Reflecting upon the captivating life of Alain Delon, I am left in awe of his multifaceted journey that spanned across continents and genres. From the cobblestone streets of Italy where he first caught the eyes of Hollywood greats, to the gritty underworld of crime dramas that would become synonymous with his name, Delon’s career is nothing short of extraordinary.
88-year-old Alain Delon, widely recognized as a prominent French actor, particularly for his collaborations with New Wave filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville, notably in the movie “Le Samourai,” has passed away.
“According to a statement shared with the AFP news agency, he quietly departed this life at home in Douchy, with his three children and other family members by his side.”
Apart from “Le Samourai,” Delon also starred in Melville’s masterful heist movie “The Red Circle” (Le Cercle Rouge) and the cop drama “The Cop” (Un Flic).
Among his other notable movies are “Purple Noon” directed by Rene Clement, “Rocco and His Brothers” and “The Leopard” from Visconti, “L’Eclisse” by Antonioni, “Two Men in Town” by Jose Giovanni, and “Mr. Klein” by Joseph Losey.
Following Jean-Paul Belmondo setting the standard for French nonchalance at the onset of the New Wave through Godard’s “Breathless,” Delon and director Melville intentionally reimagined this image in “Le Samourai.” In this film, Delon portrayed a professional assassin who was meticulous about his fedora’s placement, and as a result, he was often likened to James Dean.
However, the comparison to Dean was narrow; unlike the American actor who often displayed emotional intensity in his roles, Delon was restrained. The calmness portrayed in “Le Samourai” might appear as indifference in a less skillfully crafted film, for instance, Melville’s “Un Flic.”
Despite the challenges, it’s difficult for many Americans to fully comprehend the level of Delon’s fame during the 1960s and ’70s, not only in France but also in far-flung places like Japan, Communist China, and Latin America. For instance, a 1975 version of “Zorro” featuring Delon as the lead character was one of the first Western films to be screened in China after the Cultural Revolution, showcasing his popularity there.
Delon’s captivating charm reached its pinnacle in the film “Le Samourai.” Film scholar David Thomson referred to him as “the enigmatic, almost ethereal figure of French cinema, barely 32 years old in 1967, with a touch of femininity. Yet he was so sincere and meticulous that he seemed dangerous or powerful. He was also close by then to the real French underworld.” Thomson further stated: “Delon is not so much a great actor as an extraordinary presence – it’s no wonder he was delighted to discover that Melville valued his willingness to be captured on film.”
Roger Ebert referred to Delon as the “ruggedly attractive star of French films,” an individual whose striking good looks were so unexpected that his most effective approach in handling his charm was through a stoic demeanor.
In “Le Samourai,” Melville intricately traces the character arc of Jef Costello, a cold-blooded assassin played by Alain Delon. He shows us how Costello carefully constructs an alibi, executes a nightclub owner, navigates a police identification parade, discovers that those who hired him have double-crossed him, and is pursued relentlessly by the police. However, the narrative’s intricacies pale in comparison to the film’s unique style and Delon’s captivating portrayal of the ruthless assassin.
Delon’s breakthrough role occurred in “Purple Noon,” a 1960 film directed by Rene Clement, which was based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” In this movie, Delon portrayed the character Tom Ripley, a sociopath who ends up murdering his friend and assuming his identity. This role helped establish Delon as a prominent actor. It was restored in 2012 and shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013 during a retrospective celebrating the actor’s career.
In the remarkable film “Rocco and His Brothers,” directed by Visconti and produced in 1960, Alain Delon portrayed the title role, belonging to a struggling Italian family who migrate from the South to Milan in pursuit of better prospects. Initially hesitant, his character is compelled to take up boxing as a means to financially support his family.
In a few years, Delon found himself collaborating with Visconti once more, this time for the 1963 cinematic gem “The Leopard.” In this production, Burt Lancaster portrayed a 19th-century Sicilian prince struggling to adapt to revolution and its potential impact on his family and social standing. Delon took on the role of the prince’s dashing nephew who initially supports the revolutionaries but later switches allegiance to the king’s forces. The film featured an undeniable on-screen chemistry between Delon and the stunning Claudia Cardinale.
1962 saw Alain Delon sharing the screen with Monica Vitti in “L’Eclisse,” which was the second film in director Michelangelo Antonioni’s acclaimed trilogy exploring detachment. Delon excelled in his role as a shrewd stockbroker, finding himself entangled with Vitti’s character. However, he struggled to meet her emotional demands.
1969 found him acting alongside Romy Schneider and Maurice Ronet in the sensual, suspenseful film “The Swimming Pool,” titled “La Piscine” originally.
In “The Assassination of Trotsky” in 1972, he acted alongside Richard Burton, Schneider, and Valentina Cortese, under the direction of Joseph Losey. A few years afterward, he collaborated with Losey again for the outstanding movie “Mr. Klein.” In this film, Delon portrayed a Catholic art dealer in occupied Paris who exploits the situation as Jews with valuable art collections are rounded up – however, complications arise when he is frequently confused with a hidden Jewish operative using his name. Notably, Delon also served as one of the producers on the movie.
