Gaspard Ulliel, a French actor known for portraying the young Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal Rising and fashion mogul Yves Saint Laurent in the biopic Saint Laurent, has died Wednesday at the age of 37, according to BBC.
Ulliel, who is set to appear in Marvel’s forthcoming TV series Moon Knight, died after a skiing accident in the Alps, his family told news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The actor was skiing in the Savoie region on Tuesday when he collided with another person, suffering a severe brain injury. He was airlifted to a hospital in Grenoble, where he died the next day.
The other skier was not hospitalized and an investigation is now underway.
French finance minister Bruno Le Maire tweeted, “French cinema is losing a huge talent, full of charm and energy.”
London-based film writer Caspar Salmon also paid tribute, stating Ulliel was “an actor of considerable magnetism, talent, and beauty, who had already carved out an impressive and varied career.”
Born on November 25, 1984, in Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb of Paris, Ulliel appeared on screen from the age of 11, but he garnered international acclaim for his performance as a young Hannibal in Hannibal Rising. He attended the University of Saint-Denis, where he studied cinema.
In 2005, he won the most promising actor for his performance in the World War One drama A Very Long Engagement, which also starred Audrey Tautou.
In 2017, Ulliel won the best actor Cesar, the French equivalent of an Oscar, for his performance opposite Marion Cotillard and Lea Seydoux in It’s Only the End of the World.
Upon hearing the news of Ulliel’s death, Pierre Niney, tweeted, “Gaspard was benevolence and kindness. Beauty and talent.”
Ulliel had a scar on his left cheek because of an attack from a Doberman while he was attempting to ride the dog like a horse at the age of six.
He once said that the scar increased his emotional acting abilities, as it looked like a dimple. His obituary in the French newspaper Libération described him as having the “most famous scar in French cinema.” Ulliel is survived by his girlfriend, the model and singer Gaëlle Piétri, and their 6-year-old son.
