French actor Depardieu faces rape investigation, denies wrongdoing

[August 31, 2018] PARIS (Reuters) - Gerard Depardieu is being investigated by the Paris prosecutor over accusations of rape and sexual assault, a judicial source said - though the prominent French actor denies any wrongdoing, according to his lawyer.

One of France's most prolific actors, Depardieu, 69, has been in around 170 movies through his career and gained international recognition in 1990 with his starring role in the English language comedy "Green Card".

"I can confirm a complaint was registered on August 27 in the jurisdiction of the Aix-en-Provence prosecutor. The case was passed on to the Paris prosecutor," the source said.

French media said the complaint had been lodged by a 22-year-old French actress.

A lawyer for Depardieu dismissed the accusations. "Gerard Depardieu denies any wrongdoing. He will cooperate in the investigation and will answer questions," Herve Temime told BFM television.

Depardieu, he added, was "shaken" by the allegations.

In recent years, Depardieu had drawn Western criticism for

his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(Reporting by Emmanuel Jarry; writing by Matthias Blamont; Editing by John Irish/Mark Heinrich)

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