In a major turn for one of France’s most legendary actors, a Paris court delivered a hefty legal blow to Gérard Depardieu on Tuesday, May 13. The 76-year-old was hit with an 18-month suspended sentence after being found guilty of sexually assaulting two women during a 2021 film shoot.
Though Depardieu skipped the courtroom appearance, the judges didn’t hold back — ordering his name to be added to France’s official sex offenders registry. The ruling marks a watershed moment in the country’s reckoning with sexual misconduct in the wake of #MeToo.
Known for his sprawling filmography — over 200 titles to his name — Depardieu now finds himself in the eye of a cultural storm. This case was the first of several accusations against him to reach trial, even as roughly 20 women have come forward with claims of misconduct over the years.
Despite the verdict, Depardieu remains defiant. “Sure, I’m crude, I’ve got a filthy mouth — fine. But I don’t touch,” he insisted during earlier testimony, pushing back hard on the allegations. He didn’t shy away from controversy either, calling the #MeToo movement a “reign of terror.”
At the time of the ruling, his exact location was unknown, though reports placed him recently in Portugal’s Azores islands filming a new project with longtime ally and fellow actor-director Fanny Ardant, one of the few in the industry still publicly backing him.
His legal team isn’t taking the decision lying down. According to his lawyer, an appeal is already in the works, promising that this legal saga is far from over.
