Latest news with #TheManintheIronMask
Hindustan Times
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Gérard Depardieu net worth: French film icon who found guilty of sexual assault left home at 13, lived with sex workers
In a setback for a titan of French cinema, a Paris court found actor Gerard Depardieu guilty of sexually abusing two females on a movie set in 2021 and given an 18-month suspended prison sentence. While his case is one of the most well-known #MeToo cases that arrived in the court in France, Depardieu always denied any misconduct and his attorney stated that he will appeal the court's ruling. Amelie K, a set designer and one of the two plaintiffs, told the court that the actor delivered explicit sexual remarks and grabbed her all over her body while trapping her between his knees. She remembered, 'He touched everything, including my breasts.' The victim claimed he was laughing while she was scared. The woman further claimed that Depardieu asked her to touch his penis while wearing an offensive expression, implying that he intended to rape her. She informed the judge that the actor's composure and cooperation during the trial had nothing to do with his conduct at work. Depardieu touched her breasts and buttocks three times on the movie set, stated another plaintiff, an assistant. Speaking to the media after the court's verdict, the set dresser said, 'I'm very moved. I'm very, very much satisfied with the decision, that's a victory for me, really, and a big step forward. I feel justice was made.' Although over 20 women have publicly or formally accused the actor of misbehavior in recent years, only the sexual assault case has been brought to trial. Several other cases were dismissed due to the statute of limitations or a lack of evidence. Born in a poor family in 1948, Depardieu spent his childhood with sex workers, toyed with modest criminal behavior, and left home at the age of 13 due to his parents' drinking habit and lack of literacy. Depardieu once asserted that he could consume up to 14 bottles of wine in a single day. He claims in his memoirs that he was a male prostitute and even a grave robber before he started his career in acting and literature. In 2011, British tabloids made mockery of Depardieu for peeing into a bottle while flying with Air France. Also Read: Who is Stephen J. Hemsley? UnitedHealth Group appoints new CEO as Andrew Witty steps down Gérard Depardieu is said to have a net worth of $200 million to $250 million as of 2025. The number reflects his lengthy stint in cinema, business, and real estate investment. Gérard Depardieu's yearly earnings fluctuate depending on his business endeavors, film projects, and other investments. According to reports, he makes about 4 million euros a year from acting, movie royalties, and money from his business and real estate holdings. Depardieu has also added to his diverse portfolio by investing in a variety of assets throughout France, such as restaurants and vineyards. He owns a premium hotel in Paris, worth roughly 50 million euros, which he purchased in 2012. Notable films from his vast filmography include The Man in the Iron Mask, Green Card, and Cyrano de Bergerac. Depardieu received praise from all over the world for his ability to portray a variety of personalities with nuance and realism.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gérard Depardieu: the rise and fall of France's global film star
A larger than life figure with a career – and a reputation – to match, Gérard Depardieu is among the few stars of French cinema to be equally well known outside the country. One of the most prolific actors in film history, Depardieu has appeared in more than 200 films and television series since his on-screen debut in 1967, working with directors including Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Alain Resnais, Claude Chabrol, Ridley Scott and Bernardo Bertolucci. A national icon in France – Depardieu is a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur and of the Ordre national du Mérite – he has made the rare crossover to stardom in the anglophone world, with his Hollywood hits including Green Card (1990), for which he won the Golden Globe for best actor, as well as Hamlet (1996), The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), La Vie en Rose (2007) and Life of Pi (2012). The 76-year-old is known for his portrayals of towering historical figures including Joseph Stalin, Auguste Rodin, Christopher Columbus and Rasputin, as well as heroes of French literature – characters and their creators alike – such as Honoré de Balzac, Alexandre Dumas, Cyrano de Bergerac, Jean Valjean, Obélix and the Count of Monte Cristo. Born Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu on 27 December 1948 to an impoverished family in Châteauroux, central France, he was one of six children. Acting proved his salvation, with money the motivating factor by his own admission. He left his hometown for Paris at the age of 16 to pursue it. There he met director Agnès Varda, the first to cast him – in a short film that was never completed. Read more on RFI English
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Terrifying' French film abuses report prompts calls for change
