Gaspard Ulliel, one of the most celebrated actors of French cinema and a star of Marvel’s upcoming ‘Moon Knight’ series, passed away following a ski accident on Wednesday, according to news agency AFP. He was 37.
The two-time Cesar-winning actor was hospitalised Tuesday after suffering a head injury and did not recover, the actor’s family and the local agent said. He suffered a collision on the slopes in the Savoie region.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex paid a heartfelt tribute to the late actor and tweeted: “Gaspard Ulliel grew up with cinema and cinema grew with him. They loved each other madly. It is with a heavy heart that we will no longer see his most beautiful interpretations. We have lost a French actor.”
Tributes are pouring in for Gaspard Ulliel on social media. Filmmaker Peter Webber, who directed Ulliel in Hannibal Rising, French director and actor Xavier Dolan, who cast the actor as the lead in his It’s Only the End of the World, French actors Jean Dujardin, Juliette Binoche, and Anthony Delon among others mourned the demise of the late actor.
Shocked and saddened to hear about the death of Gaspard Ulliel at such a young age in a skiing accident. I have such fond memories of working with him all those years ago on Hannibal Rising. Rest in peace, dear friend. pic.twitter.com/U1gmxMvHJE— Peter Webber (@PeterWebber) January 19, 2022
Ulliel was cast as Midnight Man in ‘Moon Knight’, but he’s best remembered for his part in Xavier Dolan’s Canadian-French film ‘It’s Only the End of The World’ (2016), alongside Marion Cotillard, Lea Seydoux and Vincent Cassel. The film won the Grand Prix at Cannes and three Cesars — the French Oscars.
Ulliel also delivered a powerful performance as the famous French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in Bertrand Bonello’s biopic ‘Saint Laurent’.
Describing the death of Ulliel as “so unfair”, France’s Culture Minister, Roselyne Bachelot said: “Such a brilliant actor who was reaped by the sickle of death at the peak of his career. For almost 20 years, he was present in our lives with magnificent performances, winning his first Cesar for the best male newcomer with ‘A Very Long Engagement’.”
Thierry Fremaux, Director of the Cannes Film Festival, also shared his condolences. Ulliel was a mainstay on the red steps in Cannes, where the actor’s movies were often premiering, notes ‘Variety’.
“Gaspard belonged to this new generation of actors who were making tomorrow’s French cinema. He knew how to select his roles and shaped his career which filled every promise,” Fremaux told ‘Variety’.
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