Gaspard Ulliel (born 25 November 1984) is a French film actor. He began appearing in made-for-television films during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and then began to be known as a film actor in France, as well as starring in the title role in the thriller Hannibal Rising. Ulliel was born in Boulogne-Billancourt (a suburb of Paris) to a runway show producer mother and a stylist father. He has a scar on his cheek as a result of a dog's scratch from when he attempted to ride the dog like a horse when he was six years old. He says it increases his emotional acting abilities because it looks like a dimple. Ulliel attended the University of Saint-Denis, where he studied cinema. He began acting while he was still at school, appearing in Une Femme En Blanc, a film for French television. He also performed at the Cours Florent, where he was discovered by Les égarés director André Téchiné. In 2007, he graced the cover of the January-issue of French Vogue with Dutch supermodel Doutzen Kroes. Ulliel is the current face of Longchamp, a French leather and luxury goods company, along with Kate Moss. Ulliel dated Cécile Cassel from 2005 to 2007. Ulliel was nominated for a César Award on the category Most Promising Actor in 2003. In 2004, he won that award for his role in A Very Long Engagement, which co-starred Audrey Tautou.
