French actor Gaspard Ulliel, best known for playing Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal Rising, has died at the age of 37 in a skiing accident in southeastern France.
“Gaspard Ulliel grew up with cinema, and cinema grew up with him. They were madly in love,” wrote French Prime Minister Jean Castex.
“It is with a heavy heart that we will watch his most beautiful performances and catch his unique gaze. We have lost a French actor.”
The accident happened Tuesday at 4:00 pm local time in the ski resort of La Rosière in the Alpine department of Savoie, according to a statement from the Albertville prosecutor’s office on Wednesday.
The statement said that after Ulliel left the top of the blue ski run, he collided with another skier and both fell to the ground. The second skier was not injured.
According to the statement, when the ambulance arrived at the scene, Ulliel was still unconscious on the snow.
He was airlifted to the nearby Grenoble University Hospital Center where his death was announced on Wednesday afternoon.
A judicial investigation has been launched with investigators from the Alps Security Police.
Ulliel received recognition for his role as French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in the 2014 biopic Saint Laurent. He then won the César Award for Best Actor, the French equivalent of the Oscar, for his performance in Xavier Dolan’s It’s Only the End of the World.
His next screen appearance is set to be in the Marvel Disney+ series Moon Knight, which is scheduled to air in March 2022.
Another French actor, Jean Dujardin, posted an image of Ulliel on Instagram with a caption that simply read “Gaspard” next to a black heart emoji.
And French Culture Minister Rosalyn Bachelot called Ulliel an “exceptional actor” in a tweet posted on Wednesday.
“Today, the film world has lost a huge talent,” Bachelo wrote. “I offer condolences to his family and loving thoughts to all those who mourn for him today.”
