Born on December 27, 1948 in Ch?teauroux, Indre, Gerard Depardieu is an award-winning French actor. He left school when he was 13 and became a minor street criminal before being discovered as an acting talent in the early 1970s. He began to perform at a small traveling theater, Caf? de la Gare, with fellow French actors Patrick Dewaere and Miou-Miou. He also joined the Theatre Nationale Populaire in Paris to pursue his acting career. He had minor roles in cinema, and eventually landed a role in Bertrand Blier’s Les Valeuses in 1974. His fame grew, and he later diversified his screen image. He collaborated with Blier once again to film the 1979 Academy Award?-winner for Best Foreign Language Film, Get Out Your Handkerchiefs. During the 1980s, he became one of the leading French actors.
Gerard Depardieu was awarded a C?sar Best Actor for his role in 1980’s Le Dernier m?tro. In 1983, he achieved popularity playing the title role of a hunchbacked farmer in Jean de Florette. He also appeared alongside Bulle Ogier in Ma?tresse, and was also cast with Isabelle Adjani in Barocco. In 1990, he won the Cannes Film Festival acting award, and received an Oscar nomination for his performance in Cyrano de Bergerac. His popularity expanded to the United States as well. In 1985, he was given an acting award at the Venice Film Festiva for his work in Police.
Depardieu continued to film a number of films in the 1990s, including 1994’s My Father the Hero and was cast as the title role in 1996’s Bogus. He is also known for playing Jean-Pierre Le Pelt in 2000’s Disney movie 102 Dalmatians, where he was cast opposite Glenn Close. His film credits also include playing Obelisk in the comic book-based Asterix movies. In 2007, he appeared in acclaimed films like The Singer and La Vie en Rose.