French actress Emmanuelle Debever, the first entertainer to accuse Gérard Depardieu of sexual assault, died by suicide Dec. 7, after jumping into the Seine river in Paris. She was 60.
First reported by the French newspaper Libération, Debever’s death has been confirmed by French authorities, who have classified it as a suicide.
Debever died on the same day as the TV broadcast of an investigative documentary into the various sexual assault allegations against Depardieu. The show, from the investigative news program Complément d’Enquête, teased the report last week with clips from an interview with actress Hélène Darras, who has filed an official complaint against Depardieu, claiming the French star sexually assaulted her on the set of the 2007 film Disco.
The TV documentary also included allegations from Debever, who accused Depardieu of assaulting her on the set of the 1982 film Danton, a period drama directed by Andrzej Wajda, in which Depardieu played Georges Danton.
A promising young talent in French cinema in the 1980s, Debever later pulled back from the limelight. Her allegations against Depardieu are not new. In a Facebook post in 2019, Debever said her co-star tried to grope her as they rode in a carriage on set.
“This monster allowed himself to enjoy plenty during filming, making the most of the intimacy inside a carriage,” she wrote. “Sliding his fat paw under my skirt to, in his words, ‘make me feel better’…I didn’t allow it to happen.”
Several women have accused the 74-year-old actor of sexual harassment and assault. Depardieu denies all charges. But the latest round of allegations and the TV exposé appear to have had an impact on public opinion in France. Michel Saint-Jean, head of Diaphana, one of France’s largest independent film production and distribution houses, said that no one wants to work with Depardieu anymore. “Like many people, I think Depardieu is the greatest French actor. But what happened is beyond despicable. Will I still be able to produce or distribute a film with Depardieu? My answer is no,” he said.
