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| Gérard Depardieu: French actor accused of rape | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| French actor Gérard Depardieu has been accused of rape and sexual assault by a young actress, judicial sources say. | French actor Gérard Depardieu has been accused of rape and sexual assault by a young actress, judicial sources say. |
| He denies the allegations "absolutely", his lawyer told AFP news agency. | He denies the allegations "absolutely", his lawyer told AFP news agency. |
| The allegations against the 69-year-old were formally made to police by a 22-year-old French actress on Monday, French radio reports. | The allegations against the 69-year-old were formally made to police by a 22-year-old French actress on Monday, French radio reports. |
| Mr Depardieu is one of France's most recognisable actors, and has starred in films such as Cyrano de Bergerac and Jean de Florette. | Mr Depardieu is one of France's most recognisable actors, and has starred in films such as Cyrano de Bergerac and Jean de Florette. |
| What are the accusations? | What are the accusations? |
| The alleged crimes occurred this month in one of Mr Depardieu's Paris residences, French media report. | The alleged crimes occurred this month in one of Mr Depardieu's Paris residences, French media report. |
| The unnamed actress made her statement to police in Lambesc, southern France, after which the case was passed to prosecutors in the capital. | The unnamed actress made her statement to police in Lambesc, southern France, after which the case was passed to prosecutors in the capital. |
| Mr Depardieu's accuser is an actress and author who knew the actor before the alleged crimes took place. | Mr Depardieu's accuser is an actress and author who knew the actor before the alleged crimes took place. |
| The actress was "devastated" by the alleged attacks, her agent was quoted as saying by French digital news service BFMTV. | |
| Mr Depardieu's lawyer, Hervé Temime, said he was convinced his client would be exonerated of any blame by the end of the investigation. | Mr Depardieu's lawyer, Hervé Temime, said he was convinced his client would be exonerated of any blame by the end of the investigation. |
| "I had a long meeting with Gérard Depardieu and I am absolutely convinced his innocence will be established," he told France Info radio. | |
| The actor, he said, was "shaken" by the allegations, which went against "everything he is and respects". | |
| Who is Depardieu? | |
| 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). | |
| He won the best actor award for Cyrano at Cannes in 1990, and was nominated for an Oscar for the same role. | |
| Green Card, an English-language comedy made the same year, brought him further acclaim outside the French-speaking world. | |
| 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. |