Like most Individuals studying this text, I completely know Gerard Depardieu from the 1994 film “My Father the Hero,” (which additionally starred 15-year-old Katherine Heigl). Up till lately, I assumed this was Gerard’s first and final movie. A flash-in-the-pan. A one-hit-wonder. Simple come, simple go. Good luck discovering a standard job again in France, buddy. Sorry it did not work out!
You possibly can think about my amazement just a few moments in the past after I realized that not solely was “My Father the Hero” NOT Gerard’s first and final film, he is really starred in tons of of flicks over the a long time, principally in his native France. After which you possibly can think about my full shock after I realized that Gerard earned HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of {dollars} over the course of his performing profession from these films. He is actually one of many richest actors of all time.
However with nice fortune comes… nice tax payments. And in 2012, when newly elected French President François Hollande introduced a 75% “supertax” on annual revenue above €1 million ($1.3 million), Gérard stated “au revoir” to France — and its tax collectors. And that is the place a multi-country battle over Gerard’s multi-hundred-million-dollar fortune started…
From French Icon to Fiscal Fugitive
However with nice fortune comes… nice tax payments. And in 2012, when newly elected French President François Hollande introduced a 75% “supertax” on annual revenue above €1 million ($1.3 million), Gérard stated “au revoir” to France — and its tax collectors.
On the time, Depardieu claimed he had paid $192 million in French taxes over a four-decade profession. That means profession earnings nicely north of $500 million — not too shabby for a man most Individuals assume disappeared after one mediocre 1994 household rom-com. E
So, the place does a tax-weary French millionaire go when issues get too scorching in Paris? In Gérard’s case, the reply was a tiny Belgian village referred to as Néchin, simply throughout the French border, well-known for its low taxes and unusually excessive variety of exiled millionaires. He even purchased a home there, formally altering his residency to Belgium to flee France’s rising charges. Oh, and he renounced his French citizenship in writing, with a letter revealed in a serious newspaper, declaring: “I offer you again my passport and my social safety card.”
In December 2012, Gérard Depardieu listed his Parisian mansion, the Hôtel de Chambon, on the market amid controversy over his determination to go away France for tax causes. The asking value was reported to be within the area of €50 million, roughly equal to $65 million USD. The property, situated at 95 rue du Cherche-Midi within the sixth arrondissement, is a historic Nineteenth-century manor that includes 20 rooms, a swimming pool, landscaped gardens, and a theater annex. He in the end didn’t promote the house and nonetheless owns it at the moment.
Dramatic? After all. He is an actor. However he wasn’t executed but.
Enter: Russia
Just some months later, in January 2013, Gérard accepted Russian citizenship, granted personally by Vladimir Putin — full with a televised bear hug and a residence on 1 Democracy Road within the Russian area of Mordovia.
It was pure theater, and it labored: by shifting his authorized dwelling to Russia, Gérard locked in a 13% flat revenue tax fee, a major improve from France’s proposed 75%.
He grew to become the face of Russian manufacturers, appeared in state-friendly media campaigns, and even filmed just a few films below his new citizenship. For some time, he leaned into his new id, calling Russia “a fantastic democracy” and toasting with vodka as an alternative of Bordeaux.
Enterprise Ventures and a $250 Million Web Price
Behind the scenes, Gérard Depardieu was greater than only a tax refugee. He was — and nonetheless is — a prolific businessman. His web value at the moment is $250 million, due to a long time of movie paychecks, model offers, and savvy investments.
He owns or has owned vineyards in France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Algeria, Morocco, and even Ukraine, together with eating places, a fish market, and different food-centric ventures. At one level, he had three eating places in Paris and employed round 80 folks throughout his varied companies.
Goodbye Putin, Hi there Europe (Once more)
However in recent times, the story took one other twist. In 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Depardieu publicly criticized Vladimir Putin, calling the warfare “fratricidal” and “unacceptable.” It was a stark reversal for somebody who as soon as declared loyalty to the Russian chief.
Russian politicians weren’t happy. Calls to revoke his citizenship and seize his property adopted. Gérard responded by shutting down his movie manufacturing firm in Russia and quietly returning to Europe. Although he reportedly nonetheless holds Russian citizenship, he now resides primarily within the European Union.
A Sophisticated Last Act
Immediately, Gérard Depardieu is again in Paris — to not reclaim his citizenship or toast a tax victory, however to face trial for a number of fees of sexual assault. This week, the 75-year-old actor appeared in a Paris courtroom to reply accusations introduced by two ladies who say he groped them on the set of the 2022 movie Les Volets Verts. It is the primary time Depardieu has confronted a courtroom over a rising record of allegations that span harassment, assault, and even rape — all of which he has vehemently denied.
His authorized workforce tried to have the case thrown out, calling the investigation biased and unfair, however the courtroom allowed proceedings to maneuver ahead. If discovered responsible, Depardieu may withstand 5 years in jail and a wonderful of €75,000 (about $81,000). After initially lacking the trial’s October 2024 begin date on account of reported well being points — together with diabetes and coronary heart issues — he has now returned to the identical metropolis he as soon as fled for monetary freedom, this time to confront a much more severe reckoning.
Regardless of the end result, it is clear that Gérard Depardieu’s story is now not nearly cash, taxes, and even films. It is a sophisticated ultimate act in a protracted, turbulent profession — and it is taking part in out within the very coronary heart of the nation he as soon as tried to go away behind.
The Taxman Returns
However as Depardieu confronts these severe felony allegations in courtroom, one other shadow looms: the French authorities is as soon as once more investigating his funds. Greater than a decade after his dramatic tax exile made headlines, Depardieu is now the topic of a proper inquiry into aggravated tax fraud and cash laundering. Authorities consider he might have falsely claimed overseas residency — first in Belgium, later in Russia — to keep away from paying tens of millions in French taxes since 2013. In early 2025, investigators raided a number of of his properties in France and Belgium, looking for proof that he secretly remained a French resident whereas having fun with the advantages of lower-tax jurisdictions overseas.
As of now, no felony fees have been filed in reference to the tax probe, however the investigation is energetic and ongoing. If discovered liable, Depardieu may face important again taxes, penalties, and doubtlessly even jail time. His attorneys argue the case is unfounded and politically motivated, however French prosecutors seem decided to settle the query of whether or not the actor actually reduce ties along with his homeland — or just performed a protracted, elaborate recreation of fiscal hide-and-seek.
So whereas Gérard Depardieu might have as soon as fled France over taxes, France hasn’t forgotten. And now, between felony trials and monetary scrutiny, the nation he as soon as tried to go away behind might find yourself writing the closing chapter of his lengthy and controversial legacy.