Paris, September 7, 2020
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Academy Award-nominated French actor Gérard Depardieu was received into the Orthodox Church by the Sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation on Friday, September 4.
The service was celebrated by His Eminence Metropolitan John of Dubna, the head of the Russian Church’s Archdiocese of Russian Churches in Western Europe, at the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Paris, reports mk.ru.
There were about 30 people in attendance. Reports also indicate that Depardieu, 71, became the Godfather to a girl who was baptized the same day.
According to the French outlet Valeurs, Depardieu, who was granted Russian citizenship in 2013, cited his fondness for the Orthodox Divine Liturgy and his close contacts with Orthodox clergy as his reasons for converting. He reportedly also claimed His Eminence Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) of Pskov as his spiritual father.
His conversion comes as a surprise to many.
Depardieu was arrested for driving his scooter drunk just the weekend before his Baptism, and earlier this year, he was a guest on a scandalous episode of the famous Russian late night show Vecherny Urgant on January 7, Old Calendar Christmas, in which the host showed a photo of a Nativity scene with the actor Nicholas Cage in place of the Christ Child, and the Mother of God and St. Joseph replaced by the directors Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino.
Depardieu himself stated that he does not love Christmas and does not believe in God.
The actor has a long history of spiritual seeking. He converted to Islam in the 1960s, thereafter practicing Buddhism and then Hinduism. According to Valeurs, he also stated at his Baptism that he is interested in converting to Judaism soon, given its closeness to Islam, though it is unclear if he meant it as a serious statement.
