Gérard Depardieu height - How tall is Gérard Depardieu?

On Thursday, January 3, 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin granted citizenship to Gérard Depardieu, whose bitter fight over taxes with France's government has led him to give up his passport.

Has supported Nicolas Sarkozy's 2012 presidential campaign.

His son Guillaume Depardieu died on October 13 2008 (aged 37) from complications from pneumonia.

Father of a son, Jean Depardieu (born July 14, 2006) with jewelery designer Helene Bizot.

Announced his intention to retire from acting in October 2005, saying he believed he had made enough films and wanted to concentrate on his other interests.

Guillaume Depardieu's wife Elise gave birth to a daughter, making Gérard a grandfather (January 2001).

Underwent emergency quintuple heart bypass surgery in Paris, France, following a heart attack (10 July 2000).

Had a motorcycle accident and was hospitalized while filming Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar (1999) in Paris.

When he appeared on the So Graham Norton (1998) in 2001, it was his first ever interview in the UK. He also confessed to traveling on his motorcycle to the hospital for his bypass operation.

Engaged to Carole Bouquet, who had been his longtime companion since 1997, from 2003 to 2005.

In 1996, he was distinguished by the highest French title of "Chevalier du Légion d'Honneur".

President of jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1992.

Convicted of drunk driving in France in 1990. He was sentenced to 2 months jail (suspended) and loss of his license for 6 months.

Has his look-alike puppet in the French show Les Guignols de l'info (1988).

Was offered the main role in the action film Malone (1987) but turned it down. The part was later offered to Christopher Lambert, who turned it down too. The part was finally accepted by Burt Reynolds.

Was considered for the role of Max in Sergio Leone's gangster epic Once Upon a Time in America (1984). Depardieu said he was willing to perfect an American accent in order to play the role, but instead James Woods was cast.

A friend of John Travolta, he was asked by Travolta to be his French voice in the dubbed version of Brian De Palma's movie Blow Out (1981).

He was twice awarded a César as Best Actor for The Last Metro (1980) and Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), also received an Oscar nomination for "Cyrano" and a number of awards at international film festivals.

Gérard Depardieu was born in Châteauroux, Indre, France, to Anne Jeanne Josèphe (Marillier) and René Maxime Lionel Depardieu, who was a metal worker and fireman. Young delinquent and wanderer in the past, Depardieu started his acting career at the small traveling theatre "Cafe de la Gare", along with Patrick Dewaere and Miou-Miou. After minor roles in cinema, at last, he got his chance in Bertrand Blier's Going Places (1974). That film established a new type of hero in the French cinema and the actor's popularity grew enormously. Later, he diversified his screen image and became the leading French actor of the 80s and 90s.

He has two roles in common with Frank Finlay: (1) Finlay played Jean Valjean in Les Misérables (1967) while Depardieu played him in Les misérables (2000) and (2) Finlay played Porthos in The Three Musketeers (1973), The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974) and The Return of the Musketeers (1989) while Depardieu played him in The Man in the Iron Mask (1998).

Classmate of Claude Jade and Alain Doutey at the École d'art dramatique (1966).

He has been good friends with Robert De Niro for more than 30 years, since the two worked together in Bernardo Bertolucci's 1900 (1976) in 1974-1975.