Gaspard Ulliel, 'Moon Knight' Star and French Actor, Dead at 37
French actor Gaspard Ulliel passed away on Wednesday after a skiing accident in the Alps, according to a report by news agency AFP per Variety. Ulliel was 37 years old and will star in the upcoming Marvel Studios series Moon Knight, belatedly bringing him to a whole new level of global stardom.
Ulliel was reportedly skiing in the Savoie region of the French Alps mountain range when he suffered a terrible injury on Tuesday. The actor collided with another skier at an intersection between two slopes, and he suffered serious brain trauma. Ulliel needed to be air-lifted from the mountain and was taken to a hospital in Grenoble by helicopter. He reportedly succumbed to his injuries and passed away on Wednesday.
Ulliel was one of the most famous and acclaimed actors of his generation in France and already had an impressive international resume as well. In his home country he was known for portraying French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in director Bertrand Bonello's biopic, which competed at the Cannes Film Festival. His other renowned French films included It's Only the End of The World, A Very Long Engagement and La Princesse de Montpensier.
Ulliel was reportedly known for being selective with the roles he chose to take, but he had some high-profile blockbuster titles to his name as well. He played Hannibal Lecter in the 2007 Silence of the Lambs prequel movie Hannibal Rising. He was about to gain even more mainstream acclaim in Moon Knight, one of the most anticipated titles coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Ulliel plays the Midnight Man in Moon Knight – an old villain in the Marvel Comics canon. He begins as a professional art thief with a theatrical flourish but later becomes engrossed in a personal vendetta against Moon Knight. Mourning fans have noted that Ulliel could have held this role for years in the MCU, perhaps appearing in both TV shows and movies down the line.
Moon Knight filmed in several locations throughout Europe in the spring of 2021. Although the series was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was finished in October, with the last round of filming completed in Atlanta, Georgia. The series premieres on March 30, 2022. According to Ulliel's IMDb page, he has two other posthumous projects coming up – one movie called More Than Ever with a tentative release date of 2022, and another called La Bête with no release date just yet.
Ulliel is survived by his 6-year-old son Orso and his girlfriend Gaelle Petri. So far, his family and his professional representatives have not issued a public comment on his passing. Friends and colleagues are openly mourning the actor on social media, however.