Gerard Depardieu accused of urinating on airplane floor

An airline passenger says her Paris-to-Dublin flight was delayed nearly two hours after celebrated French actor Gerard Depardieu urinated on the plane ahead of takeoff.

France's Europe-1 radio aired an interview with the passenger, identified only by her first name Daniele, saying that Depardieu appeared inebriated and announced "'I need to piss, I need to piss."

The passenger said when the cabin crew told him to remain seated during takeoff, "he stood up and did it [urinated] on the ground."

A spokeswoman for City Jet, the Dublin-headquartered airline that operated the Tuesday evening flight, confirmed that such an incident had taken place. But spokeswoman Karen Gillo said Wednesday privacy issues prevented her from naming the passenger, who was escorted off the plane along with his two traveling companions and their luggage.

Calls for comment from Depardieu's agent went unanswered Wednesday.

One of France's most famous actors, Depardieu, 62, has appeared in more than 150 films, including 1986's Jean de Florette and 1990's Cyrano de Bergerac, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award.

The actor is also a Paris restaurateur and the owner of a vineyard in Burgundy.