Trivia

The scar on his left cheek was the result of a doberman's attack when Gaspard was 6 years old. He attempted to ride the dog like a horse and he hit Gaspard's face with his claws, which left him with a little scar that looked like a dimple. Gaspard used to say that the scar helped to express feelings in his acting. His scar was used as a plot device in several films, but he considered the most memorable scene the one featured in A Very Long Engagement (2004), where Audrey Tautou's character runs her finger across Gaspard's scar when they're saying goodbye to each other when he's leaving for the war. Ulliel's obituary in the French newspaper ''Libération'' described him as having the "most famous scar in French cinema".

Became a father for the first and only time at the age of 31, when his then-girlfriend Gaëlle Piétri gave birth to their son, Orso, on January 12, 2016. Orso is a typical Corsican name (Pietri was born in Corsica) and means "bear" in Italian. Ulliel and Pietri broke up in 2020.

Was a fan-favorite fan-cast for the role of Edward in Twilight (2008), and for the role of Remy LeBeau/Gambit in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In order to prepare for his role as cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal Rising (2007), director Peter Webber sent Ulliel off to a medical school in Prague to attend a real autopsy, so that he could see what it's really like when bodies are cut up. Webber thought Ulliel would be horrified by it, but he came back from the medical school saying he wanted to go back the next day, because he came in during the last week of lesson when the bodies were so destroyed that they didn't look real and he couldn't imagine that he was looking at a real human body, so he asked if he could go on the first day of the next session to see the fresh bodies.

Was a fan of Sufjan Stevens and Prince.

Spoke fluent English, which he learned as a child when he attended the bilingual school École Jeannine Manuel in Paris. He also learned Hebrew for the film Ultimatum (2009).

Mother (Christyne Ulliel) is a stylist and runway show producer, and father (Serge Ulliel) is a fashion designer. He was an only child.

In 2008 he was the face of Longchamp, a French leather and luxury goods company, alongside Kate Moss.

Lost 12 kilos (around 30 pounds) to play fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent in Saint Laurent (2014).

He was close friends with actress Audrey Tautou and actors Jérémie Renier and Louis Garrel.

His favorite on-screen kiss was with Louis Garrel in Saint Laurent (2014).

Was in a relationship with Cécile Cassel from 2005 to 2007; with Jordane Crantelle from 2008 to 2011; and with Gaëlle Piétri from 2013 to 2020. He was never married and was single at the time of his death.

Voiced Jack Frost in the French version of Rise of the Guardians (2012).

Appeared in 3 films with his close friend Jérémie Renier: Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001), A Heavenly Vintage (2009) and Saint Laurent (2014). Renier was also one of the pallbearers at Ulliel's funeral.

Owned a Vespa and a Triumph Bonneville Thruxton motorbike.

The directors whom he highly admired are Tarkovsky, Truffaut, Godard, Rohmer, Chris Marker, João César Monteiro, Gregg Araki and Michael Cimino.

Attended the University of Saint-Denis in Paris, where he studied cinema.

Was an amateur photographer and wanted to be an architect and jazz musician. He even tried to play the saxophone as a child for a year or two, but he gave up because he thought he didn't have talent for it. He also played the piano and performed the final theme from Cinema Paradiso (1988) on piano in an interview for the French TV show 'Story Classique' on OCS Géants in November 2018.

During his acceptance speech at the César Awards in 2005, he dedicated his award for Most Promising Actor for A Very Long Engagement (2004) to director Richard Dembo, who had passed away 3 months before the ceremony and had also directed Ulliel in Nina's House (2005).

Became a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France in 2015.

He was known for being elegant, humble, discreet, kind and friendly.

Was a fan of Italian actress Monica Vitti and considered her the most beautiful woman in the world.

His great-grandfather, Raoul Ulliel (1889-1943), was a bronzesmith who served in the military during World War I. Gaspard played a World War I soldier in A Very Long Engagement (2004).

He enjoyed listening to: Pop, Electronic, Reggae, Rap, Soul, Jazz, Rock, Kanye West, Herbie Hancock, The Temptations, Nick Drake, The Stones and Prince.

His favorite actors were Jean-Paul Belmondo, Anthony Hopkins, and Patrick Dewaere.

Learned how to ride a horse for the role of Henry I, Duke of Guise in The Princess of Montpensier (2010). He also did his own stunts in the film.

In 2007, he appeared on the cover of the January issue of French Vogue with Dutch supermodel Doutzen Kroes.

Voted #12 in Elle (France) Magazine's "15 Sexiest Men" poll (June 2007).

Some of the books he liked are Henry Miller's "Sexus" and Robert Frank's "The Lines of my Hand".

His androgynous look in films such as a Strayed (2003) turned him into a gay icon, as well as his performances in Paris, Je T'aime (2006) and Saint Laurent (2014).

Was an early "Internet boyfriend" in the mid-2000s and Tumblr darling in the 2010s.

Fell in love with Jeanne Moreau at six years old while watching Jules and Jim (1962) on TV.

His hobbies included skiing (which he started as a kid), surfing, swimming and horse riding.

His first audition for an American film was for a Sofia Coppola film, but he couldn't remember which one when he recalled it in an interview for Madame Figaro in September 2019.

He was short-sighted and rarely wore glasses in public.

Starred in 3 films with Marion Cotillard: A Very Long Engagement (2004), It's Only the End of the World (2016), and La vengeance au triple galop (2021). However, the only film in which they shared scenes together was 'It's Only the End of the World'. In a 2018 interview for Vanity Fair France's YouTube channel, Ulliel said that Cotillard was the actress he enjoyed to work with the most despite only having shared a few scenes with her in 'It's Only the End of the World', and that "she gives a lot to her scene partner".

Walked the runway for Dior Homme Autumn/Winter fashion show entitled "Luster", on January 27, 2003.

Featured on The Washington Post's "What's In and Out for 2007" list in the "In" category in January 2007.

Attended the launch of France's first gay TV channel, Pink TV, on October 25, 2004.

Was a fan of Asian and Brazilian films.

His funeral took place on 27 January 2022 at the church of Saint-Eustache in Paris. Those in attendance included: Jérémie Renier, Louis Garrel, Catherine Deneuve, Léa Seydoux, Vincent Cassel, Nathalie Baye, Bertrand Bonello, Vincent Lindon, Anna Mouglalis, Damien Bonnard, Alex Lutz, Niels Schneider, Isabelle Huppert, Audrey Tautou, Jérémie Laheurte, Alexandra Lamy, Swann Arlaud, Eric Elmosnino, Thierry Frémaux, Mathieu Amalric, Denis Ménochet, Amira Casar, Alice Taglioni, Mélanie Thierry and Anaïs Demoustier. He is buried in Père Lachaise cemetery.