149 Facts About Alain Delon

Alain Delon is regarded as one of the most well-known figures of the French cultural landscape.

Alain Delon's style, looks, and roles, which made him an international icon, earned him enduring popularity.

Alain Delon achieved critical acclaim for his roles in films such as Women Are Weak, Purple Noon, Rocco and His Brothers, L'Eclisse, The Leopard, Any Number Can Win, The Black Tulip, The Last Adventure, Le Samourai, The Girl on a Motorcycle, La Piscine, Le Cercle Rouge, Un flic, and Monsieur Klein.

Alain Delon received many film and entertainment awards throughout his career.

Alain Delon's maternal grandfather, Alfred Louis Arnold, was born in Paris and was a rider of the French army, gendarme.

Alain Delon's parents were Just Arnold, born in 1847 in Burglen, Uri, a shoemaker by trade, and Marie-Adele Lienemann, born in 1849, a cook.

Alain Delon married Maria Minard, a model for Jeanne Lanvin.

Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon was born in a house located at 99 Houdan Street on 8 November 1935 in Sceaux, a wealthy suburb of Paris in the department of Seine.

Alain Delon's father Francois Fabien Delon, was a projectionist and later the director of the cinema Le Regina in Bourg-la-Reine, his mother Edith Marie Suzanne Arnold, was an assistant employed in a pharmacy and a theater usher at the cinema where both his parents met, he was born into a petit-bourgeois family.

Alain Delon was then entrusted to a foster family, called Nero, who lived "Rue de la Terasse" which would remain for him a childhood wound that never healed.

Alain Delon, who lived next door, heard the salvo that executed the wartime collaborator Pierre Laval in the prison courtyard in 1945, the details of which he was told.

When his foster parents died in 1946, Alain Delon was sent back to his birth parents, who took shared custody of him.

Alain Delon joined the school choir and was chosen to sing as a soloist.

Alain Delon was congratulated on a performance by the Apostolic Nuncio to France Cardinal Angelo Roncalli, the later Pope John XXIII.

Alain Delon was expelled from the school after he beat up one of his classmates.

Alain Delon then stole the director's motorcycle which resulted in him being expelled again.

Alain Delon was expelled from a few more schools which were, Jesuit, Benedictine, Franciscan and lay schools, until the age of 13, when he entered Saint Nicolas d'Igny Institute.

At age 14, Alain Delon decided he did not want to stay in the school and wished to leave France.

Alain Delon decided to run away to Chicago with his friend Daniel Salwadet who had an uncle living there.

Alain Delon later said he never really found a place in that family and never felt safe there.

Alain Delon took courses at the Au Jambon de Paris, while working part time as his stepfathers delicatessen where he would go the central markets in the morning to buy 40 kilograms of sausages.

Alain Delon eventually obtained a Certificate of Professional Aptitude in charcuterie.

Alain Delon's family had plans for him to take over the delicatessen in the future.

However during those three years, Alain Delon developed a very bad reputation in the community.

Alain Delon partied constantly, got into bar fights, and was a member of a gang at one point.

Alain Delon celebrated his 20th birthday in a prison cell.

Alain Delon developed a passion for weapons and was captivated by the performance of French actor Jean Gabin in Touchez pas au grisbi, a film he saw in the Indochinese capital.

Alain Delon resented his parents for letting him go to Indochina and did not get back in touch with them, deciding to fend for himself and having no idea what he would do for a living.

Alain Delon settled in at the Regina Hotel and did a few odd jobs, notably as a produce handler at the Paris market Les Halles and as a waiter in a cafe near the Champs-Elysees.

Alain Delon met the future singer Dalida, with whom he would have an affair later in life.

Alain Delon was fascinated by the values of this environment, in particular the sense of honour, friendship, respect and the law of silence.

Alain Delon discovered the bustling Saint-Germain-des-Pres district and at the Club Saint-Germain met the actress Brigitte Auber, who had recently acted for the director Alfred Hitchcock in To Catch a Thief.

Alain Delon was "spotted" by Henry Willson, who was in charge of recruiting new talent on behalf of the American film producer David O Selznick, who offered him a trial run in Rome.

Alain Delon thus entered the world of cinema without any particular training as an actor.

Alain Delon returned to Paris and began to study English, but the actress Michele Cordoue, whose lover he had become, convinced her husband, the director Yves Allegret, to hire him to shoot his first film, Quand la femme s'en mele.

