Where is François-Marie Banier now? Netflix’s The Billionaire, the Butler, and the Boyfriend covers the Liliane Bettencourt scandal, but he’s also Lily-Rose Depp’s godfather and releasing a memoir

Nov 16, 2023

François-Marie Banier managed to avoid a multimillion euro repayment to the Bettencourt family, and is now rebuilding his life. Photo: AFP

Banier was accused of manipulating L’Oréal’s Liliane Bettencourt, once the richest woman in the world, out of millions – now he’s set to release his memoir, Interrupted Dialogues, in early 2024

The celebrity photographer has snapped everyone from Johnny Depp to Salvador Dalí and Yves Saint Laurent during his life, and continues to exhibit his works in New York, Paris and London

Five years after he was convicted of “abuse of weakness” and accused of manipulating L’Oreal billionaire Liliane Bettencourt into giving him millions, François-Marie Banier had hoped to once again be seen as an artist.

“When I say your name, I want to say ‘photographer’,” TV5Monde’s Patrick Simonin says in the opening lines of his French language show L’Invité, which aired in September 2020. “It’s good to see you again on television talking about your two exhibitions when until now your name has been associated with the Bettencourt affair. Is it behind you?”

François-Marie Banier went on TV five years after his conviction to talk about the Bettencourt affair – and his latest photography exhibitions. Photo: L’Invité/YouTube

“It is not behind me, it is in me,” Banier replied jovially, “because she is an extraordinary woman and I’m very fortunate to have lived 40 years of friendship with her. The rest you will judge when the story becomes clearer.”

And become clearer it has, thanks to new Netflix documentary The Billionaire, the Butler, and the Boyfriend that’s got the world talking about the saga once more. So what happened to Banier after the trial, and has he succeeded in shaking off his reputation as a crook?

François-Marie Banier managed to avoid prison

François-Marie Banier was accused of taking advantage of L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt’s (centre) mental state to extract millions in art, cash and favours from her. Photo: AP

Despite being handed a three-year prison sentence for his crimes and ordered to repay the equivalent of US$173 million, according to The New York Times, Banier’s legal team appealed. A year later, an appeal court in Bordeaux gave the celebrity photographer a four-year suspended sentence and a fine of 375,000 euros (US$422,500), per WWD.

He is Lily Rose Depp’s godfather

A photo of Johnny Depp, Vanessa Paradis and their two young children, Lily Rose and Jack, taken by François-Marie Banier. Photo: @VanessaParadisFans/Facebook

Despite his modest background, Banier mingled with everyone from Salvador Dalí to Mick Jagger and Princess Caroline of Monaco through his work. But among his more surprising friends are Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp – who have stuck by him. Paradis wrote a letter of support for Banier during his trial, calling him “her friend” and saying he was a man “turned towards others”. Even Paradis’ mother Corinne testified in court.

Lily-Rose Depp, now all grown up, poses for photographers at the photo call for The Idol premiere in Cannes in May. Photo: Invision/AP