Gerard Depardieu withdraws appeal against sexual assault conviction
Gerard Depardieu is set to withdraw his appeal against his conviction for sexually assaulting two women during the 2021 filming of Jean Becker’s “The Green Shutters” (“Les Volets Verts”), according to a source close to the case. The decision comes shortly before an appeals trial due to begin on Monday and will make the original ruling final.
A court last year sentenced the 77-year-old actor to 18 months in prison, suspended, and ordered him to register as a sex offender. It also imposed an additional penalty for “secondary victimisation”, relating to the treatment of the two women by his defence team. The plaintiffs were a set dresser identified as Amelie and an assistant director.
The conviction represents a dramatic reversal for an actor who appeared in more than 200 films and television series and dominated French cinema for five decades. Depardieu was the highest-profile figure drawn into France’s response to the #MeToo movement; the verdict was delivered on the opening day of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where he won the best actor prize in 1990.
Depardieu denies the allegations. He is also facing a separate case after actor Charlotte Arnould, 30, filed a rape complaint. He has appealed against his referral to the criminal court in that case, with a decision expected on November 26.
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