Alain Delon initially rejected the offer from Allegret but eventually accepted the offer and Selznick allowed him to cancel the contract.

Alain Delon then appeared in the comedy Sois belle et tais-toi by Marc Allegret, where he associated with Mylene Demongeot and Henri Vidal, as well as another young actor, a beginning actor like himself, Jean-Paul Belmondo.

The vehicle was destroyed and Alain Delon escaped, suffering only a minor injury that left a scar under his chin which became characteristic of his image.

Alain Delon was given the lead in the comedy Women Are Weak.

Alain Delon made some personal appearances in New York to promote the movie.

Alain Delon next made two films that ensured his international reputation.

Alain Delon played protagonist Tom Ripley to critical acclaim; Highsmith was a fan of his portrayal.

Alain Delon then played the title role in Luchino Visconti's Rocco and His Brothers.

Critic Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote that Alain Delon's work was "touchingly pliant and expressive".

Alain Delon was reunited with Rene Clement in the Italian comedy film about fascism, The Joy of Living.

Around this time Alain Delon was mentioned as a possibility for the lead in Lawrence of Arabia.

Peter O'Toole was cast instead, but then Alain Delon was signed by Seven Arts to a four-picture deal, including a big budget international movie of the Marco Polo story and The King of Paris, about Alexandre Dumas.

Gabin's co-star was going to be Jean-Louis Trintignant until Alain Delon lobbied Bar for the role.

Alain Delon took the film's distribution rights in certain countries instead of a straight salary.

Alain Delon's gamble paid off handsomely, with Jean Gabin later claiming that Alain Delon earned 10 times more money than he did as a result.

However, in 1965, Alain Delon claimed "no one else has tried it since and made money".

Alain Delon signed a five-picture deal with MGM, of which Any Number Can Win was the first.

Alain Delon's reputation was further enhanced when he worked with Visconti again in Il Gattopardo with Burt Lancaster and Claudia Cardinale.

Alain Delon was now one of the most popular stars in France.

Alain Delon starred in a swashbuckler, The Black Tulip, another hit.

Typecast as a "Latin lover", Alain Delon spent the next few years focused on Hollywood.

Alain Delon made his debut in the British film industry starring in an all-star anthology for MGM titled The Yellow Rolls-Royce, opposite Shirley MacLaine.

Alain Delon made his Hollywood debut as the lead role in the film Once a Thief, where he co-starred with Ann-Margret.

Alain Delon remained a massive star in France, along with Steve McQueen and Sean Connery, and was one of the biggest foreign stars in Japan.

Alain Delon starred in the film The Last Adventure opposite Lino Ventura.

Alain Delon was meant to work again with Visconti in The Stranger but this did not happen.

Alain Delon played an amnesiac in Diabolically Yours for Julien Duvivier.

Alain Delon had a role in another all-star anthology, Spirits of the Dead.

Alain Delon's segment was directed by Louis Malle, and co-starred Brigitte Bardot.

Alain Delon had another attempt at English-language cinema with The Girl on a Motorcycle with Marianne Faithfull, for director Jack Cardiff.

Alain Delon asked the filmmaker to book her for this role.

Alain Delon continuously pursued her, both before and after filming "La Piscine", with persistent attempts to reconcile.

Corsican crime boss Francois Marcantoni, a friend of Alain Delon, was suspected of involvement in the murder.

Alain Delon starred in his third film with Melville, Un flic in 1972 as well.

Alain Delon then produced and starred in a romantic drama, Indian Summer, and subsequently appeared in the thrillers, Traitement de choc, and Tony Arzenta.

Alain Delon tried again for Hollywood stardom with Scorpio, with Burt Lancaster for director Michael Winner.

Alain Delon made some more crime filmes: The Gypsy, Flic Story, Boomerang and Armaguedon.

In 1976, Alain Delon starred in Monsieur Klein, for which he was nominated for the Cesar Award.

In 1979, Alain Delon stated that only a quarter of his business activities involved films, that he had "a helicopter business, built furniture, promoted prize fights, and raced horses", and that he was still interested in becoming a star in America.

Alain Delon returned to acting in French films, playing in and producing The Medic and Three Men to Kill.

Alain Delon was awarded the Best Actor Cesar Award for his role in Bertrand Blier's Notre histoire, and portrayed the aristocratic dandy Baron de Charlus in a film adaptation of Marcel Proust's novel Swann in Love in the same year.

