The legendary French heartthrob, Alain Delon, whose smoldering charm graced the silver screen in some of the most celebrated European films of the 1960s and 70s, has tragically passed away at the age of 88. "With profound sorrow, Alain Fabien, Anouchka, Anthony, along with their beloved pet Loubo, announce the peaceful departure of their beloved father in the warmth of his Douchy home, encircled by the love of his cherished family," a heartfelt statement shared through AFP on Sunday revealed.
Delon's latter years had been shadowed by declining health, including a stroke in 2019, that couldn't dim the glow of his illustrious cinematic legacy. From Luchino Visconti's epic masterpiece 'Rocco and His Brothers' (1960) and the sumptuous grandeur of 'The Leopard' (1963), to René Clément's taut thriller 'Purple Noon' (1960), Michelangelo Antonioni's poignant 'The Eclipse' (1962), Joseph Losey's intriguing 'Mr. Klein' (1976), and Jean-Pierre Melville's iconic 'Le Samouraï' (1967) and its sequel 'The Red Circle' (1970), Delon's filmography boasts an array of art-house gems now etched in cinematic history.
His performances, imbued with tension and stoicism, often portraying seductive yet deeply troubled men, were marked by sudden explosions of violence and emotion, juxtaposed against an undercurrent of ennui that typified French and Italian cinema in the post-war era. Rightfully earning him the sobriquet, "the male Brigitte Bardot," Delon's larger-than-life presence continues to resonate in the hearts and minds of cinephiles worldwide.
Despite his status as a matinee idol adored across Europe, Alain Delon struggled to secure a stellar foothold in Hollywood's glittering firmament. In 1964, he ventured westward, inking deals with MGM and Columbia Studios, embarking on a journey that saw him grace the silver screen in six films. Yet, despite his best efforts, the Hollywood dream proved elusive, and he reluctantly bid adieu to Tinseltown in 1967. His return to France soon heralded a triumphant resurgence, with starring roles in the critically acclaimed crime thrillers 'The Sicilian Clan' (1969) and 'Borsalino' (1970), both of which became box office sensations within French borders.
With an impressive catalog of nearly a hundred films, many of which he also produced, Delon's accolades, however, remained relatively scarce. He garnered a solitary César Award, France's highest honor for cinema, for his portrayal of an alcoholic romancing a younger woman (Nathalie Baye) in Bertrand Blier's heartfelt romance 'Our Story' (1984). In 1995, he was bestowed with an Honorary Golden Bear at the Berlinale, and a decade later, in 2019, he received an Honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes—a moment tinged with controversy as a petition, amassing over 25,000 signatures, decried his alleged "racism, homophobia, and misogyny." (Delon, in response to Reuters, clarified his stance against gay adoption but not marriage, emphatically denying any misconduct towards women, stating, "They, however, harassed me a lot.")
With tears glinting in his eyes, Delon addressed the Cannes audience during the ceremony, his voice resounding with conviction: "While you may not always agree with me, there is one thing in this world that I am utterly sure of, and of which I am deeply proud—my career. It stands as a testament to my unwavering dedication and passion for this art form that has defined me."
Born on November 8, 1935, in the idyllic Parisian suburb of Sceaux, Delon's early life was shaped by the cinema, with his father, Fabien, owning a local movie theater and his mother, Édith, working at a pharmacy. The divorce of his parents in 1939 led to a series of transitions, from foster care to a strict Catholic boarding school. Equipped with a vocational degree, he briefly donned the apron of a butcher in the Parisian suburb of Bourg-la-Reine, a shop owned by his stepfather, but his destiny lay elsewhere—on the silver screen, where he would ultimately carve out a legendary niche.
At the dawn of his seventeenth year, Alain Delon found himself summoned to military duty, embarking on a journey with the French navy. However, his path was not without detours; reprimanded for pilfering equipment, he was reassigned to Saigon, where he fought in the tumultuous First Indochina War. But fate had other plans; his penchant for theft and a reckless jeep mishap led to his dismissal from service.
Returning to the bustling embrace of Paris in 1956, Delon navigated through a mosaic of odd jobs, frequenting the vibrant clubs and cozy cafés of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It was amidst this artistic melee that he crossed paths with Jean-Claude Brialy, a star of the nascent New Wave cinema, notably in Claude Chabrol's seminal film, 'Le Beau Serge.' Brialy became a pivotal figure, escorting the young Delon to Cannes that fateful year. There, Delon's ethereal features captivated the eye of Hollywood legend, David O. Selznick, who summoned him to Rome for a screen test. The esteemed producer of 'Gone With the Wind' offered Delon a lucrative seven-year contract, contingent upon honing his English skills.
