French actor Gerard Depardieu withdraws appeal for sexual assault conviction
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A court in 2025 handed the 77-year-old Gerard Depardieu an 18-month suspended sentence and ordered him to register as a sex offender.
PHOTO: AFP
- French actor Gerard Depardieu will withdraw his appeal against a sexual assault conviction, making the 2025 ruling final, a source close to the case told AFP.
- He received an 18-month suspended sentence and must register as a sex offender after charges linked to the 2021 filming of Les Volets Verts.
- Depardieu denies the claims and faces another rape case from actress Charlotte Arnould, with a court decision due on Nov 26.
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PARIS – French cinema icon Gerard Depardieu is set to withdraw his appeal of a conviction for sexually assaulting two women on a film set, a source close to the case told AFP on Nov 13, ahead of a hearing next week.
The withdrawal comes after a court in 2025 handed the 77-year-old an 18-month suspended sentence and ordered him to register as a sex offender, marking a spectacular fall from grace for an actor who dominated French cinema for half a century.
An appeals trial was due to begin on Nov 16, but the withdrawal effectively makes the original ruling final, including an additional penalty for “secondary victimisation” stemming from his defence team’s treatment of the two women.
The trial related to charges of sexual assault during the filming in 2021 of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters) by director Jean Becker.
The plaintiffs were a set dresser, identified only as Amelie, and an assistant director.
Depardieu has denied the allegations.
The actor has also been indicted in a separate case following a rape complaint filed by actress Charlotte Arnould, 30.
He denies the allegations and has appealed against his referral to the criminal court, with a decision expected on Nov 26.
Depardieu, who has acted in more than 200 films and television series, is the highest-profile figure caught up in France’s response to the #MeToo movement.
The verdict was delivered on the first day of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, France’s most prestigious cinema showcase, where Depardieu won best actor in 1990. AFP