A woman has accused French actor Gerard Depardieu of rape and sexual assault, a judicial official told one of the nation’s national news networks on Thursday. The actor’s lawyer denied the accusations in several interviews. According to the French official, a woman filed a complaint on Monday near Aix-en-Provence in southern France; on Wednesday, the case was handed over to prosecutors in Paris. Reports said the incidents occurred on August 7 and 13 at Depardieu’s home, and that his accuser was a dancer and actress seeking professional advice. Known for roles in “Cyrano de Bergerac,” “The Man in the Iron Mask” and recently the Netflix global original series “Marseille,” the actor’s attorney said he “absolutely denies any rape, any sexual assault, any crime.”
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