Alain Delon's thrillers resumed with Parole de flic, The Passage, Let Sleeping Cops Lie, and Dancing Machine.

Alain Delon announced his decision to give up acting in 1997, although he still occasionally accepted roles.

Alain Delon acquired Swiss citizenship in 1999, and the company managing products sold under his name is based in Geneva.

Alain Delon resided in Chene-Bougeries in the canton of Geneva.

In 2001, Alain Delon starred in the French television drama Fabio Montale.

Alain Delon played an ageing policeman dressed in stylish clothes, a "signature Delon" role for audiences.

In 2003, Alain Delon tried to recreate the success of Fabio Montale and produced and starred in another French television police drama, Frank Riva.

Alain Delon starred in 2008 as Julius Caesar in the box-office hit Asterix aux jeux Olympiques, which co-starred Gerard Depardieu.

In 2018, after a seven-year hiatus from cinema, Alain Delon had planned to star in a new movie, titled La Maison Vide, co-starring Juliette Binoche and directed by Patrice Leconte.

Alain Delon again appeared as himself in the 2019 movie Toute Resemblance as a guest on a talkshow.

In 1973, Alain Delon had scored a huge international hit duetting with Egyptian-French singer Dalida on the song "Paroles, paroles".

Alain Delon collaborated with Shirley Bassey in 1983 on the international hit song "Thought I'd Ring You".

At the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, Alain Delon received an honorary Palme d'Or for his long-standing career in movies.

However, there was much controversy surrounding Alain Delon receiving this award due to remarks he had allegedly made about the treatment of women during his career and in his private life.

Also on TV5Monde, Alain Delon interviewed Ukrainian President Zelensky in September 2022 as part of a special programme on the war in Ukraine, Face a Zelensky.

Alain Delon expressed his support for the Ukrainian people during the interview.

Alain Delon reportedly wrote a letter thanking Chow for helping to promote and sell the sunglasses in Hong Kong and China.

Alain Delon was a professional boxing promoter, Nino Cerruti introduced him to world middleweight champion Carlos Monzon.

On 1 October 1968, the body of Stefan Markovic, Alain Delon's bodyguard, was found in a public dump in Elancourt, Yvelines, a village on the western outskirts of Paris.

Meanwhile, Rollin wrote a letter to the prosecutor of Montargis in which she denied being Alain Delon's companion, claiming to have had an intimate relationship with him for over twenty years.

Rollin's complaint, filed in response against the Alain Delon children, was dismissed for the same reasons.

On 4 January 2024, Alain Delon filed a complaint against his son Anthony following an interview granted by the latter to Paris Match magazine.

Anthony Alain Delon discussed his father's fragile health and accused his half-sister Anouchka of manipulating their father regarding the inheritance.

Alain Delon then announced plans to sue for defamation, false accusations, threats, and harassment against Anthony Delon.

Furthermore, Alain Delon's lawyer asserted that his client "cannot bear the aggressiveness of his son Anthony, who keeps telling him that he is senile".

On 29 March 2024, Anouchka Alain Delon sued her brothers for invasion of privacy after the broadcast of a recording in January 2024 on Instagram of a conversation between her and her father.

Physically weakened by cancer, Alain Delon was placed under reinforced guardianship by judicial decision in April 2024, following a hearing at the Montargis court, in the presence of the actor's three children.

In 1969, Alain Delon was convicted in absentia and sentenced to four months in jail by an Italian court for assaulting an Italian photographer.

On 20 March 1959, Alain Delon became engaged to actress Romy Schneider, whom he met when they co-starred in the film Christine.

In 2009, Alain Delon admitted his regret at not marrying Schneider, and In 2018 he referred to her as the love of his life.

In 1963, Alain Delon met the young divorcee Francine Canovas, a model known professionally as Nathalie Barthelemy.

Alain Delon was involved in an affair with Marisa Mell both before and after publicly announcing his engagement to Barthelemy during a press conference.

In October 1964, Alain Delon met Ratna Sari Dewi, at the Tokyo Olympics, and the two began a relationship.

Alain Delon later had short relationships with the actresses Anne Parillaud, as well as Catherine Bleynie, the ex-wife of Didier Pironi.

In 1987, Alain Delon met the Dutch model Rosalie van Breemen on the set of the music video for his song "Comme au cinema" and started a relationship.

Alain Delon described himself as a Gaullist, explaining that he was raised "in the spirit of General de Gaulle".

Alain Delon gave his support to Raymond Barre in 1988 and to Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007.