A French inquiry into abuses in the entertainment sector was branded as "terrifying" by a leading actress on Wednesday as MPs called on the industry to stamp out the "endemic" mistreatment of performers. The parliamentary inquiry, which reported its findings publicly on Wednesday, interviewed some of the biggest names in French cinema among the 350 people who testified about their experiences. "The professional entertainment world needs to listen, read and take on board what is in the report," the head of the cross-party investigation, Sandrine Rousseau, told reporters at a press conference in Paris. Campaigners hope that the conclusions can help bring about a sea-change in the French film, TV and other performing arts sectors that have been hit by a series of public sexual abuse scandals in recent years. "It's impressive and rather terrifying," said French actress Judith Godreche, whose allegations about abuse at the hands of two French directors sparked the inquiry. "But I'm not surprised because I didn't expect anything better," the 53-year-old, who appeared in "The Spanish Apartment" and "The Man in the Iron Mask", told Franceinfo radio station. The parliamentary inquiry concluded that "moral, sexist, and sexual violence in the cultural sector is systemic, endemic, and persistent" and made nearly 90 recommendations including better safeguarding for children and women during castings and on set. Rousseau called on the Cannes Film Festival, which begins next month, to set an example. "The Cannes Film Festival must be the place where this shift in mindset happens, the place where we say loud and clear... amid the glitter and the red carpets... that finally, we all want things to change: every one of us, at every level of the industry," she added. The annual gathering of the world's film elite on the French Riviera is set to begin on May 13, with festival organisers set to reveal the 2025 line-up of films on Thursday. - Depardieu trial - The first day of Cannes this year will coincide with the verdict in the first sexual assault trial of French film legend Gerard Depardieu which gripped the country last month. Depardieu, who is accused of assaulting two women on the set of a film in 2021, is the highest-profile figure to face criminal accusations following the #MeToo movement which encouraged women to speak out against violence. The parliamentary inquiry called into question a prevalent view in France that abusive behaviour by top cultural figures can be excused in the name of art. "The 'cultural exception', but at what price?" it asks. "In our country, there's a cult of talent and creative genius," Erwan Balanant, a centrist MP on the commission, told AFP. Some of France's biggest silver-screen stars agreed to testify to the inquiry including Juliette Binoche, Jean Dujardin and Pierre Niney, but usually behind closed doors and sometimes on condition that their remarks were not made public. Actor Sara Forestier, who was present at Wednesday's press conference, told MPs in November how she had repeatedly said "no" to directors who wanted to sleep with her and who threatened to take roles away if she refused. "Until the day I said 'no' one too many times -- and I paid the price for it," she added, recounting how she had to leave a shoot in 2017 after allegedly being slapped. bur-adp/phz
Local France
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Local France
Abuse in French entertainment sector ‘endemic', inquiry finds
The inquiry, led by MP Sandrine Rousseau, was spurred by allegations from Judith Godreche who accused two French directors of abusing her when she was a teenager. In a damning final report, seen by AFP ahead of its release on Wednesday, the inquiry accused the entertainment sector of being a 'talent grinding machine' and made 86 recommendations to better protect actors and children on set. 'Moral, sexist, and sexual violence in the cultural sector is systemic, endemic, and persistent,' read a conclusion from Rousseau, who has overseen six months of hearings that saw testimony from 350 people in the film, theatre and TV sectors. The report follows the sexual assault trial last month of actor Gerard Depardieu, who is the highest-profile figure to face criminal accusations following the #MeToo movement which encouraged women to speak out against violence. #MeToo was publicly resisted by some in the French entertainment sector when it first emerged in 2017, including actress Catherine Deneuve, who saw it as a puritan American import that encouraged the airing of unsubstantiated allegations. Depardieu, who faces accusations from around a dozen women, was backed by 60 film and art figures in a 2023 petition, while President Emmanuel Macron has called him a 'towering actor' who 'makes France proud'. Depardieu denies the allegations and told his trial that he 'adored' women and was not a 'groper'. A verdict is due on May 13. The report questions the prevalent view in France that abusive behaviour by top cultural figures can be excused in the name of art. 'The 'cultural exception', but at what price?' it asks. Advertisement 'In our country, there's a cult of talent and creative genius,' Erwan Balanant, a centrist MP on the commission, told AFP. Some of France's leading film stars agreed to testify to the parliamentary inquiry including Juliette Binoche, Jean Dujardin and Pierre Niney, but usually behind closed doors and sometimes on condition that their remarks were not made public. Some of the strongest testimony came from Godreche, 53, who railed against the 'impunity' in the film industry and 'inaction' from its leading lights. 