Gaspard Ulliel, star of Marvel series "Moon Knight" and Chanel perfume ads, dies in skiing accident at 37
French actor Gaspard Ulliel, known for appearing in Chanel perfume ads as well as film and television roles, died Wednesday after a skiing accident in the Alps, according to his agent's office. He was 37.
Ulliel portrayed the young Hannibal Lecter in 2007's "Hannibal Rising" and fashion mogul Yves Saint Laurent in the 2014 biopic "Saint Laurent." He also stars in the upcoming Marvel series "Moon Knight," and was the advertising face of the Chanel men's fragrance Bleu de Chanel.
BBC News reports the news of Ulliel's death came just two days after the trailer for "Moon Knight" was released online. Ulliel plays the character of Midnight Man in the series, which also stars Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke.
Ulliel was hospitalized Tuesday after the accident in the Savoie region's Rosiere ski area, the Savoie prosecutor's office said. The office of the actor's agent said Ulliel died on Wednesday. It provided no details.
Local broadcaster France Bleu said Ulliel was hospitalized with a skull injury, and that he apparently collided with another skier at a crossing point on the slopes. The other skier was not hospitalized, according to France Bleu. Police and prosecutors would not discuss details of the accident.
Ulliel started in television while still in middle school and went on to win two of France's top cinema awards, the Cesar.
As the face of the Bleu de Chanel fragrance, Ulliel was directed by Martin Scorsese in a 2010 television commercial.
Tributes poured in for the actor. French Prime Minister Jean Castex tweeted an homage that said, "Gaspard Ulliel grew up with cinema and cinema grew up with him. They loved each other madly."
French finance minister Bruno Le Maire tweeted: "French cinema is losing a huge talent, full of charm and energy."
The accident conjured up memories of when Formula One great Michael Schumacher hit his head in a ski accident in 2013 in the French ski resort of Meribel, about 30 miles from where Ulliel was skiing. Both were treated at Grenoble University Hospital.
Schumacher, 53, has not been seen in public in eight years, and little has been released about his physical and mental condition. The German auto racing legend suffered serious head injuries when he fell and hit the right side of his head on a rock off the side of a demarcated slope. He was skiing with his teenage son while on a family vacation in the Alps.
After Ulliel's accident, the mountain police service for the Rosiere ski area said its personnel have been carrying out five or six rescues per day as the snow hardened in recent days.
In the neighboring Haute-Savoie region, a 5-year-old girl was killed Saturday when a skier crashed into her. The man was handed preliminary manslaughter charges, according to the Haute-Savoie prosecutor, who cited excessive speed as the likely reason for the accident.
