Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu was born on December 27, 1948, in Châteauroux, a small town in central France, to a working-class family. His early years were shaped by financial hardship, and he struggled academically, dropping out of school by age 13. With limited career prospects, Depardieu wandered into a variety of short-term jobs, from factory work to handling inventory. Known for his rebellious spirit, he had minor brushes with the law, which led him to a chance meeting with a theater director who inspired him to pursue acting. By the late 1960s, Depardieu joined the Théâtre National...