This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The French public prosecutor has opened a preliminary investigation into rape and sexual assault allegations against the actor Gérard Depardieu, according to reports.

A 22-year-old female actor made a complaint to police on Monday in Bouches-du-Rhône, southern France, over an assault alleged to have occurred at Depardieu’s home in Paris’s Left Bank between 7 and 13 August.

Prosecutors in Aix-en-Provence referred the investigation to police and prosecutors in the French capital.

Depardieu’s lawyer, Hervé Temime, said the actor “absolutely” denied any accusation of assault or rape. “I regret the public nature of this process which poses a major prejudice to Gérard Depardieu, whose innocence I am convinced will be recognised.”

Depardieu, 69, is one of France’s biggest international stars and has made more than 180 films.

He has worked with top directors including François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, while also playing popular characters such as Obelix in the Asterix films. He won best actor at Cannes for playing the title role in the 1990 film Cyrano de Bergerac and was nominated for an Oscar.

Depardieu was given Russian citizenship in 2013 by Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, after publicly criticising France’s high taxes and taking up residence abroad.

Depardieu, who grew up in a town in central France, has previously told of his poor background and tough childhood of petty crime, which resulted in a spell in prison for car theft. He made his name in the 1974 film Going Places, after which he enjoyed a meteoric rise.

He gained international recognition in 1990 after starring in the English language comedy Green Card.

He has also launched restaurant projects in Paris and is the owner of a vineyard in Burgundy.