Gerard Depardieu Page 3

Gerard Depardieu might be French, but last year he was involved in that old Hollywood classic – the DUI. Depardieu was found to be three times over the legal blood alcohol limit, when he fell off his scooter last year. In an extreme case of punishment fitting the crime, Depardieu has now been fined 4000 Euros ($5256) – you know, three times the legal limit, three times the fine, or something.

Still, he got off pretty easy, considering that the law in France envisions up to two years jail time for DUI cases with extremely high alcohol levels. Depardieu was not present in the courtroom to hear the verdict, The Guardian reports. Fortunately, nobody was hurt in the incident, apart from the actor himself, who injured his elbow. That sounds like a pretty mild consequence of what could have been a very serious accident.

This isn’t the first time Depardieu has gotten in trouble with the law and his legal troubles usually involve some dramatic altercation. A few months prior, a taxi driver filed a lawsuit against the actor for assault and battery, while last year, he was arrested for urinating in the aisle of an Air France jet as it was taking off (we wish we were making this up). As recently as last year the actor criticised the Socialist government of François Hollande over high taxes, taking up President Vladimir Putin's offer of a Russian passport. The general takeaway here seems to be that Gerard Depardieu and the French legal system just do not get along.

Continue reading: More Legal Trouble For Gerard Depardieu - One Costly DUI

The world-famous Asterix star, Gérard Depardieu, was fined for drink driving by a French court after he was scooting about drunkenly last November (2012), fell off, and ended up in a police station.

Depardieu has a history of drink-related driving incidents, having crashed his motorcycle in 1999 when, despite having alcohol levels at five times the legal limit, he managed to escape with face and leg injuries. He has also attracted negative media attention for such incidents as punching a motorist last year following an altercation in Paris that allegedly involved Depardieu crashing his scooter into the driver's car.

In further drunken reports since last year, the 63 year-old actor was banned from an Air France flight after being told he wasn't allowed to use the toilet during take-off, according to The Daily Mail, in an incident that culminated in the inebriated actor urinating in the aisle, disgusting his fellow passengers.

Continue reading: Quel Horreur! Gérard Depardieu Fined 4K For Drink Driving

The French actor Gerard Depardieu has come under intense fire after a string of events that have lead him to have a Russian passport. His ex-wife and daughter have jumped to his defence, reports the Telegraph.

Late last year it was reported that Depardieu had bought a house just over the border in Belgium, to avoid high French tax for the very rich. The new socialist government has implemented a 75% tax on those who earn over one million Euros. While it seems steep, that still leaves an enormous EUR250,000 per million, which is more than enough to live a very good life on. Since being criticized for that he chose to take up Russian President Vladimir Putin's offer of a Russian passport - which has meant he's come under more criticism, understandably. However, his ex-wife and daughter have now come to his defence. 

His ex-wife described him as a man who is "inconsolable and who is fighting to try to go on living." Adding, "When someone is as lost as that, should one cast the first stone? He can go off the rails, he can say any old rubbish...sometimes there's the worst in him, but sometimes the best...I don't understand how one can sum someone up in one act".

Continue reading: Gerard Depardieu Ex-Wife Defends Him About Russian Passport: You Can't 'Sum Someone Up In One Act'

Actor Gerard Depardieu has called his new home Russia "a great democracy" after being granted citizenship by President Vladimir Putin. In an open letter, the Oscar winner hailed Putin for personally signing the decree, which grants him a Russian passport following his tax row with the government in his native France.

In December, Mr Putin said he would be happy to welcome Depardieu into his country, "If he'd like to have a Russian passport, consider it settled" he said. French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called the actor's decision to leave the country "shabby." In the letter broadcast on Russian TV station Pervyi Kanal, Depardieu said, "I filed a passport application and I am pleased that it was accepted. I love your country, Russia - its people, its history, its writers. I love your culture, your intelligence." The row began last year after French President Francois Hollande said he would raise taxes to 75% for those earning more than £1 million euros. The actor had accused the socialist government for punishing "success, creation and talent," and initially announced he would be moving to Belgium. After seemingly changing his mind, Mr Depardieu sought citizenship in Russia, which has a flat 13% personal income tax rate. It's likely Putin was aware of the actor's lead role in the movie Rasputin, a Franco-Russian production from 2011.

It's the latest bizarre turn in the life of Depardieu, who delayed an Air France plane from Paris to Dublin in 2011 after urinating on the floor. The actor reportedly refused to wait 15 minutes until the bathrooms could be unlocked, choosing instead to relieve himself on the carpet.

Continue reading: The Bizarre World Of 'Russian' Actor Gerard Depardieu

Kim and Kanye Have Kompany! It's the news we were all 'kind of' expecting, but Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have finally announced they are to have their first child together. Great news for the A-list couple, but why do the Californian courts presume Kris Humphries is the father?

No More Mr Nice It looks as though Justin Bieber has had just about enough of the paparazzi in California. After the sad news that one photographer was killed after dangerously trying to obtain snaps of the young singer, Bieber has called on the government to clamp down on high speed car chases between celebrities and the paparazzi.

Continue reading: A Week In News: Kardashian Pregnant, Bieber Puts His Foot Down, Gerard Departs To Russia!

We thought he was heading to Belgium, but it looks like Gerard Depardieu has changed his mind and will be moving to Russia after falling out with his native French in a dispute over tax.

The BBC reports that a short statement has been released on the Kremlin website that reads: "Vladimir Putin has signed a decree granting Russian citizenship to Gerard Depardieu.” It’s good news for the life-loving actor, who last year announced that he would be giving up his French passport after the country’s government criticized him for wanting to move abroad, in response to them raising taxes on the rich.

We’re pretty sure that no-one has been on tenterhooks to see where the portly French thesp might end up, but It seemed at one point like Depardieu simply wanted to cross the border, to the Belgian town of Nechin. However, in a dramatic swerve, that plan seems to have been usurped for a plot to move further afield; indeed, back in December, Putin was already apparently aware that a move to Russia was on Depardieu’s radar. Perhaps he’s a huge fan of the star’s 90’s Musketeer capers in The Man In The Iron Mask, because he offered an open-armed welcome, saying "I'm sure the French authorities did not want to offend Mr Depardieu. But if he'd like to have a Russian passport, consider it settled," during his annual news conference on December 20, 2012.