71 Facts About Alain Delon

Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon is a French actor.

Alain Delon was born in Sceaux, Seine, Ile-de-France, a wealthy suburb of Paris.

When his parents divorced, Alain Delon was sent to live with foster parents; after the foster parents died, Alain Delon's parents took shared custody of him, but the arrangement proved unsatisfactory.

Alain Delon attended a Catholic boarding school, the first of several schools from which he was expelled because of unruly behavior.

Alain Delon left school at 14 and worked for a brief time at his stepfather's butcher shop.

In 1949, Alain Delon starred in Le rapt, a short film in which he portrayed a gangster involved in a kidnapping.

In 1956, after his naval service in Saigon, Alain Delon returned to France, and spent time working as a waiter, a porter, a secretary, and a sales assistant.

At Cannes, Alain Delon was seen by a talent scout for David O Selznick.

Alain Delon returned to Paris to study the language, but when he met French director Yves Allegret, he was convinced that he should stay in France to begin his career.

Selznick allowed Alain Delon to cancel his contract, and Allegret gave him his debut in the film with Edwige Feuillere, Quand la femme s'en mele.

Alain Delon was then given his first lead, supporting Romy Schneider in the period romance Christine, based on a novel by Arthur Schnitzler.

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 meant 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 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 for 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 and said in 1965 that he wanted to make a picture in America and one in Europe each year.

Alain Delon started with a small part in an all-star anthology for MGM titled The Yellow Rolls-Royce, opposite Shirley MacLaine.

Alain Delon had his first English-language lead in 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 was meant to work again with Visconti in The Stranger but did not end up playing it.

Alain Delon played an amnesiac in Diabolically Yours for Julien Duvivier and had a role in another all-star anthology, Spirits of the Dead ; his 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.

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

Alain Delon made his third film with Melville, Un flic.

Alain Delon produced and starred in a romantic drama, Indian Summer, then made some 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 only a quarter of his business activities involve films, that he has "a helicopter business, build furniture, promote prize fights, and race horses", and that he was still interested in becoming a star in America.

Alain Delon returned to French films which he produced: 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 announced his decision to give up acting in 1997, although he still occasionally accepts roles.

Alain Delon acquired Swiss citizenship on 23 September 1999, and the company managing products sold under his name is based in 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 Jules Cesar 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 was planning to star in a new movie, titled La Maison Vide, co-starring Juliette Binoche and directed by Patrice Leconte.

Already in 1973 Alain Delon scored a huge international hit duetting with Egyptian-French singer Dalida on the song Paroles.

At the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, which was held from 14 to 25 May, Alain Delon was the recipient of an honorary for his long standing career in the movies.

Thierry Fremaux, the artistic director of the festival, told the Cannes audience during a homage at the ceremony, "We know that intolerance is back, we're being asked to believe that if we all think the same it will protect us from the risk of being disliked or being wrong, but Alain Delon is not afraid of being wrong, being disliked, and he doesn't think like others, and he's not afraid of being alone".

Alain Delon received the award from his daughter Anouchka Delon.

Also on TV5Monde, Alain Delon interviewed Ukrainian president Zelenskyy in September 2022 as part of a special programme on the situation 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.

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

In 1962, Nico gave birth to a son, Christian Aaron Boulogne "Ari", but Alain Delon never recognized the child as his; Ari was raised mostly by Alain Delon's parents.

In 1963, Alain Delon met young divorcee Francine Canovas.

Alain Delon later had short relationships with actress Anne Parillaud and Catherine Bleynie, ex-wife of Didier Pironi.

Alain Delon was in a short relationship with Guadeloupe-born dancer and actress Maddly Bamy.

Alain Delon met Bamy on the set of La Piscine, where Bamy had a small role.

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

Alain Delon was good friends with Argentine world champion boxer Carlos Monzon.

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

Alain Delon testified that he was present at parties with Pompidou's wife, Markovic, and Delon.

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

Alain Delon paid 300,000 francs for the manuscript and then returned it to the government.

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

Shortly thereafter, some news organizations reported that Alain Delon was planning to imminently end his life through euthanasia.

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, The Swimming Pool, Le Cercle Rouge, and Monsieur Klein.