'There's not a single person from my past with an established role in the cinema world – and therefore, in positions of power ... who has written to me since I spoke out," said the actress who appeared in The Spanish Apartment , The Man in the Iron Mask , and Potiche , which featured Depardieu. Fellow actress Sara Forestier described in November how she had repeatedly said 'no' to directors who wanted to sleep with her and who threatened to take roles away if she refused. 'Until the day I said 'no' one too many times – and I paid the price for it,' she said, recounting how she had to leave a shoot in 2017 after allegedly being slapped by an actor, later identified as Nicolas Duvauchelle. Jean Dujardin, an Oscar winner in 2012 for The Artist , conceded that some male actors might have failed to denounce abuse in the past, but that attitudes were changing. 'We don't see everything – and perhaps we don't want to see,' Dujardin, 52, said, according to a transcript published last month. Advertisement He added that 'we no longer say what we used to say 10 or 15 years ago, and we won't say the same things in 10 years either... I feel that sexist reactions and clumsy remarks are gradually disappearing'. In mid-March, veteran celebrity agent Dominique Besnehard challenged some of the testimony from actresses about sexual abuse, leading to a clash with Rousseau who accused him of making 'derogatory remarks'. 'When I was an agent, I saw some actresses cross the line a little. You don't go to a hotel with a director,' Besnehard said. Gilles Lellouche, a widely admired French star who voices Obelix in the Asterix animated films, recounted an experience involving a woman director who tried to 'seduce' him. 'I didn't feel violently attacked – it was things like hands under my shirt. If I had done the same to a woman, it wouldn't have been okay,' he said.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
French MPs slam 'endemic' abuse in entertainment sector
French MPs have criticised "endemic" abuse in the entertainment sector after a months-long inquiry into sexual violence that saw stars and other actors reveal instances of bullying and assault. The inquiry, led by feminist Greens MP Sandrine Rousseau, was spurred by allegations from Judith Godreche who accused two French directors -- Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillon -- of abusing her when she was a teenager. Both deny the charges. In a final damning report, seen by AFP ahead of its release on Wednesday, the inquiry accused the entertainment sector of being a "talent grinding machine" and made 86 recommendations to better protect actors and children on set. "Moral, sexist, and sexual violence in the cultural sector is systemic, endemic, and persistent," read a conclusion from Rousseau who has overseen six months of hearings that saw testimony from 350 people in the film, theatre and TV sectors. The report comes following the sexual assault trial last month of screen legend Gerard Depardieu, who is the highest-profile figure to face criminal accusations following the #MeToo movement which encouraged women to speak out against violence. #MeToo was publicly resisted by some in the French entertainment sector when it first emerged in 2017, including actress Catherine Deneuve, who saw it as a puritan American import that encouraged unsubstantiated allegations to be aired. Depardieu, who faces accusations from around a dozen women, was backed by 60 film and art figures in a 2023 petition, while President Emmanuel Macron has called him a "towering actor" who "makes France proud". The report questions the prevalent view in France that law-breaking behaviour by top cultural figures can be excused in the name of art. "The 'cultural exception', but at what price?" the report asks. "In our country, there's a cult of talent and creative genius," Erwan Balanant, a centrist MP on the commission, told AFP. - Saying 'no' - Some of France's biggest stars agreed to testify to the parliamentary inquiry including Juliette Binoche, Jean Dujardin and Pierre Niney, but usually behind closed doors and sometimes on condition that their remarks were not made public. Some of the strongest remarks came from Godreche, 53, who railed against the "impunity" in the film industry and the "inaction" of its leading lights. "There's not a single person from my past with an established role in the cinema world -- and therefore, in positions of power ... who has written to me since I spoke out," said the actress who appeared in "The Spanish Apartment", "The Man in the Iron Mask", or "Potiche", which featured Depardieu. Fellow actress Sara Forestier described in November how she had repeatedly said "no" to directors who wanted to sleep with her and who threatened to take roles away if she refused. "Until the day I said 'no' one too many times -- and I paid the price for it," she added, recounting how she had to leave a shoot in 2017 after allegedly being slapped by an actor, who was later identified as Nicolas Duvauchelle. Jean Dujardin, an Oscar winner in 2012 for his turn in "The Artist", conceded that some male actors might have failed to denounce abuse in the past, but that attitudes were changing. "We don't see everything -- and perhaps we don't want to see," Dujardin, 52, said, according to a transcript published last month. He added that "we no longer say what we used to say 10 or 15 years ago, and we won't say the same things in 10 years either... I feel that sexist reactions and clumsy remarks are gradually disappearing". jt-fbe-adp/phz
