Description:
Gaspard Ulliel's dream had always been to direct a movie, and after completing his studies at the lycée (French high school), he majored in cinema at the University of Saint-Denis, and began his acting career.
He was born in Paris, to Christine, a stylist and runway show producer, and Serge Ulliel, a fashion designer. One of his first professional performances came when he was twelve, in the TV film Une femme en blanc (1997). During the following years, Ulliel continued working on television and was cast in short films such as Alias (1999). He played a young shepherd who was injured by The Beast in Le pacte des loups (2001), and was then discovered by director Michel Blanc, who offered him a part in Embrassez qui vous voudrez (2002) which also starred veteran actress Charlotte Rampling. Ulliel then took summer stages at Les Cours Florent and was asked by director André Téchiné to star in Les égarés (2003) as Emmanuelle Béart's over. His role as Manech opposite Audrey Tautou in Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004) brought him to stardom. He was nominated thrice for Most Promising Male Newcomer at the César Awards (the equivalent of the Oscars in France) in 2003, 2004 and 2005; he won the last one. Ulliel's lead roles include Le dernier jour (2004), Jacquou le croquant (2007) and Hannibal Rising (2007), his first major English-language film.
He had a son with his former partner, model and singer Gaëlle Piétri, born in January 2016. They split up in 2020. Gaspard died on 19 January, 2022, in La Tronche, Isère, France, after a skiing accident.
Birthday
November 25, 1984
Born In
Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Alternative names
Gaspard
Height
178 cm
Parents
Serge Ulliel
Children
Orso Ulliel
Trivia
The scar on his left cheek was the result of a doberman's attack when Gaspard was 6 years old. He attempted to ride the dog like a horse and he hit Gaspard's face with his claws, which left him with a little scar that looked like a dimple. Gaspard used to say that the scar helped to express feelings in his acting. His scar was used as a plot device in several films, but he considered the most memorable scene the one featured in Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004), where Audrey Tautou's character runs her finger across Gaspard's scar when they're saying goodbye to each other when he's leaving for the war. Ulliel's obituary in the French newspaper ''Libération'' described him as having the "most famous scar in French cinema".
Quotes
I began at twelve years old, but in fact I began really by chance. It was a friend of a friend of my mother's who was opening an agency, and she was looking for young kids. And so I entered the agency, but more by curiosity than real passion. And at first I had some small parts in TV movies - in fact my parents didn't want me to miss school, so I was working just once or twice a year. And I had a really regular progression - and this is really pleasant, I think - because I had small parts in TV movies, then bigger parts in TV movies, and then small parts in films. And I think this allows you to get...experience of the set and to get familiar with [the process]. And as I had a really slow progression, I think it really helped me to stay lucid and not get carried away.
Trademarks
scar on his left cheek that looked like a dimple
