French actor Gaspard Ulliel died earlier today at the age of 37 following a tragic ski accident. The Cesar Award-winning performer was hospitalized yesterday after suffering a head injury and did not recover, Deadline is reporting. The family and local agent of the star of Marvel’s upcoming Moon Knight television series have confirmed the news.
The 37-year-old actor, who was one of France’s biggest film stars, was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Grenoble following a collision on the slopes in the Savoie region. He collided with another skier at an intersection between two slopes and suffered serious brain trauma. The other skier wasn’t hospitalized.
Local authorities have opened an investigation into the accident. Mountain police have been responding to multiple accidents in the region, due to hard snow and ice on the slopes.
Ulliel, who was highly selective about the roles he chose, is best known for portraying the young Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal Rising and the titular fashion mogul Yves Saint Laurent in the biopic Saint Laurent. His last on-screen performance will be as Midnight Man on Moon Knight, an anticipated Disney+ streaming show that also stars Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke. Ulliel was also the face of the Chanel fragrance Bleu de Chanel.
The acclaimed performer was nominated for a Cesar Award for Most Promising Actor in 2002 and 2003. He later won the award in 2004 for his role in director Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s romantic movie, A Very Long Engagement, which co-starred Audrey Tautou. In 2017, he won the Cesar Award for Best Actor for his role in writer-helmer Xavier Dolan’s It’s Only the End of the World, which screened at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.
Thierry Fremaux, the director of the Cannes Film Festival, honored Ulliel by saying: “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.
“Each appearance on the red carpet, from La Princesse de Montpensier to It’s Only the End of the World, illustrated his presence, both discreet and full of kindness. He was equally brilliant and talented. He gave a lot and we’ll always remember him,” Fremaux added.
France’s prime minister, Jean Castex, also paid tribute to the performer on Twitter. He wrote that Ulliel “grew up with cinema and cinema grew with him.”
Ulliel, who was known to be both discreet and friendly with the public, is survived by his girlfriend, French model and singer, Gaëlle Piétri, who he was involved with since 2013. He’s also survived by their 6 year-old son, Orso.