Depardieu faces probe over alleged sex assaults

PARIS: France’s biggest international star Gerard Depardieu on Thursday issued a strong denial after it emerged he faces an inquiry into allegations of rape and sexual assault. Depardieu “absolutely denies any attack, any rape”, his lawyer Herve Temime said on his behalf, reacting to news that the

Paris

public prosecutor’s office has opened a preliminary inquiry over alleged “rapes and sexual assaults”.


The probe follows a complaint lodged on Monday in southern Aix-en-Provence, according to a judicial source. French newspaper Le Parisien said a 22-year-old comedian and dancer reported that the 69-year-old assaulted her on August 7 and August 13 at his Parisian home.

Depardieu, 69, is known as a larger-than-life character with a life-long penchant for making headlines. The accusations against him are the latest to be made in the wake of the rape and assault claims against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein and the #MeToo movement that they gave rise to. “I regret the public nature of this process which poses a major prejudice to Gerard Depardieu, whose innocence I am convinced will be recognised,” his lawyer Temime added, calling for restraint on all sides.

A prolific actor having made more than 180 films, Depardieu became the very face of French cinema due to roles in films such as “Cyrano de Bergerac” for which won best actor at the Cannes film festival and was nominated for an Oscar. He made his name in the 1974 film “Going Places” after which he enjoyed a meteoric rise, demonstrating talent and allure in wideranging roles in classics, dramas and comedies alike.

Once described by actress Brigitte Fossey as “both an ogre and a poet”, Depardieu starred alongside actresses including Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Adjani, Sophia Loren and Kate Winslet.