Yet, Delon's destiny lay elsewhere. At the urging of director Yves Allégret, he opted to stay in France, embarking on his cinematic journey with a leading role in the 1957 revenge thriller, 'Send a Woman When the Devil Fails.' His casting was a testament to the influence of Michèle Cordoue, Allégret's wife and Delon's paramour at the time, who saw potential in the untrained 22-year-old.
"I was a blank canvas, unaware of the nuances of acting," Delon reminisced to Vanity Fair years later, recalling his maiden voyage in front of the camera. "Yves Allégret's words resonated deeply: 'Listen closely, Alain. Speak as you speak to me, gaze as you gaze at me, and listen with the same intensity. Don't act, but live.' Those words were a revelation, transforming everything."
From then on, Delon's career took flight. In 1958, he soared to stardom as the lead in the French crime comedy, 'Be Beautiful and Shut Up,' sharing the screen with Jean-Paul Belmondo, who portrayed a youthful thug in an early role—a partnership that would span eight films over their illustrious careers. That same year, Delon also embodied the character of an army lieutenant in the pre-World War I Viennese drama, 'Christine,' further cementing his place in the annals of French cinema.
The legendary German actress, Romy Schneider, renowned for her iconic portrayals in the beloved 'Sissi' films, graced the silver screen in the titular character, igniting an on-screen romance with Alain Delon that transcended the boundaries of fiction, blossoming into a real-life love affair. Engaged shortly after, the duo remained inseparable until 1963, their bond enduring even after their separation, as they reunited for two more cinematic endeavors: Jacques Deray's sultry 'The Swimming Pool' (1969) and Losey's tense 'The Assassination of Trotsky' (1972).
Delon's meteoric rise to stardom commenced in 1960 with the thriller 'Purple Noon', adapted by Clément (of 'Forbidden Games' fame) from Patricia Highsmith's gripping novel 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'. As the enigmatic antihero, Tom Ripley, Delon exuded an intoxicating blend of charm and malice, set against the picturesque backdrop of the Mediterranean, captivating audiences and critics alike, earning him the moniker "the new James Dean."
His momentum carried him into Visconti's sprawling family epic 'Rocco and His Brothers', where he portrayed a destitute southern Italian striving for success in Milan, training to become a boxing champion amidst familial struggles. Costarring with Renato Salvatori and Annie Girardot, 'Rocco' triumphed at the Venice Film Festival, winning the Golden Lion in 1960, solidifying Delon's status as an international star in his mere fifth film.
The 1960s witnessed Delon's further ascension, starring in Antonioni's modernist existential romance 'The Eclipse', opposite Monica Vitti; Henri Verneuil's melancholic crime drama 'Any Number Can Win' (1963), portraying an ambitious young gangster alongside French legend Jean Gabin; and Visconti's Sicilian masterpiece 'The Leopard', featuring Burt Lancaster and Claudia Cardinale, which garnered the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1963 and earned Delon his sole Golden Globe nomination.
Delon's prolific decade continued with diverse roles, including Alain Cavalier's gritty noir 'The Unvanquished' (1964), which he also produced; the sprawling World War II narrative 'Is Paris Burning?' (1966), reuniting him with Clément and boasting an all-star cast featuring Orson Welles, Leslie Caron, and Kirk Douglas; Deray's sensual 'The Swimming Pool', later reimagined as 'A Bigger Splash' (2015), alongside Schneider and Jane Birkin; and Verneuil's adrenaline-fueled 'The Sicilian Clan' (1969), a Franco-Italian crime thriller co-starring Lino Ventura, showcasing Delon's versatility and commanding presence on screen.
In the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, Alain Delon etched his name in cinematic history with a string of remarkable performances. Among them stood out 'The Yellow Rolls-Royce' (1964), a dazzling ensemble piece that showcased his charisma alongside Shirley MacLaine. The year after, he delved into the realm of thrillers with 'Once a Thief' (1965), a heart-pounding tale co-starring Ann-Margret and Jack Palance that left audiences on the edge of their seats.
