French actor G\u00e9rard Depardieu has been accused of rape and sexual assault by a young actress, judicial sources say.<\/p>\n
He denies the allegations “absolutely”, his lawyer told AFP news agency.<\/p>\n
The allegations against the 69-year-old were formally made to police by a 22-year-old French actress on Monday, French radio reports.<\/p>\n
Mr Depardieu is one of France’s most recognisable actors, and has starred in films such as Cyrano de Bergerac and Jean de Florette.<\/p>\n
The alleged crimes occurred this month in one of Mr Depardieu’s Paris residences, French media report.<\/p>\n
The unnamed actress made her statement to police in Lambesc, southern France, after which the case was passed to prosecutors in the capital.<\/p>\n
Mr Depardieu’s accuser is an actress and author who knew the actor before the alleged crimes took place.<\/p>\n
The actress was “devastated” by the alleged attacks, her agent was quoted as saying by French digital news service BFMTV.<\/p>\n
Mr Depardieu’s lawyer, Herv\u00e9 Temime, said he was convinced his client would be exonerated of any blame by the end of the investigation.<\/p>\n
“I had a long meeting with G\u00e9rard Depardieu and I am absolutely convinced his innocence will be established,” he told France Info radio.<\/p>\n
The actor, he said, was “shaken” by the allegations, which went against “everything he is and respects”.<\/p>\n
Able to combine bearish physicality with emotional delicacy on screen, he has played in some 170 films, getting his big break in 1973 with Les Valseuses (Going Places).<\/p>\n
He won the best actor award for Cyrano at Cannes in 1990, and was nominated for an Oscar for the same role.<\/p>\n
Green Card, an English-language comedy made the same year, brought him further acclaim outside the French-speaking world.<\/p>\n
Off-screen, he made headlines in recent years for attacking French tax laws, moving to Belgium in protest and later developing close ties to Vladimir Putin’s Russia.<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"