Who Was Alain Delon? All You Need To Know About French Actor Who Played Iconic Villain Roles As He Passes Away At 88

The legendary French actor Alain Delon, who starred in movies including Purple Noon and Rocco and His Brothers in the 1960s, has passed away at 88.

By Marita Pinto

Published on Aug 19, 2024 | 11:42 AM IST | 34K

Alain Delon via Getty Images

TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains refrences to an individual's death.

French actor Alain Delon who melted the hearts of millions of moviegoers by portraying hitmen, hoodlums, and murderers has passed away at 88. According to his family's statement to Agence France-Presse, the actor passed away on Sunday, August 18, at his Douchy-Montcorbon, France, residence.

While Delon's family did not disclose the reason for his death, The Washington Post and The New York Times reported that one of the celebrity's sons, Anthony Delon, revealed that his health had been deteriorating since he had a stroke in 2019. Furthermore, in 2022, he started treatment for a type of lymphoma that had been diagnosed.

Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon was born on November 8, 1935, in Sceaux, a neighbourhood in southern Paris. While his mother Edith worked at a pharmacy, his father Fabien owned a neighborhood movie theater.

He was put in a foster home following his parents' divorce in 1939 and then went to a Catholic boarding school. After receiving a trade degree, he took a temporary job at his stepfather's butcher shop in the Bourg-la-Reine neighborhood of Paris. At the age of seventeen, Delon received a call to duty and enlisted in the French Navy.

In 1956, Delon returned to Paris, working odd jobs and going to the cafes and clubs in Saint-Germain-des-Pres. It was there that he met Jean-Claude Brialy, who had acted in early New Wave films including Claude Chabrol's Le Beau.

When he attended the 1957 Cannes cinematic Festival, a Hollywood talent scout noticed him and wanted him to study English before moving to the United States. This was the start of his cinematic career. Nevertheless, Delon made the decision to remain in France after meeting French filmmaker Yves Allégret, and he debuted in the director's 1957 picture Quand la woman s'en mêle.

Delon became popular for his roles in the 1960 and 1963 Italian films Rocco and His Brothers and The Leopard directed by Luchino Visconti. Despite having produced a number of films and starred in roughly 100, Delon received little recognition throughout his lifetime. He received an honorary Golden Bear in 1995 from the Berlinale and an honorary Palme d'Or in 2019 from Cannes.

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