Gérard Dépardieu

The famous people pages have moved as part of the reorganisation of this website. Click to go to the new Famous People index page. If you are linked into this site, you will need to change your link to: http://www.terrace.qld.edu.au/academic/lote/french/y5index.htm

 

Gérard Dépardieu is regarded as one of the leading male actors in France. He has starred in many films and is known, not for his good looks, but for his ordinary face and large nose.

Gérard Dépardieu..

Gérard Dépardieu was born in 1948, in Châteauroux, in France.

He is a very clever and highly successful actor, who is able to play a great variety of roles from "bad guy" to hero. Gérard is a big man and the characters which he portrays on film often combine gentleness with great physical strength.

Gérard Dépardieu was a wanderer and a boxer when he was young and was often in trouble with the police. However, he discovered that he had acting talent, and began his highly successful acting career. He has appeared as the hero in many French films and is extremely popular in France and around the world. The French government thinks so highly of his abilities that they have awarded him the highest French title: 'Chevalier du Légion d'Honneur' or Knight of the Legion of Honour. Gérard also makes wine in his spare time and is well known for the quality of his wines.

Depardieu received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Cyrano in the 1990 film "Cyrano de Bergerac". This is a story about an ugly man with a big nose (which everyone makes fun of) who falls in love with a beautiful girl. The girl, unfortunately, loves Cyrano's best friend who is very good looking but who can't really express himself very well. When the two men are sent as soldiers to war, Cyrano writes his friend's love letters for him and ..... well, I guess you'll just have to see the movie to find out the ending!

Gérard Dépardieu as Cyrano de Bergerac.

Some other films in which Gérard Dépardieu have starred are:

My Father, the Hero. A Comedy in which Gérard Dépardieu as the father, takes his daughter on holiday. The story tells about the adventures both have trying to make their holidays a success.

Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources. These are serious, dramatic stroies. Gérard Dépardieu is a hunchback who is trying to win back land stolen from his parents. The two films tell the story of his fight to do this over many years.

Green Card is a comedy and tells how a Frenchman (Gérard Dépardieu) who wanted to emigrate to and live in America finally succeeds. He marries an American just to obtain his "Green Card" or permission to stay. The plan is that he will divorce her straight after - but a complication happens, they fall in love. For this he won the Golden Globe award for the Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy film.

The Man In The Iron Mask. Gérard Dépardieu played one of the three musketeers, called Porthos. The man in the iron mask is the twin brother of the King of France, called Louis XIV. Gérard Dépardieu in another of his films - Colonel Chabert..

Le Fugitif. Dépardieu plays an ex-convict who has decided to reform. Unfortunately, he becomes involved as an innocent bystander in a bank robbery which goes wrong. He is taken as a hostage by the robber who is desperately trying to steal enough money to excape the country with his little girl. The child is mute since her mother's death, and Social Services want to put her in a home. The movie explores how the trio work together to evade the police and cross the frontier.

Le Placard. Dépardieu is a homophobic rugby coach who is required to change his attitudes to fit new company policy. A great comedy.

Tais-Toi. A not so bright small time crook who never knows when to stop talking, Dépardieu is rejected by every cell mate in the prison. However, he pals up with "Ruby" a smart big time criminal, and the two are thrown together in an escape bid. The film recounts the hilarious adventures of the two convicts as they escape and try to avoid recapture by the police.

Back to the top of the page.