Actor Gérard Depardieu had been charged with rape by French authorities. The 72-year old has been brought up on charges in the country for an incident that allegedly took place in 2018. The incident is said to have happened at his home in Paris. Depardieu is said to have raped an actress, who has not been identified at this time. The unnamed actress was reportedly in her 20s at the time.

The charges were initially brought up on Gerard Depardieu back in December. However, the news is only now coming to light. The actor has been charged with both rape and sexual assault. He has not been arrested at this time but is under judicial supervision. Depardieu's lawyer, Herve Temime, says that his client "completely rejects the accusations." Temime also said the following.

"I had a long meeting with Gerard and am convinced his innocence will be established."

Depardieu has not personally released a statement of any kind regarding the charges. The case in question had originally been closed in 2019 due to a lack of evidence. At the time, no charges had been brought against him. But the case was later reopened in October 2020, which resulted in the rape and sexual assault charges. Attorney Elodie Tuaillon-Hibon, a legal representative for the alleged victim, said that she hopes her client's "private sphere will be respected." Depardieu is reportedly friends with the family of the unnamed actress.

There is no word currently on when the legal proceedings will take place. It also isn't clear, at this time, what sort of jail time the former Oscar-nominee could face, should he ultimately be convicted. In the U.S., the average rape conviction comes with a sentence of a little more than nine years. Those convicted, on average, serve a little over five years. Sexual assault convictions can carry anywhere from five to fifteen years in prison. The maximum sentence for rape in France is fifteen years.

Gerard Depardieu is a French actor who has been extremely prolific since his career began in the late 60s. He has amassed more than 200 credits during that time. He is extremely well known in French cinema but has worked a lot in Hollywood as well. Some of his credits include The Last Metro, Green Card and Cyrano de Bergerac, which earned him an Oscar nomination. Depardieu has also won multiple Cesar awards for his work. He remains busy to this day, with several projects either filming or in post-production. The outcome of this case will undoubtedly impact the future of those movies and TV shows.

This is far from the first time that Gerard Depardieu has made headlines over the years. He urinated on a flight in 2011 in front of other passengers. A year later in 2012, he reportedly assaulted a motorist. The actor has also garnered attention due to his friendly relationship with Russia's leader Vladamir Putin. Depardieu became a citizen of Russia in 2013. This news comes to us via France 24.