's lawyer, per the Associated Press. 'Today, we hope to see the end of impunity for an artist in the world of cinema. I think that with this decision, we can no longer say that he is not a sexual abuser. And today, as the Cannes Film Festival opens, I'd like the film world to spare a thought for Gérard Depardieu's victims.'
Depardieu has been accused of sexual assault and harassment multiple times over the years, and has previously denied the allegations.
In 2020, actress Charlotte Arnould accused him of raping her in 2018, and he was later charged in her case in 2021. Thirteen others accused him of sexual violence in a 2023 Mediapart report. Depardieu eventually denied those allegations in an open letter.In 2023, it was reported that Depardieu's wax figure was removed from The Grévin Museum in Paris over the controversy surrounding the French cinema icon.
Outside of his work in French cinema, Depardieu has appeared in numerous films known to a wider audience, including projects like Green Card, The Man in the Iron Mask, 102 Dalmatians, Last Holiday, and Life of Pi.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
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