Iconic French Actor Gérard Depardieu Found Guilty of Sexually Assaulting Two Women — But Dodges Jail With 18-Month Suspended Sentence
Gérard Depardieu has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two women but has swerved a jail sentence.
May 13 2025, Published 7:37 a.m. ET
French acting giant Gérard Depardieu has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two women.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the veteran star, 76, was convicted of groping a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant during the filming of 2021 film Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters.)
'I Was Petrified'
The French actor appeared in court in March to face charges.
He avoided jail after being handed an 18-month suspended prison sentence, as well as a fine totalling $32,254, and the Paris court has requested that he be registered in the national sex offender database.
The actor, who has appeared in more than 200 films and television series, has been accused of improper behaviour by around 20 women, but this was the first case to reach trial.
Depardieu has denied any wrongdoing.
Both his victims had been working on the film in behind-the-scenes roles and claimed they were too scared to speak out at the time.
A set designer named Amelie said: "I was petrified."
Depardieu appeared unfazed by the serious allegations against him.
She told the court Depardieu had trapped her between his legs as she tried to pass him in a corridor before he began touching her body.
"He terrified me — he looked like a madman," she said.
Depardieu first arrived in court for his trial in March, dressed in a dark suit with no tie, appearing unfazed by the serious allegations against him.
The set dresser alleged the actor was openly making crude remarks on set, and at one point loudly complained he "couldn't even get it up" because of the heat.
She claimed he boasted he could "give women an orgasm without touching them" and that an hour later Depardieu "brutally grabbed" her.
Depardieu Made 'Obscene' Remarks
The actor testified for an hour at his trial on Tuesday, March 25.
The actor pinned her by "closing his legs" around her before groping her waist and her stomach, continuing up to her breasts, she added.
She said Depardieu made "obscene remarks" including: "Come and touch my big parasol. I'll stick it in your p----" – and described the actor's bodyguards dragging him away as he shouted: "We'll see each other again, my dear."
The second victim, the assistant director, has also accused Depardieu of sexual violence, though details of her case were not made public.
Prominent French actress Anouk Grinberg, who also starred in Les Volets Verts, publicly supported the accusers, claiming Depardieu routinely made "salacious remarks" during filming. She has accused producers of knowingly "hiring an abuser."
In March, lead prosecutor Laurent Guy recommended an 18-month suspended jail term for Depardieu, arguing that the sentence "takes into account the total lack of remorse' shown by the defendant".
He also said Depardieu should also be ordered to undergo psychological treatment and be added to France's sex offender registry.
Controversial Off-Screen Behavior
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Depardieu has a past littered with misdemeanors that have overshadowed his career.
Depardieu, once France's most celebrated actor, has become equally infamous for his controversial behavior off-screen.
In 2011, he made headlines for urinating in the aisle of a plane.
He has been involved in drunken brawls, arrested for drink-driving, and has sparked outrage with his close ties to Vladimir Putin.
A 2023 French TV documentary, The Fall of the Ogre, revealed footage of Depardieu on a 2018 trip to North Korea making explicit sexual comments in front of a female interpreter and appearing to sexualise a young girl riding a horse.
