37-year-old French Actor Gaspard Ulliel dead after ski accident
French actor Gaspard Ulliel, best known for playing the titular role in “Hannibal Rising”, has died at the age of 37 after a freak skiing accident in South Eastern France.
The accident happened on Tuesday afternoon when Ulliel had collided with another skier on a blue ski trail, an intermediate slope, in the town of Montvalezan in eastern France, the prosecutor of nearby Albertville said in a statement.
An emergency team quickly arrived on the scene, finding Gaspard lying on the snow unconscious and was airlifted to the nearby Grenoble University Hospital Center where his death was announced Wednesday afternoon.
A judiciary investigation has been launched with investigators from the Alps security police as the other skier was left without any injuries.
Ulliel is known for appearing in Chanel perfume ads, portraying fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in a 2014 biopic, acted opposite another French star Audrey Tautou (“Amelie”) in the film adaptation of “A Very Long Engagement,” and was set to star as Midnight Man in the Disney+ series “Moon Knight.”
The news of his death came just a day after the trailer for Moon Knight, in which he stars as Midnight Man, was released online.
He was also the recipient of a French Cesar award in 2017 having won the Best Actor for his role in a Xavier Dolan directed film “It’s Only the End of the World”.
"Gaspard Ulliel grew up with cinema and cinema grew up with him. They loved each other madly," French Prime Minister Jean Castex tweeted Wednesday.
"It's with a heavy heart that we will rewatch his most beautiful performances and catch his unique gaze. We have lost a French actor." the tweet continued.
French minister of culture Rosalyne Bachelot also called Ulliel "an exceptional actor" in a tweet published Wednesday.
"Today the world of cinema lost a huge talent," wrote Bachelot. "I send my condolences to his family and my loving thoughts to all those who grieve for him today." she added.
The actor will be remembered by the industry, his fans and his son whom he shares with model-singer Gaëlle Piétri.
Tags: #French, #ski, #marvel, #GaspardUlliel, #actor