Melissa George’s acting career ‘compromised’ due to French court decision

A FRENCH family court decision has left Australian actress Melissa George unable to work, according to her lawyer.

EXCLUSIVE

MELISSA George’s glittering acting career is on ice and she has been unable to work since the altercation with her former lover, according to her lawyer Christophe Ayela.

Mr Ayela told News Corp that the Family Court in France made custody orders over her two sons, aged one and three, which required them to spent alternate weeks with their parents.

According to Mr Ayela, this had stopped Ms George from being able to take up any acting work, as most of her roles were filmed abroad and required longer trips away from France.

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Melissa George shops the streets of Paris. Picture: Splash

As well, he alleged Ms George’s former partner Jean-David Blanc has delayed some Family Court-ordered payments and now owed the mother of his two children the equivalent of $21,000.

Mr Ayela said the Family Court had ordered Mr Blanc to pay 2500 euros ($3400) a month to Ms George but that he had not yet paid, so was now 15,000 euros ($21,000) in arrears.

He said this, combined with Ms George’s inability to take up acting roles, had made things very difficult for his client, who has won a Logie and been nominated for a Golden Globe award.

Mr Blanc’s lawyer, Jacqueline Laffont, said that Mr Blanc had told her that it was “incorrect” to suggest that he was refusing to pay the 15,000 euros.

She said the Family Court had not handed down an ongoing financial order but rather a payment to cover the period Ms George was caring for the children.

It was only for that period and was not intended to continue once the shared custody orders were made.

“In the framework of which no further money was due to be paid to her by Mr Blanc,” Ms Laffont said.

She said Mr Blanc had forwarded the cheque to his lawyer on March 2, which the lawyer told Ms Laffont, he had forwarded himself.

Actress Melissa George with her children in a Paris park. Picture: Splash

Ms George’s lawyer, Mr Ayela said an appeal on the custody orders will be heard next month, according to the lawyer.

“This decision (by the Family Court) is scandalous,’’ Mr Ayela said.

“The two children are forbidden to leave the country without the written consent of the father. And of course he refuses to allow this.’’

He said the children had triple nationalities — French, Australian and American — and it was wrong to prevent them leaving France.

“It is scandalous that Australian kids can’t even go to visit their relatives in Australia.”

He said the joint parental control order made it impossible for Ms George to work as her acting roles were mostly filmed abroad.

“How can she be back to France every second week if she works abroad? It’s a ridiculous decision,’’ he said.

Melissa George's former husband Jean David Blanc pictured, in Paris, with one of his children. Picture: KCS Presse

“Mr Blanc is a very rich man,’’ Mr Ayela alleged.

He said Mr Blanc had been required to advise the Family Court of his available cash, which was declared as 18 million euros ($25 million).

He declined to say how much available cash Ms George had declared.

But he said she has had no income since last summer as she has been unable to work.

“It’s terrible for her career, disastrous,’’ he said.

Ms George started her career in Australia playing Angel Parrish for several years on the soapie Home and Away before landing Hollywood roles, including with Mulholland Drive in 2001.

Actress Melissa George leaves the 'L'Avenue' restaurant in Paris, France. Picture: Marc Piasecki/GC Images

She also found success on the small screen internationally, appearing in TV series including Friends, Grey’s Anatomy, and more recently Hunted, and The Good Wife.

She had the lead role in the American series Heartbeat, and played Rosie in the Australian and American versions of The Slap, winning a Logie for her Australian appearance as best actress.

Mr Blanc, who kept a relatively low profile in France until his relationship with Ms George, was designing video games for Apple when he was 13.

By the age of 22, he had developed a telephone and web-based ticketing company for cinemas, AlloCine which made him a fortune after he sold it in 2001.

Additional reporting: Rory Mulholland