AP PHOTOS: A timeline of the rise and fall of French movie star Gérard Depardieu

For over half a century, Gérard Depardieu stood as a towering figure in French cinema, a titan known for his commanding physical presence, instinct, sensibility and remarkable versatility.

A bon vivant who overcame a speech impediment and a turbulent youth, Depardieu rose to prominence in the 1970s and became one of France’s most prolific and acclaimed actors, portraying a vast array of characters, from volatile outsiders to deeply introspective figures.

In recent years, however, Depardieu’s illustrious career had been overshadowed by multiple allegations of misconduct. His fall from grace was completed Tuesday when a a Paris court found him guilty of sexually assaulting two women on the set of a movie in which he starred in 2021.

Here is a timeline of key moments in Depardieu’s rise and fall:

Dec. 27, 1948: Born in Châteauroux, in a modest family of six children. His youth is tumultuous. Depardieu lives close to an American military base and rubs shoulders with small-time hoodlums, smuggling all kinds of goods.

1960s: Depardieu arrives in Paris. He takes acting classes and discovers all the great classics of literature while undergoing therapy to correct his speech difficulties.

1967: Depardieu makes his screen debut in the short film “Le Beatnik et le Minet” and appears in his first stage play.

1972: Features in “Nathalie Granger,” directed by Marguerite Duras.

1974: First big hit in France with “Les Valseuses,” (“Going Places”), Bertrand Blier’s classic farce about two wandering thugs.

1980s: Depardieu becomes the most sought-after French actor. Maurice Pialat casts him in “Loulou,” the highly acclaimed “Police,” for which he won an acting prize at the 1985 Venice Film Festival, and “Under Satan’s Sun,” a provocative tale about a monk’s encounter with the devil which won Cannes’ Palme d’Or in 1987. Depardieu stars in many hits: “The Woman Next Door,” “Jean de Florette,” “The Last Metro,” “Danton," “The Return of Martin Guerre.″

1991: Depardieu receives a nomination for the best actor Oscar for his performance in “Cyrano de Bergerac.” But controversy ensues after Time magazine carries an affirmation by Depardieu that he took part in a rape as a 9-year-old. The movie suffers a bloody nose at the Oscars. Depardieu categorically denies saying he took part in rape. “It’s outrageous at 9 years old or at any age,” he told the French newspaper Le Monde. “Yes, one can say I had sexual experiences when I was very young, but a rape, never. I respect women too much.”

1990s: Depardieu’s career is unaffected in France. He stars in Jean-Luc Godard’s “Hélas pour moi.” Meanwhile, Depardieu reinforces his popularity with mass audiences with the Astérix & Obélix film series.

1998: Depardieu crashes his motorcycle. His blood-alcohol limit is five times the legal level. He escapes with leg and face injuries. The incident was one of several encounters with the law for Depardieu, who also grabbed headlines when he urinated in the aisle of a plane before takeoff on a Paris to Dublin flight, and when he was detained for allegedly driving drunk on his scooter.

1999: Depardieu returns to the French stage for the first time in 13 years as a guilt-ravaged emperor in a murder-mystery.

2000: Depardieu undergoes successful coronary bypass surgery.

Oct. 13, 2008: Death of his son Guillaume Depardieu.

2013: After sparring with his native country over taxes, Depardieu is granted Russian citizenship by Vladimir Putin.

2014: Depardieu plays the leading role in “Welcome to New York,” the film inspired by the life of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former director of the International Monetary Fund who was accused in 2011 of sexually assaulting a hotel maid.

2018: Prosecutors in Paris open a preliminary investigation after actor Charlotte Arnould accused Depardieu of raping her at his home. That case is still active, and in August 2024 prosecutors requested that it go to trial.

2023: His wax figure is removed from Paris’ most famous wax museum following negative reactions from visitors over allegations about his conduct with women. The decision to remove the figure from the Grevin Museum followed a TV documentary showing him repeatedly making obscene remarks and gestures during a 2018 trip to North Korea.

2025: Depardieu goes on trial in Paris on charges of sexually assaulting two women on a movie set. He is accused of having groped a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant during filming in 2021 of “Les Volets Verts.”

May 13, 2025: Depardieu is found guilty of sexually assaulting the two women and given an 18-month suspended prison sentence. He is also fined a total of 29,040 euros (around $32,350), and the court requests that he be registered in the national sex offender database. Depardieu’s lawyer says he will appeal.

FILE - The coffin of late French actor Guillaume Depardieu is being carried out of the church after the funeral ceremony for Guillaume Depardieu in Bougival, west of Paris, Friday, Oct. 17, 2008. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

FILE - Actors Gerard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve are seen in Cannes, southern France, on May 11 1984. (AP Photo/Michel Lipchitz, File)

FILE - Actor Gerard Depardieu arrives to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, on March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, File)

FILE - French actor Gerard Depardieu poses for photographers on the red carpet of the Rome Film Festival, on Oct. 21, 2007. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca, File)

FILE - Women's rights activists demonstrate outside the Paris palace of justice as French actor Gérard Depardieu is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, on Oct. 28, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte, File)

FILE - French actor Gerard Depardieu holds a hand scythe in the presidential residence of Ozerny, outside Minsk, Belarus, Wednesday, July 22, 2015. (Andrei Stasevich/BelTA Photo via AP)

FILE - French actor, film-maker, businessman and vineyard owner, Gerard Depardieu, attends a press conference for the presentation of the first Russian Film Festival in Nice, southern France, on June 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau, File)

FILE - French actor Gerard Depardieu smiles shortly visits museum of Akhmad Kadyrov, war lord, who switched side and became pro-Russian leader, in Chechnya's provincial capital Grozny, Russia, on Feb. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Musa Sadulayev, File)

FILE - French actor Gerard Depardieu tests a glass of wine during a gastronomy fair in Duesseldorf, Germany, on Sept 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Roberto Pfeil/dapd, File)

FILE - French actor Gerard Depardieu, left, and French actress Carol Bouquet arrive at the red carpet for the closing ceremony of the 10th Sarajevo Film Festival at the National Theater in Sarajevo, on Aug 28, 2004. (AP Photo/Hidajet Delic, File)

FILE - French actor Gerard Depardieu, left, and Belgian actress Cecile de France pose during a photo call for the film "Quand J'etais Chanteur," at the 59th International film festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 26, 2006. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)

FILE - French actor Gerard Depardieu receives warm applause from the models at the unveiling of the Maska fashion show in Milan, Italy, Thursday, March 7, 1996. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)