Gaspard Ulliel: French actor who played a young Hannibal Lecter dies at 37

By: Ashish Maliya

Published on:

Gaspard Ulliel poses before the premiere of "The Ballerina" at the Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2016

French actor Gaspard Ulliel, known for playing a young Hannibal Lecter and fashion mogul Yves Saint Laurent, died on Wednesday after suffering a skiing accident in the French Alps on Tuesday, his family confirmed.

The news of his death comes just one day after the release of the trailer for Moon Knight, the new Marvel television series in which Ulliel plays Anton Mogart (known as Midnight Man) and which premieres next March.

The 37-year-old actor, one of France’s best-known actors, also starred in It’s Only the End of the World, for which he won a César (the French equivalent of the Oscar) for best actor in 2017.

Ulliel was skiing Tuesday in the Savoy region of the French Alps when he collided with someone else.

He suffered brain trauma and was taken to a hospital in Grenoble, where he died on Wednesday.

The other skier was not hospitalized and authorities said an investigation is ongoing.

“Remarkable magnetism”

“French cinema loses an enormous talent, full of charm and energy,” French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire tweeted.

Writer and critic Caspar Salmon also paid tribute to Ulliel, describing him as “an actor of remarkable magnetism, talent and beauty, who had already forged a varied and impressive career”.

In addition to being an actor, Ulliel also worked as a model. She was the face of Chanel’s Bleu fragrance, for which she filmed an advertisement in 2010 under the direction of Martin Scorsese.

Born on the outskirts of Paris in 1984, Ulliel had been performing since the age of 11.

In 2005 he won the César Award for Breakthrough Actor for his role in the war drama A Very Long Engagement (“Eternal Love”), starring Audrey Tautou.

But it was in 2007 when he achieved international recognition for the film Hannibal Rising (“Hannibal, the origin of evil”) by Peter Webber, a prequel in which he gave life to a young Hannibal Lecter.

He was also nominated for the César for his role in “Saint Laurent”, one of two biographical films that premiered in 2014 about designer Yves Saint Laurent and that aspired to the main prize at the Cannes Film Festival that year.

Ulliel was praised for his performance, but lost the Caesar to Pierre Niney, who starred in the other film about the stylist, titled “Yves Saint Laurent”.

“Broken heart,” Niney tweeted upon hearing the news of Ulliel’s death. “Gaspard was benevolence and kindness. Beauty and talent.”

The actor was bitten by a dog in childhood and years later said he felt the scar helped him in his life and career as it looked like a dimple.

He had a 6-year-old son with his partner, a French model, and singer Gaëlle Piétri.