Paris prosecutors have launched an investigation after the death last week of a French actress who was among those who accused film star Gérard Depardieu of sexual misconduct.
Actress Emmanuelle Debever posted a message on Facebook in 2019 saying that the actor touched her in 1982 when they starred together in the film Danton.
Ms. Debever's companion told police on November 29 that she had left her home and left a “disturbing” written message, the Paris prosecutor's office said. After an apparent suicide attempt, the actress could not be saved in the hospital.
According to media reports, she died on December 7th at the age of 60.
On the same day, an investigative documentary about allegations of sexual misconduct against Gérard Depardieu was broadcast on national television channel France 2, which included footage of him repeatedly making obscene remarks and gestures during a trip to North Korea in 2018.
The 74-year-old actor has been under investigation since December 2020 for rape and sexual assault, reportedly at his home in Paris, following allegations made by actress Charlotte Arnould in 2018. He denied any criminal behavior.
In October, Depardieu published an open letter in the French newspaper Le Figaro in which he said: “I would like to finally tell you my truth. 'I have never abused a woman.'
The Paris prosecutor's office said that in light of the allegations made by Ms. Debever against Mr. Depardieu, an investigation into the causes of his death had been opened – the procedure that applies in France when the causes of death are unknown or suspicious.
French investigative news site Mediapart published reports earlier this year that Gérard Depardieu was accused of harassing, touching or sexually assaulting 13 women. The France 2 documentary claims that the number of accusers is now 16.