Marvel Actor Gaspard Ulliel Dies In Freak Ski Accident Before Release Of 'Moon Knight'

French actor Gaspard Ulliel, an esteemed Cesar-winning actor who recently took up a role on the upcoming Marvel television series "Moon Knight," was confirmed dead on Wednesday, Jan. 20, following a tragic skiing accident in the French Alps.

The 37-year-old actor was on the slopes of the Savoie region of France when a collision with another skier caused him to suffer a head injury that he was unable to recover from. He was taken via helicopter to a hospital in Grenoble, where he died on Wednesday, Deadline reported.

Ulliel was one of the newly-established French acting stars of his generation, landing his first leading role in the 2003 André Techiné film "Strayed (Les Égarés)." He has starred in at least three different films that competed at the famed Cannes Film Festival, according to Variety.

Among his most well-known films worldwide are Xavier Dolan’s 2017 film "It’s Only the End of the World," which won him a Best Actor Cesar (equivalent to a French Oscar), and his role as Yves Saint Laurent in "Saint Laurent," which won him a Lumiere Award (equivalent to a French Golden Globe).

His first English-language lead role was as a young Hannibal Lecter in Peter Webber’s 2007 film "Hannibal Rising," which opened him up to a new audience worldwide. He recently got the role of Midnight Man in Marvel’s "Moon Knight," starring opposite Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke.

“Shocked and saddened to hear about the death of Gaspard Ulliel at such a young age in a skiing accident,” Peter Webber, who directed him in the movie Hannibal Rising, said. “I have such fond memories of working with him all those years ago on Hannibal Rising. Rest in peace, dear friend.”

“Gaspard belonged to this new generation of actors who were making tomorrow’s French cinema. He knew how to select his roles and shaped his career which filled every promise,” Thierry Fremaux, the General Delegate of the Cannes Film Festival, said.

Ulliel has a six-year-old son with his girlfriend Gaelle Petri. His funeral service will be held on Thursday in Paris.