French prosecutors investigate Gerard Depardieu, accused of recently raping young dancer

France’s biggest international star Gerard Depardieu on Thursday issued a strong denial after it emerged he faces an inquiry into allegations by a young actress of rape and sexual assault.

Depardieu “absolutely denies any attack, any rape”, his lawyer Herve Temime said on his behalf, reacting to news that the Paris public prosecutor’s office has opened a preliminary inquiry over alleged “rapes and sexual assaults”.

The probe follows a complaint lodged on Monday in southern Provence, according to a judicial source.

The complainant was “a young actress and dancer in her twenties”, the Parisian newspaper said, adding that she alleged the actor sexually abused her on the sidelines of a play rehearsal and at his home on August 7 and 13.

Depardieu, 69, is known as a larger-than-life character with a lifelong penchant for making headlines.

The accusations against him are the latest in a string made against prominent men in the wake of the rape and assault claims against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein and the Me Too movement that they gave rise to.