Élisabeth Depardieu ( Élisabeth Dominique Lucie Guignot; born 5 August 1941) is a French actress. She is the ex-wife of actor Gérard Depardieu and the mother of actors Guillaume Depardieu and Julie Depardieu.
Personal life Élisabeth Guignot was born to a well-off Parisian family. In the late 1960s, she began a relationship with Gérard Depardieu, whom she married on 19 February 1970.Patrick Rigoulet, Gérard Depardieu. Itinéraire d'un ogre, Éditions du Rocher, 2007, pp. 75–80 They had two children, Guillaume and Julie. The couple separated in the early 1990s, though their divorce was formalized only in 2006. Their son Guillaume died in 2008 of pneumonia, aged 37, following years of struggles with drug addiction and health crises.
In 2026, after her ex-husband was accused of rape and found guilty of sexual assault, she went on record to defend his character.
Career Early in her career, Élisabeth used the stage name Élisabeth Guy, which she later replaced with her married name. She appeared several times on screen with her husband, first in the television movie Les Aventures de Zadig (1970) then in his directorial debut Le tartuffe (1984). Later on, they played husband and wife in Claude Berri's internationally successful Jean de Florette (1986). While separated, they again appeared together in Maurice Pialat's Le Garçu (1995), where they played ex-spouses maintaining a close, yet volatile relationship.
In 1995, Depardieu played of the lead roles in the successful miniseries La Rivière Espérance, broadcast on France 2. Following her divorce, she kept using her married name professionnally. She participated to the 19th Brest European Short Film Festival in 2004 as a member of the jury.
In 2008, she was appointed a Knight of the Legion of Honour.
Selected filmography Year Film Role Notes1967 1967The Wanderer 1970Les Aventures de Zadig TV movie1984Le tartuffe Elmire1985He Died With His Eyes Open Margo Berliner 1985L'amour Ou Presque 1986Jean de Florette Aimée Cadoret 1986Manon of The Spring Aimée Cadoret1995Le Garçu Micheline 1995La Rivière Espérance Elina Donadieu Television miniseries1996Les Aveux De L'innocent 1997Bouge! 1999Innocent Claire2001Pas D'histoires! 2001Ceci est mon corps 2002Mischka 2003Alice Nevers, le juge est une femme TV series; one episode2004Julie Meyer Short
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