French actor Gaspard Ulliel, who played a young Hannibal Lecter and Yves Saint Laurent, has died at the age of 37 following a skiing accident in southeast France, his family said on Wednesday.
His family confirmed the death in a statement given to AFP by his agent.
A spokesperson from the ski station said another skier crashed into Ulliel at the meeting of two slopes.
He was airlifted to a hospital in Grenoble where he died on Wednesday, the agent said.
One of the most striking faces of his generation, Ulliel was already in the top rank of French actors. He was also the star of the ad campaign for the Bleu de Chanel men's fragrance.
He gained international attention for his performance as the famous cannibal in Hannibal Rising and had a leading role in the upcoming Marvel TV series Moon Knight, due to premiere on Disney+ in March.
Ulliel won a César - the French equivalent of an Oscar - for Best Actor in 2017 for It's Only the End of the World in which he starred alongside Marion Cotillard and Léa Seydoux.
He had already taken home a César in 2005 for Most Promising Actor after appearing in the World War I drama A Very Long Engagement alongside Audrey Tautou.
He starred in Saint Laurent, one of two biopics about the legendary designer to be released in 2014, though he lost out at the Césars to the star of the rival film, Pierre Niney.
Ulliel was born just outside Paris on 25 November, 1984 and picked up a small scar from a dog bite as a child.
He said it helped him because it looked like a dimple.
He was just 11 when he started working on screen and picked up two César newcomer nominations in 2003 and 2004 before finally winning the following year.
Source: AFP
