Ulliel was born in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine[2] to Christine,[2] a stylist and runway show producer, and Serge Ulliel, a fashion designer.[3][4][5] Ulliel was an only child.[6]
He had a scar on his left cheek as a result of a doberman attacking him with its claws when he attempted to ride the dog like a horse at the age of six.[7] He once quipped that the scar increased his emotional acting abilities because it looked like a dimple.[8][9] His obituary in the French newspaper Libération described him as having the "most famous scar in French cinema".[10]
He began appearing in made-for-television films during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and then became known as a film actor in France, as well as starring in the title role in the movie Hannibal Rising, his first English-language film.[12]
In 2017, he was nominated for the Jury Prize for Best Actor at the Riviera International Film Festival for his role in Xavier Dolan's It's Only the End of the World alongside co-star Vincent Cassel; the film was also nominated for the Grand Jury Prize for Best Picture as well as earning Ulliel a second César Award, for Best Actor,[10][17] and second nominations for Best Actor in both the Lumières[21] and Globe de Cristal awards (the latter with Cassel also nominated).[22]
In January 2022, Ulliel was on a break from shooting Canal Plus's crime thriller mini-series about the carbon tax fraud, Tikkoun, when he died after a skiing accident.[27] The production was directed by Xavier Giannoli, still had 84 more days of shooting and Ulliel was expected to return to the set on January 31.[28]
The last film that Ulliel finished shooting was More Than Ever,[29] directed by Emily Atef and set to be released in 2022.[28] He was also set to collaborate again with Saint Laurent director Bertrand Bonello in the science-fiction film La Bête co-starring Léa Seydoux.[30] Shooting was scheduled to start in April 2022.[31]
In 2008, Ulliel was the face of Longchamp, a French leather and luxury goods company, along with Kate Moss.[34]
Bleu de Chanel campaigns
Ulliel was announced as the face for Chanel new men's fragrance, Bleu de Chanel, on 16 February 2010,[35][36] making him Chanel's first male ambassador.[37] His first television commercial for the campaign was directed by Martin Scorsese, filmed in New York City and debuted on 25 August 2010.[38][39]
His third commercial for Bleu de Chanel was released on 1 June 2018, and was directed by Steve McQueen. Shot in Bangkok and London, it featured Ulliel crossing the city looking for a woman while David Bowie's "Starman" plays in the background.[42][43]
In June 2020, Ulliel narrated the last episode of the "Chanel Parfumeur" series, I Am a Fragrance Trail, in both French and English.[44][45]
Ulliel was the face of Bleu de Chanel for twelve years.[46] Upon his death, Chanel released a statement on their official Instagram and Facebook accounts paying tribute to him.[47] His last campaign for the fragrance was released on 8 December 2020.[48] Chanel also paid tribute to Ulliel during their Spring/Summer 2022 Haute Couture show at Paris Fashion Week on 25 January 2022. A model dressed as a bride finished the show by holding a bouquet of camellias—Coco Chanel's favorite flower—tinted midnight blue as a nod to the Bleu de Chanel perfume.[49]
Personal life
Ulliel dated actress Cécile Cassel from 2005 to 2007.[50][51][52] He had a brief relationship with Charlotte Casiraghi in 2007,[53] and dated Chanel's then-International VIP relations officer, Jordane Crantelle, from 2008 to 2011.[54][55] He was in a relationship with French model and singer Gaëlle Pietri from 2013 to 2020,[56] with whom he had a son who was born in January 2016.[57][58][59][60]
Death
On 18 January 2022 at around 4 p.m., Ulliel was critically injured while skiing at the La Rosière resort in Savoie, France, when he collided with another skier at an intersection between two intermediate slopes after turning left, presumably to join his friends on an adjoining slope, and suffered serious brain trauma.[61] An investigation indicated that both skiers fell to the ground after the collision, and that Ulliel was motionless and unconscious when rescuers arrived.[61] The director of the La Rosière resort, Jean Regaldo, told France's BFM TV that Ulliel was not wearing a helmet when rescuers arrived.[61] Helmets are not required on French ski slopes.[61] Regaldo also said weather conditions were "perfect" at the time of the accident and that there were no rocks in the area of the collision, which he described as easily accessible.[61] The other skier, a Lithuanian man in his forties, was wearing a helmet and was not injured.[62] He told the investigators that the collision was not very violent.[62][63] Ulliel was airlifted by helicopter to the trauma unit of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Grenoble Alpes in nearby La Tronche,[64][65] where he died the following day around 4 p.m. at the age of 37.[66][67]
Upon hearing the Lithuanian skier and other witnesses of the accident, the public prosecutor of Albertville, Anne Gaches, stated that wearing a helmet "would not necessarily have changed things", and that "it was not noted excessive speed, inappropriate behavior or fault of one of the two skiers".[62] Following their testimonies, the prosecutor also declared that the two skiers evolved side by side and ran into each other. "For the moment, it is difficult to say whether it was the shock or the fall that led to Mr. Ulliel’s death", she said.[62][63] Gaches also stated that no autopsy would be performed on Ulliel's body.[63] The resort offered psychological support for both the Lithuanian skier, who was very shocked, and for Ulliel's relatives.[63]