Gaspard Ulliel

Gaspard Thomas Ulliel (French pronunciation: [ɡaspaʁ tɔmɑ yljɛl]; 25 November 1984 – 19 January 2022) was a French actor and model. He was known for having portrayed the young Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal Rising (2007), fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in the biopic Saint Laurent (2014), and for being the face of Chanel men's fragrance Bleu de Chanel for twelve years. He also voiced Jack Frost in the French version of Rise of the Guardians (2012), and portrayed Anton Mogart in the Disney+ miniseries Moon Knight (2022).

Ulliel made his feature film debut in Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001), and had his breakthrough in Strayed (2003). He was nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actor for three consecutive years for his performances in Summer Things (2002), Strayed (2003), and A Very Long Engagement (2004); winning that award in 2005 for his performance as World War I soldier Manech in A Very Long Engagement. In 2015, he earned his first César nomination for Best Actor for his performance in Saint Laurent. In 2017, he won the César Award for Best Actor for his role as a terminally ill playwright in It's Only the End of the World (2016). He became a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France in 2015.

His other notable works include The Last Day (2004), Paris, je t'aime (2006), Jacquou le Croquant (2007), The Princess of Montpensier (2010), To the Ends of the World (2018), Sibyl (2019), and Twice Upon a Time (2019).

Ulliel died on 19 January 2022 at the age of 37, following a skiing accident at La Rosière resort in Savoie, France.

Early life

Ulliel was born in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine to Christine, a stylist and runway show producer, and Serge Ulliel, a fashion designer. Ulliel was an only child. His great-grandfather, Raoul Ulliel (1889–1943), was a bronzesmith. His paternal grandmother was of Italian and Spanish descent.

He had a scar on his left cheek as a result of a doberman attacking him with its claws when he attempted to ride the dog like a horse at the age of six. He once quipped that the scar increased his emotional acting abilities because it looked like a dimple. His obituary in the French newspaper Libération described him as having the "most famous scar in French cinema".

Ulliel attended the bilingual school École Jeannine Manuel in Paris where he learned English.

Ulliel wanted to be a jazz musician and even tried playing the saxophone for a couple of years, but he quit because he thought he wasn't talented. He also learned how to play the piano. He was also interested in architecture and photography.

He dreamed of becoming a film director and attended the University of Saint-Denis in Paris, where he studied cinema for two years until he quit to focus on his acting career.

Career

Early work and breakthrough (1997–2003)

Ulliel began acting while he was still at school, at eleven years old, when a friend of a friend of his mother was working at an agency and was looking for young actors. She asked Ulliel if he wanted to give it a try and he said "yes", but just for fun. It was only after he turned seventeen that he really decided to continue working in this industry. He left the University of Saint-Denis after two years because he was getting more offers as an actor, but he still dreamed about writing and directing his own film, stating in a 2011 interview for Anthem Magazine; "I wake up every morning with this idea stuck in my mind that I want to write and direct my own film one day. As I work more and more on different sets, I see how hard it is to be a director. It's insane the amount of work and confidence that goes into it. I’m so respectful of filmmakers and I admire what they do. I hope that one day I'll find the right subject and the confidence to try it. I'm still young."

He made his acting debut with a small part in one episode of Une femme en blanc, a 1997 miniseries for French television starring Sandrine Bonnaire. He continued appearing in made-for-television films and TV series during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and then became known as a film actor in France.

In 2001, Ulliel made his feature film debut with a minor role in Christophe Gans's Brotherhood of the Wolf, alongside Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci.

In 2002, Ulliel played the role of Loic in Michel Blanc's romantic comedy-drama film Summer Things, for which he earned his first César Award nomination for Most Promising Actor, as well as winning the Lumière Award for Most Promising Actor.

He also performed at the drama school Cours Florent, where he was discovered by director André Téchiné, who cast him in the lead role of his World War II drama film Strayed in 2003, starring opposite Emmanuelle Béart as a mysterious teenager who protects her family. For his breakthrough performance in the film, Ulliel was nominated for a César Award for Most Promising Actor, and won the Étoiles d'Or for Best Male Newcomer.

A Very Long Engagement, English-language films and stage debut (2004–2012)

Ulliel had his first English-speaking role in Peter Greenaway's 2004 film The Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 2: Vaux to the Sea, where he played a French man named Leon.

In 2004, he starred in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's World War I drama A Very Long Engagement, co-starring with Audrey Tautou and Marion Cotillard, and won a César Award for Most Promising Actor for his performance as soldier Manech Langonnet, the fiancé of Mathilde, Tautou's character, who disappeared in the trenches in 1917 and whom she refuses to believe is dead and starts investigating what happened to him. That same year, he also starred in Rodolphe Marconi's drama The Last Day, opposite Mélanie Laurent and Nicole Garcia.

In 2005, Ulliel played Izik in Richard Dembo's World War II drama Nina's House.

In 2006, he appeared opposite Marianne Faithfull and Elias McConnell in Gus Van Sant's "Le Marais" segment of the anthology film Paris, je t'aime, in which he played Gaspard, a young gay man flirting with a male print shop worker played by McConnell.

In 2007, Ulliel starred in the title role in the movie Hannibal Rising, his first major English-language film where he portrayed the young Hannibal Lecter. That same year, he also played the title role in Laurent Boutonnat's historical film Jacquou le Croquant, based on the 1899 novel by Eugène Le Roy about a peasant who leads a revolt against the Count of Nansac.

In 2008, he starred as François, a scientist researching black holes in the sci-fi film The Third Part of the World, directed by Eric Forestier. He also starred as Joseph, the son of Isabelle Huppert's character in Rithy Panh's drama The Sea Wall, based on the 1950 novel of the same name by Marguerite Duras.

In 2009, Ulliel starred opposite Jean Reno in the thriller Inside Ring (also known as Ultimate Heist), directed by Laurent Tuel. He also portrayed the angel Xas in Niki Caro's English-language romantic drama film The Vintner's Luck, based on the 1998 novel The Vintner's Luck by Elizabeth Knox, in which he appeared opposite Jérémie Renier, Vera Farmiga, and Keisha Castle-Hughes. That same year, he also starred as Nathanaël in Alain Tasma's drama Ultimatum, set in 1990's Israel during Gulf War.

In 2010, he portrayed Henry I, Duke of Guise in Bertrand Tavernier's romance film The Princess of Montpensier, based on the 1662 novel of the same name by Madame de La Fayette. In 2011, he played William in Emmanuel Mouret's comedy film The Art of Love.

In 2012, Ulliel made his stage debut in Que faire de Mister Sloane?, an adaptation of English author Joe Orton's 1963 play, Entertaining Mr. Sloane, in which he played the title role and was directed by Michel Fau at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. That same year, he also voiced Jack Frost in the French version of the animated film Rise of the Guardians; and played Balthazar, one of the four sons of Nicole Garcia's character in Brigitte Roüan's comedy film, A Greek Type of Problem.

Saint Laurent and It's Only the End of the World (2014–2019)

He portrayed French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in the 2014 biographical film Saint Laurent directed by Bertrand Bonello, which earned him a Lumière Award for Best Actor and nominations for the César, and for the Globe de Cristal for Best Actor.

In December 2014, Ulliel was a member of the jury of the Cinecoles Short Film section at the 14th Marrakech International Film Festival.

In 2015, Ulliel starred as Tomas in an adaptation of Lars Norén's play Démons, directed by Marcial Di Fonzo Bo at the Théâtre du Rond-Point in Paris.