French actor Gerard Depardieu accused of rape, sexual assault

A French judicial official said Thursday that rape and sexual assault accusations against actor Gerard Depardieu are the subject of a preliminary investigation. The French film star denies the allegations.

The official said a woman filed a complaint on Monday near the southern city of Aix-en-Provence and the case was assigned to Paris prosecutors Wednesday.

The official requested anonymity in discussing the case Thursday because he was not allowed to disclose details about an ongoing investigation.

Depardieu's lawyer, Herve Temime, said on France's BFM TV that the actor "absolutely denies any rape, any sexual assault, any crime."

French newspaper Le Parisien and BFM TV said the woman, a 22-year-old comedian and dancer, reported that the 69-year-old Depardieu assaulted her on Aug. 7 and Aug. 13 at his Parisian home.

Depardieu is one of the most prolific character actors in history, completing about 170 films in the last five decades.

A controversial and larger-than-life character, he became the very face of French cinema due to roles in films such as such as "Cyrano de Bergerac" for which won best actor at the Cannes film festival and was nominated for an Oscar.

He made his name in the 1974 film "Going Places" after which he enjoyed a meteoric rise, demonstrating talent and allure in wide-ranging roles in classics, dramas and comedies alike.

In 2013 Depardieu sparked a huge outcry by leaving France and taking Russian nationality in protest at a proposed tax hike on the rich in his homeland.

Russian President Vladimir Putin treated him to a dinner to present him with his new citizenship and Depardieu was subsequently full of praise in an interview to Komsomolskaya Pravda daily.