French actor Gaspard Ulliel has died following a skiing accident on Tuesday in the Alps. He was 37.
His death on Wednesday was confirmed to the Agence France-Presse news agency by his agent and to France 24 by his family.
Local outlet France Bleu reported that a preliminary investigation found he was the victim of a collision with another skier at the intersection of two runs at the La Rosière ski resort in the country's southeast.
He was reportedly taken to a hospital in Grenoble where he underwent an operation after suffering major head trauma. The other skier was not hospitalized.
Ulliel's fame was set to rise in the US this year thanks to a starring role in the Disney+ series Moon Knight, opposite Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke.
Ulliel starred in the series, set to be released March 30, as the villainous art thief Anton Mogart/Midnight Man.
The trailer for the Marvel series was released just two days ago.
"We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of our friend and colleague Gaspard Ulliel," a Disney spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. "Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this time."
Ulliel was an acclaimed actor in his native country, having won a César Award, the French equivalent of an Oscar, for his role as a dying gay playwright in It's Only the End of the World (2016) opposite Marion Cotillard, Léa Seydoux, and Vincent Cassel.
He also won a Lumières Award for portraying French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in a 2014 biopic.
Among his other credits was the 2004 film A Very Long Engagement opposite the actor Audrey Tautou (for which he won another César for most promising actor), an appearance in Gus Van Sant's "Marais" section of the anthology film Paris, je t'aime (2006), and the 2007 horror film Hannibal Rising.
As a model, he appeared in campaigns for the men’s fragrance Bleu de Chanel and luxury brand Longchamp.
French finance minister Bruno Le Maire wrote on Twitter that "French cinema has lost a huge talent, full of charm and energy."
French Prime Minister Jean Castex said, "Gaspard Ulliel grew up with cinema and cinema grew with him. They loved each other madly. It is with a heavy heart that we will no longer see his most beautiful interpretations. We have lost a French actor.”