SOPHIE Toscan du Plantier was killed at her holiday home in West Cork two days before Christmas in 1996.
The unsolved murder case is set to be told in a new Netflix docu-series. Ahead of its release, here is what we know about the French woman’s husband Daniel.
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Who was Sophie Toscan du Plantier’s husband Daniel?
Sophie Toscan du Plantier was married to fellow French film producer Daniel Toscan du Plantier.
He was 16 years her senior and the pair reportedly lived a glamourous life.
Daniel was said to be an ambassador for French films and European cinema.
His films include the 1989 movie The Cook, The Thief, His Wife And Her Lover.
How did Sophie and Daniel Toscan du Plantier meet?
It is not known exactly how the pair met, but they both worked in French cinema.
Daniel said after Sophie’s death that she began as his “associate”, but in 1988 she “left her work” and their relationship “became more intimate”.
He added: “We began to share a life and some years later, I married her.”
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What did Daniel Toscan du Plantier say about Sophie’s death?
Following Sophie’s death, Daniel gave police a heartbreaking statement about his final word’s with his wife.
He described Sophie as “very dynamic” and a “young, impulsive woman”.
“In effect she was more than a tough character, with a strict moral code, who feared nothing,” he said.
“She rather avoided the world of society and gossip and preferred the chic and popular quarters where she felt more at ease.
“She was passionate about African art and had produced a programme on African bondage, which was transmitted at the beginning of December 1996.”
However, he did say that “like all couples, disputes arose because Sophie was not an easy person to live with”.
Daniel said their final conversation covered the “trivialities” of her return home to Paris from Cork, and he found out about his wife’s death from a news bulletin on TV.
He concluded: “I have absolutely no idea as to the perpetrator of the crime and do not see any possible motive for such an act, other than it being an act of violence.”
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Who are Daniel Toscan du Plantier’s children?
Daniel had several children with his four wives.
He had one son and one daughter with his first wife, and one son during his second marriage.
He went on to have another son and daughter with his fourth wife.
Who were Daniel Toscan du Plantier’s wives?
Sophie was Daniel’s third wife after French actress Marie-Christine Barrault and Italian director and producer Francesca Comencini.
He later married Melita Nikolic in 1998.
What was Daniel Toscan du Plantier’s cause of death?
Daniel died in Germany in 2003, aged 61.
His cause of death was given as a heart attack.
- Netflix doc Sophie: A Murder in West Cork is released on June 30.
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Source: The Sun
