French actor Depardieu convicted of sexual assault

The 76-year-old film star has been found guilty of groping two women in 2021

French actor Gerard Depardieu was convicted on Tuesday of sexually assaulting two women during the filming of a movie in Paris in 2021. The 76-year-old cinema veteran was handed an 18-month suspended prison sentence.

The court also ordered Depardieu to pay more than €29,000 ($32,650) in damages to the victims, a set decorator and an assistant director, and added his name to France’s national sex offender registry.

The verdict marks the most high-profile conviction for sexual misconduct in the French film industry since the rise of #MeToo, a global social movement against harassment and assault which encouraged survivors to share their experiences to raise awareness. Depardieu, who has appeared in more than 200 film and television productions, has denied any wrongdoing.

He has faced over 20 sexual misconduct allegations in recent years, most of which were dropped due to lack of evidence or statute of limitations. He also remains under investigation in a separate rape case linked to a complaint filed by actress Charlotte Arnould in 2018.

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One of the victims, identified as Amelie K., told the court that Depardieu grabbed her waist, pulled her toward him, and groped her intimate areas while making obscene remarks. The second woman, a 34-year-old assistant director who has not been publicly identified, said Depardieu had touched her breasts and buttocks on three occasions during the production of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters).

During the March trial, Depardieu admitted to grabbing one of the women by the hips during an on-set dispute but denied any sexual intent. He acknowledged using vulgar language and attributed his behavior to differences in social norms across generations.

“I hope this is the end of impunity for cinema artists. I’ve heard some actors recently still supporting Depardieu. Now with this verdict, no one can say Gerard Depardieu is not a sexual predator,” Carine Durrieu Diebolt, Amelie’s lawyer, reportedly said.

Depardieu, who did not attend the verdict due to filming commitments in the Azores, intends to appeal. In 2023, veteran actress Brigitte Bardot publicly defended him, saying, “Those who have talent—if they put their hands on a girl’s butt—they are thrown into the dungeon.” Bardot has not commented since the ruling.