Gérard Depardieu has been a Russian citizen since 2013 and has been a member of the Russian Orthodox Church since last weekend.
Gérard Depardieu (71) converted to Orthodox Christianity. Born in France, who has had Russian citizenship since 2013, was baptized last weekend in the Russian Orthodox Cathédrale Saint-Alexandre-Nevesky in Paris. A picture published by "Orthodox Times" shows the actor at the baptismal font. The ceremony was therefore carried out by Archbishop Jean Renneteau.
About 30 close friends of Depardieu are said to have attended his baptism as an Orthodox Christian. The star, known among other things from the "Asterix and Obelix" film adaptations, received his Russian passport at a meeting with Vladimir Putin (67) in Sochi in early 2013. Since then he has registered his residence in the Russian city of Saransk. For this step, Depardieu was sharply criticized by the French government, as it had only fallen due to tax advantages.