Biography
Despite his unorthodox visage, Gérard Depardieu has made a profound mark on the acting world, earning a recognition as one of Europe's most accomplished performers and appealing leading men. Perhaps a contributor to his consistently intense performances, Depardieu's childhood was one of extreme poverty. At twelve years old, he dropped out of school and hitchhiked across Europe on an informal tour funded primarily by the profits of stolen cars and assorted black-market products. Depardieu would likely have continued in his juvenile delinquency were it not for a friend who was attending drama school in Paris. Intrigued, Depardieu enrolled at the Theatre National Populaire, where he studied his trade alongside future co-stars
Patrick Dewaere and
Miou-Miou. In 1965, the young actor made his debut in a French short film by the name of
Le Beatnik et le Minet, and began making regular appearances on French television shows.
By the mid-'70s, Depardieu had co-starred in 11 French films, though he wouldn't enjoy widespread success until his role of a nihilistic but lovable petty criminal in director
Bertrand Blier's
Going Places (1974). Not long afterward, Depardieu could be found holding his own against acclaimed French actress
Isabelle Adjani in
Barocco and portraying a passionate Communist organizer in
1900 (both 1976). In 1978, Depardieu re-teamed with Blier for the Oscar-winning
Get Out Your Handkerchiefs, and he went on to win France's prestigious César award for his performance as a resistance fighter in
The Last Metro (1980). After his portrayal of a 16th century peasant in
The Return of Martin Guerre (1982), Depardieu played the title role in
Danton, and he stepped behind the camera as co-director for 1984's Le Tartuffe.
The 1990s were equally successful for Depardieu, particularly in the case of director
Jean-Paul Rappeneau's 1990 version of
Cyrano de Bergerac, for which Depardieu earned an Oscar nomination. He made his foray into American film in 1990's
Green Card opposite Andie MacDowell . Though the bulk of his success still stemmed from French films (
All the Mornings of the World [1991],
Germinal [1993],
A Pure Formality [1994], and
Colonel Chabert [1994], to name a few) Depardieu nonetheless achieved moderate recognition in the American film market. Despite the failures of
Ridley Scott's 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992) and
Steve Miner's English remake of
My Father the Hero, Depardieu was praised for his performances in
Kenneth Branagh's
Hamlet (1996),
Nick Cassavetes'
She's So Lovely (1997), and
Randall Wallace's
The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), with
Gabriel Byrne,
John Malkovich,
Jeremy Irons, and
Leonardo DiCaprio.
Over the following years, Depardieu maintained his prowess in film. In addition to critically acclaimed performances in
The Closet (2001),
CQ (2001),
City of Ghosts (2002), and Nathalie... (2003), Depardieu began work with internationally recognized French director
Alain Chabat for RRRrrr! in 2004. Additional appearances throughout 2005 and 2006 included the title role in
Boudu (2005), Alain in Quand j'étais chanteur (2006), and Chef Didier in
Last Holiday. Depardieu made his directorial debut with 2000's
The Bridge.
Depardieu has become somewhat notorious for his stormy offscreen life. He made a concerted effort to cut back on his alcohol consumption following a heart attack and an emergency quintuple bypass operation, in 2000. In 2003, he officially cut off contact with his son,
Guillaume Depardieu when the young man threatened him with a gun and received a suspended prison sentence. On another note, the elder Depardieu was involved in both a plane collision and two motorcycle accidents as well (in 1998 and 2003), and officials attributed at least one of the incidents to abnormally high alcohol levels in the actor's bloodstream. In 2005, Depardieu allegedly scandalized European viewers when he crassly (and drunkenly) insulted a fellow guest on a French talk show for comments that the woman made about the cookbook he had authored.
The aforementioned cookbook was no one-hit wonder for Depardieu. A highly-regarded gourmand and gifted enologist, he opened the Parisian restaurant La Fontaine Gaillon, on the second arrondissement, along with
Buffet froid co-star
Carole Bouquet in fall 2003. In October 2005, Depardieu publicly announced his intention to retire from screen acting, following his starring role in
Michou d'Auber (2007). ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide