Gerard Depardieu is pleased that President Vladimir Putin has granted him Russian citizenship following his recent declaration to quit France over its 75 per cent tax hikes.
Gerard Depardieu is pleased to have been granted Russian citizenship.
The 63-year-old French actor - who moved to Belgium in December over his anger at French President Francois Hollande's proposed 75 per cent tax hike on the super-rich - officially became a Russian citizen on Thursday (03.01.13) and has penned a letter to thank President Vladimir Putin for granting his request to become a national and praised the culture of the country.
In the letter, he said: ''I filed a passport application and I am pleased that it was accepted.
''I love your country, Russia - its people, its history, its writers. I love your culture, your intelligence.''
It has also been claimed that the actor - who was branded ''pathetic'' by France's Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault over his declaration he would quit the country over its new tough tax measures - spoke to President Hollande on the phone on January 1 and said he was ''disgusted'' with how the French treats ''those who succeed''.
He added in his letter: ''I told [Francois Hollande] that Russia was a great democracy and that it wasn't a country where a prime minister would call a citizen pathetic.''
The actor's friend Arnaud Frilly said the president seemed to listen and wanted to understand his reasons for wanting to leave the country.
He added to French radio station RTL: ''It really wasn't about the fiscal aspect that he was really disgusted, it's was really on the aspect that we spit on those who succeed, on success on initiatives. After a point he'd had enough of it.''
The controversial actor put his £40 million Parisian home on the market and moved to tax-friendly Belgium last month, declaring in an open letter that he planned to turn over his passport and French social security card because of Hollande's new tax on millionaires.
France's civil code states that a person must take up a new nationality in order to relinquish their French citizenship.
On the same day that Glastonbury welcomed back Margate's adopted sons, The Libertines, Margate itself put on it's very own Leisure Festival as it...
Sheffield's very own all girl group Pretty Fierce are still on a high after the recent release of their debut single - 'Ready For Me'.
Three nights before the end of his current tour Will Varley returned to his home town of Deal to delight a sold out crowd in The Astor Theatre.
With only a few days to go before Portsmouth based songstress and producer WYSE releases her new single, 'Belladonna', we caught up with her to find...
Colorado raised, Glasgow educated and Manchester based Bay Bryan is nothing if not a multi-talented, multi-faceted artist performing as both...
Former Marigolds band member Keelan Cunningham has rediscovered his love of music with his new solo project Keelan X.
Wiltshire singer-songwriter Luke De Sciscio, formally known as Folk Boy, is set to release is latest album - 'The Banquet' via AntiFragile Music on...
Electronic music pioneer and producer Annie Elise says that the release of her first EP - 'Breathe In, Breathe Out' feels "both vulnerable and...