Gaspard Ulliel, who played a young Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal Rising and starred opposite Audrey Tatou in A Very Long Engagement has died in a ski accident at age 37, according to authorities in Albertville, France. Ulliel also played Yves Saint Laurent in a 2007 biopic about the fashion icon and stars in the upcoming Marvel film Moon Knight.
Ulliel collided with another skier at a resort in the French Alps, officials said. He was transported to a hospital in Grenoble where he died from his injuries. The other skier was not hospitalized.
Ulliel began acting at age 12. He won two Cesars, France's equivalent to the Oscars. In 2005 he won the Most Promising Actor Cesar for A Very Long Engagement. Twelve years later he won the Best Actor Cesar for Juste La Fin Du Monde (It's Only The End of the World), opposite Marion Cotillard and Lea Seydoux. He also worked as a model.
In 2010, Ulliel played a famous French director in a commercial for Chanel that was directed by Martin Scorsese. The part wasn't just fantasy. In 2011, he told Anthem Magazine he hoped to direct one day. "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."
Xavier Dolan, who directed Ulliel in Juste La Fin Du Monde called the actor's death "unimaginable" and "so painful." On Instagram, Dolan praised the actor for his "attentive eye" and "listening."
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire writes on Twitter, the French film industry has lost "a huge talent, full of charm and energy."
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