An investigation into rape and sexual assault allegations against actor Gerard Depardieu has been dropped because of a lack of evidence.

The 70 year old French actor has always “absolutely denied” the accusations, made by a woman last year.

French media reported that the 22-year-old woman alleged Depardieu assaulted her on 7 August and 13 August at his Parisian home.

A preliminary investigation was opened last August after the woman filed a complaint near the southern city of Aix-en-Provence.

But the Paris prosecutor’s office has now said the case had been thrown out after “numerous investigations” failed to find evidence of the offences she described.

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Depardieu has appeared in 200 films over six decades, including Cyrano de Bergerac and Jean de Florette.

He holds a rare position as a French actor who is known in Hollywood.

He won a Golden Globe for his performance in Green Card, a 1990 English-language romantic comedy co-starring Andie MacDowell.

His first big hit in France was Les Valseuses (Going Places), Bertrand Blier’s classic farce about two wandering thugs.

Before he crossed the Atlantic, Depardieu played roles from Jean Valjean, the thief-turned-saint in Les Miserables, to Christopher Columbus.

Last September, Depardieu showed up in the North Korean capital ahead of celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the socialist state. He was seen at the military parade in Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square.