Delon acted in three films alongside the legendary French actor Jean Gabin from an earlier era: “Any Number Can Win” (1963), “The Sicilian Clan” from 1969, and “Two Men in Town” in 1973. Notably, the latter film also featured a young Gerard Depardieu in a minor role, thus connecting three generations of actors.
In addition, Delon played a secondary part as a photographer in the 1964 worldwide film titled “The Yellow Rolls-Royce,” which featured Rex Harrison and Ingrid Bergman as the main leads, with Shirley MacLaine following them.
One of many renowned French actors, as well as some American ones like Kirk Douglas and Glenn Ford, featured in Rene Clement’s movie “Is Paris Burning?” (1966), which portrayed the chaotic final days of Nazi occupation in the French capital, were graced by the presence of the actor.
In 1971, Jean-Paul Delon acted alongside Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune, Ursula Andress, and Capucine in the internationally produced film “Red Sun,” directed by Terence Young. Although this Western was not well-received in the United States, it enjoyed success in Europe and Asia. (Delon, who cultivated an affinity for Japan due to “Le Samourai,” continued to maintain a strong fanbase in the country, where sunglasses branded with his name became popular.)
In 1973, Alain Delon teamed up with his “The Leopard” collaborator Burt Lancaster for the action-packed thriller “Scorpio,” directed by Michael Winner. Delon portrayed an assassin tasked with taking out Lancaster’s disillusioned secret agent character, who sought to leave his dangerous profession. Remarkably, Winner’s prior film, “The Mechanic” featuring Charles Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent, shared a strikingly similar storyline.
Alain Delon hailed from Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, and traced his roots back to both French and Corsican Italian (father’s side) as well as French and German ancestry (mother’s side). His parents divorced at an early age, marking the beginning of a tumultuous childhood that saw frequent expulsions from school. Post his military service in French Indochina, Delon worked various odd jobs across Paris. During this time, he crossed paths with actor Jean Claude Brialy, who extended an invitation to the 1956 Cannes Film Festival, paving the way for Delon’s professional connections within the film industry.
The following year, he appeared in his first film, taking on a minor part in “Send a Woman When the Devil Fails,” directed by Yves Allegret.
During his time filming “A Farewell to Arms” in Italy or perhaps at Cannes, David O. Selznick encountered Delon and proposed a Hollywood contract, contingent on Delon mastering English. However, Delon declined this proposition, although he did accept roles in three American films throughout his career: the 1964 crime drama “Once a Thief” alongside Ann-Margret and Van Heflin, the 1966 Western “Four for Texas” featuring Dean Martin, and “Airport ’79: The Concorde,” where he portrayed the captain of the problematic plane.
In the vibrant ’80s, I found myself captivated by Alain Delon’s foray into filmmaking. His journey began in 1981 with “Pour la peau d’un flic,” a project inspired by Jean-Patrick Manchette’s novel, where he not only directed but also starred alongside Anne Parillaud. The following year, he and Robin Davis collaborated on “Le choc,” another adaptation of a Manchette novel, which we co-directed, although Delon remained unaccredited. This film saw him opposite Catherine Deneuve. In 1983, we worked together again on “Le battant,” an adaptation of André Caroff’s novel. Although these films fell within the crime drama genre that Delon was synonymous with, they were merely satisfactory endeavors in my opinion.
In the 1980s, he took multiple existing novels and transformed them into movies, and he also penned a few original screenplays.
More significantly, Delon was a producer on 30 of his films.
In 2003-04, he played the lead role in the French television crime drama titled “Frank Riva.” Furthermore, he portrayed Julius Caesar in the 2008 movie called “Asterix at the Olympic Games.”
1969 marked a pivotal point in Alain Delon’s illustrious acting career, but it was also marred by a multifaceted scandal involving criminal and political aspects. The tragic death of Stevan Markovic, once Delon’s bodyguard and co-star in “Le Samourai,” cast a dark shadow over this period. Markovic’s lifeless body was discovered in a forest, and an incriminating letter written by him linked the Delons to a Corsican fighter called François Marcantoni. Marcantoni, in turn, was connected to former French president Georges Pompidou. The Delons were interrogated about the murder, yet the extent of the scandal’s reach remained uncertain; only Marcantoni was found guilty in court.
Delon’s personal life, particularly his relationships, were often the focus of French media. One such relationship was with German actress Romy Schneider, which spanned from 1959 to 1964. Despite their separation, he maintained an emotional bond with her for a long time. Sadly, she passed away in 1982 due to a combination of painkillers and alcohol. In 2008, at the Césars ceremony, Delon accepted an award on her behalf that celebrated what would have been her 70th birthday. He requested the audience to honor her memory with a standing ovation.
However, while he was involved with Schneider, he also had an extramarital relationship with Nico from the Velvet Underground, resulting in the birth of their son, Ari Boulogne.
He married Nathalie Barthélemy in 1964 and had a son, Anthony. The couple divorced in 1969.
After that, Delon was in a 15-year long relationship with the French actress Mireille Darc, followed by another with the Dutch model Rosalie van Breemen, and together they had two kids. However, their relationship ended in 2002.
He was accorded an honorary Palme d’Or in 2019.
His family placed him under conservatorship in 2024 after he had suffered a stroke in 2019.
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2024-08-18 10:48