Alain Delon later endorsed Valerie Pecresse in 2022, calling her "the only woman he wants to be president".

Alain Delon was good friends with the Argentine world champion boxer Carlos Monzon, even visiting Monzon during his stint in prison.

In 2022, the 86-year-old Alain Delon was invited by Volodymyr Zelenskyy to travel to Ukraine.

Alain Delon was admitted to hospital after experiencing dizziness and headaches.

In 2022, Delon's son Anthony revealed in his autobiography Entre chien et loup that, following the death of his mother Nathalie, Alain said he wanted to be removed from life support if he were to succumb to a coma, and had asked Anthony to fulfill his request if such a circumstance arose.

Shortly thereafter, some news organizations reported that Delon was planning to imminently end his life through euthanasia, but the reports were adamantly denied by his son, Alain-Fabien, who said that quotes from Anthony Delon's book had been taken out of context.

In January 2024, Alain Delon was reported to be in poor health and living a reclusive lifestyle at his La Brulerie estate in Douchy.

Alain Delon died on 18 August 2024 at his home in Douchy, surrounded by family members, at the age of 88.

Alain Delon had been diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma earlier in the year.

The next day, Alain Delon's death made headlines worldwide and garnered significant media attention.

The 2024 Angouleme Francophone Film Festival, taking place a few days after Alain Delon's death, changed its programming to screen Notre histoire by Bertrand Blier.

The 2024 Lumiere Festival concluded with a screening of Plein Soleil by Rene Clement and a speech by Anthony Alain Delon, who recounted his father's career.

In October 2024, the Paris Council voted on a proposal to name a street or facility in the capital in honor of Alain Delon, which included the installation of a plaque in his name on the Normandie building on the Champs-Elysees.

Alain Delon featured in In Memoriam segments of 2025 BAFTA and SAG Awards ceremonies.

Alain Delon is one of the best-known French actors abroad, alongside Gerard Depardieu, Jean Reno, Catherine Deneuve, and Audrey Tautou.

Jean-Michel Frodon, a film critic and historian, points out that in post-war French cinema, Alain Delon is a unique figure, whose energy and intelligence on screen were superbly exploited by filmmakers such as Jean-Pierre Melville.

Several of the productions in which Alain Delon plays the leading role are cited.

Alain Delon's interpretations have influenced many colleagues, both in France and internationally, especially thanks to his role in Le Samourai, often cited as one of the most influential films in history.

Director Jean-Pierre Melville wrote the film for Alain Delon and describes the genesis of this film:.

Stephen Teo calls Le Samourai "possibly the most influential French crime thriller ever made, a mixture of a police procedural and a suspenseful action thriller concentrated on a professional hit man, Jef Costello, played by Alain Delon, giving the definitive performance of his career".

Alain Delon is cited as one of the most beautiful actors in the history of cinema.

Alain Delon's fame, linked as much to his looks as to his acting, has inspired and continues to influence many international actors.

Alain Delon was offered roles in several iconic productions, thus illustrating the international recognition bestowed upon him.

Alain Delon was slated to portray the character of Duncan Idaho.

Alain Delon was among Anne Rice's top choices for the role of Louis, as depicted in her book Interview with the Vampire, which was under discussion for a film adaptation.

Alain Delon was slated to appear in the adaptation of Andre Malraux's novel Man's Fate, alongside Johnny Depp, Daniel Day-Lewis, Uma Thurman, and John Malkovich.

Alain Delon refused to succeed Sean Connery and thus declined the offer.

Alain Delon is the main subject of a play inspired by his career and the world of Jean-Pierre Melville, Alain Delon or almost, of Stephane Dolivet.

Alain Delon has a total of 136 million admissions in France.

Alain Delon is one of the most popular French actors in Russia.

Alain Delon's films have accumulated a total of over 300 million admissions.

Alain Delon has a total of over 35 million admissions in this country.

Alain Delon admired Jean Marais, Montgomery Clift, Marlon Brando and Robert Walker.

Alain Delon received numerous film and entertainment awards throughout his career.

Alain Delon was honored at the "Men of the Year 2001" ceremony with the World Actor 2001 trophy in Vienna, at the Imperial Hofburg palace in Austria.

Alain Delon's most acclaimed films, according to the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, include Purple Noon, Rocco and His Brothers, L'Eclisse, The Leopard, Le Samourai, La Piscine, Le Cercle Rouge, and Monsieur Klein.