Paris, Jan 19 : Gaspard Ulliel, one of France’s best-known actors, who’ll soon be seen in Marvel’s upcoming and much-anticipated ‘Moon Knight’ series on Disney Plus, died following a skiing accident in the French Alps on Wednesday, reports ‘Variety’. He was 37.
In a heartfelt tribute to the late Cesar-winning actor, French Prime Minister Jean Castex, writing on Twitter, said: “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.”
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, Léa Seydoux and Vincent Cassel. The film won the Grand Prix at Cannes and three Cesars — the French Oscars.
The Cesar-winning actor also delivered a powerful performance as the famous French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in Bertrand Bonello’s biopic ‘Saint Laurent’, reports ‘Variety’.
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 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’.(IANS)