Delon's star continued to shine brightly as he graced the screen alongside Dean Martin in 'Texas Across the River' (1966) and portrayed a heroic figure amidst the chaos of the Algerian War in 'Lost Command' (1966), sharing the screen with Anthony Quinn. Yet, one of his defining roles in the decade was that of the enigmatic assassin Jef Costello in Jean-Pierre Melville's minimalist masterpiece 'Le Samouraï'. His stoic, brooding portrayal of a man of few words captivated critics and remains etched in the annals of cinema as one of his most unforgettable performances. "It transcends me, existing beyond my being," he mused to Cahiers du cinéma, "The samurai is me, but unconsciously so."
As the 1970s dawned, Delon embarked on a prolific journey, starring in over 30 films, though fewer were hailed as masterpieces compared to his previous decade's work. Nonetheless, he reunited with Melville for the critically acclaimed crime epic 'The Red Circle', a French box office hit now celebrated as a pinnacle of heist movies, followed by the director's swan song, 'Un Flic' (1972).
Collaborations with familiar faces flourished as he teamed up with Jacques Deray once more in the gritty gangster tale 'Borsalino', sharing the spotlight with Jean-Paul Belmondo, and its sequel 'Borsalino & Co.' (1974). He also ventured into the realm of psychological drama as a professor enamored with his student in Valerio Zurlini's 'Indian Summer' (1972), and reunited with Burt Lancaster for the taut CIA thriller 'Scorpio' (1973) directed by Michael Winner.
Perhaps the most poignant work of the decade was Delon's second collaboration with Joseph Losey in 'Mr. Klein', a poignant tale of a morally ambiguous art dealer in Nazi-occupied Paris who uncovers a haunting doppelganger. Delon's production efforts aside, the film garnered him his maiden César nomination for Best Actor and swept French awards for Best Film and Best Director, cementing his status as a cinematic icon.
In the twilight of the '70s, Delon embarked on a foray into the glamorous world of fashion, unveiling a dazzling array of timepieces, sunglasses, and a captivating perfume collection, aptly named "Shogun" and "Samouraï Woman," that captivated hearts and senses alike. As the 1980s dawned, his cinematic pursuits took a backseat, yet his screen presence remained luminous, with notable roles in Volker Schlöndorff's poignant adaptation of Proust's masterpiece, 'Swann in Love' (1984), Claude Blier's melancholic love story, 'Our Story' (1984), and Jean-Luc Godard's groundbreaking neo-noir deconstruction, 'Nouvelle Vague' (1990).
His greatest commercial triumph, however, arrived in 2008, when he transformed into Julius Caesar for the comic book-inspired blockbuster 'Asterix at the Olympic Games,' a film that triumphantly raked in over $130 million at the box office.
Romance wove a tangled web around Delon's life, beginning with his 1959 engagement to Schneider and later entwining him with the enigmatic Nico, lead singer of The Velvet Underground. Together, they welcomed a child, Christian Aaron Boulogne, born in 1962, amidst controversy as Delon initially denied paternity, leaving the infant to be adopted by his own parents.
In 1964, love found him anew in the form of actress Francine Canovas, who rechristened herself Nathalie Delon and graced the silver screen alongside him in 'Le Samouraï.' Their union bore a son, Anthony, that very year.
The 1960s also saw the blossoming of a long-lasting bond with actress Mireille Darc, who shone brightly in the 'Borsalino' series. And then, in 1987, Delon's heart found solace with Dutch model Rosalie van Breeman, with whom he shared the joy of parenting two children, Anouchka and Alain-Fabien.
Yet, recent times have been tumultuous, as his three children found themselves embroiled in a dispute over his healthcare arrangements and finances. Adding to the drama, a shocking discovery by police in February revealed a cache of 72 unlicensed firearms and over 3,000 rounds of ammunition in his Douchy-Montcorbon residence, nestled south of Paris's bustling cityscape.
In a 2018 interview with Le Figaro, Delon emphatically clarified his stance, asserting that he did not belong in the echelon of "thespians." He pronounced, "My career trajectory bears no resemblance to the sacred vocation of a thespian. Being a thespian is a lifelong dedication, an art form honed over years of relentless craftsmanship. I, on the other hand, am an actor – a being who not merely performs but inhabits each role, breathing life into it. I've never merely enacted my parts; I've lived them. An actor, I believe, is a serendipitous creature, born of chance and circumstance. I am that accident, my life an unforeseen journey, my career a testament to the unpredictable tapestry of fate."
