Alain Delon encyclopedia topics

Early life

Delon was born in Sceaux, Île-de-France, not far from Paris. His parents, Édith (née Arnold) and Fabien Delon, divorced when Delon was young. Both remarried, and Delon has a half-sister and two half-brothers. He attended a Roman Catholic boarding school, the first of several schools from which he was expelled because of unruly behavior. Teachers once tried to convince him to enter the priesthood because of his aptitude in religious studies.

At 14, Delon left school, and worked for a brief time at his stepfather's butcher shop. He enlisted in the army three years later, and in 1953 was sent to fight in the First Indochina War. Delon has said that out of his five years of military service he spent 11 months in prison for being "undisciplined". After being dishonorably discharged from the army he returned to Paris. He had no money, and got by on whatever employment he could find. He spent time working as a waiter, a porter, and a sales clerk. During this time he became friends with the actress Brigitte Auber, and joined her on a trip to the Cannes Film Festival, where his film career would begin.

Career

At Cannes, Delon was seen by a talent scout for David O. Selznick. After a successful screen test Selznick offered him a contract, provided he learn English. Delon returned to Paris to study English, but when he met French director Yves Allégret, he was convinced that he should stay in France to begin his career. Selznick allowed Delon to cancel his contract, and Allégret gave him his debut in the film Quand la Femme s'en Mêle (When the Woman Butts In). Delon then got to show a comedic aspect of himself in the film Faibles Femmes (Women Are Weak). This was also the first of his films to be seen in America, where it became a success.

In 1960, Delon appeared in René Clément's Purple Noon, which was based on the Patricia Highsmith novel The Talented Mr. Ripley. He played protagonist Tom Ripley to critical acclaim. He then appeared in Luchino Visconti's Rocco and His Brothers. Critic Bosley Crowther of the New York Times said Delon's work was : "touchingly pliant and expressive." John Beaufort in the Christian Science Monitor said:

"Rocco's heartbroken steadfastness furnishes the film with the foremost of its ironic tragedies ... [I]ts believability rests finally on Mr. Delon's compelling performance."

Delon made his stage debut in 1961 in John Ford’s play, 'Tis Pity She’s a Whore alongside Romy Schneider in Paris. Visconti directed the production. Delon would work with him again for Il Gattopardo (The Leopard). Delon also worked with Jean-Pierre Melville, who directed him in Un Flic, Le Cercle Rouge, and Le Samouraï.

In 1964, the Cinémathèque Française held a showcase of Delon's films and Delon started a production company, Delbeau Production, with Georges Beaume. They produced a film called L’insoumis, which had to be re-edited due to legal issues. Delon then started his own production company, Adel, and starred in the company’s first film, Jeff. Delon followed the success of the film with Borsalino, which became one of France’s highest grossing films of the time. In 1973, he made a duet with the French pop singer Dalida on "Paroles, paroles", which was a big hit in France, Japan, Canada, and many other countries.

He was awarded the Best Actor César Awards (French equivalent of Oscars) for his role in Bertrand Blier's Notre histoire (1984). Then followed a string of box office failures in the late 1980s and 1990s, culminating in the failure of Patrice Leconte's Une chance sur deux. Delon announced his decision to give up acting in 1997, although he still occasionally accepts roles.

In 1990, he worked with auteur Jean-Luc Godard, on Nouvelle vague, in which he played twins. In 2003, the Walter Reade Theater showed a series of Delon's films under the aegis, Man in the Shadows: The Films of Alain Delon.

Most recently, it has been announced that he will play a role in a film called L’Ennemi public n°1, a biopic about Jacques Mesrine with Vincent Cassel in the title role.

Products

Since the formation of a perfume label in his name, Delon has had a variety of products sold under his name including clothing, eyewear, stationery and cigarettes.

Delon's sunglasses brand became particularly popular in Hong Kong after actor Chow Yun Fat wore them in the 1986 crime film A Better Tomorrow (as well as two sequels). Delon reportedly wrote a letter thanking Fat for helping the sunglasses sell out in the region. The film's director John Woo has acknowledged Delon as one of his idols and wrote a short essay on Le Samourai as well as Le Cercle Rouge for the Criterion Collection DVD releases.

Relationships and family

Delon was engaged to actress Romy Schneider, whom he met when they co-starred in the film Christine (1958). During this period, it was speculated he had an affair with German actress and singer Nico. In 1962 Nico gave birth to a son, Ari Boulogne (Christian Aaron), who she claimed was fathered by Delon. The child was raised mostly by Delon's parents but Delon has always denied his fatherhood.

In 1963, Schneider and Delon decided to break the engagement. In August 1964, Delon married Nathalie Barthélemy. Their son, Anthony Delon, was born in September. The couple divorced four years later. He had a long relationship with French actress Mireille Darc over the following years.

In 1987, Delon met Dutch model Rosalie van Breemen on the shooting of the video clip for his song "Comme au cinéma" and started a relationship. They had two children: Anouschka (1990) en Alain-Fabien (1994). The relationship ended in 2001.

Scandal

In 1968, one of Delon’s bodyguards, Stevan Markovic, was found shot in the head in a dumpster outside Delon’s home. Delon’s friend, Corsican gangster François Marcantoni, was charged with accessory to murder. Delon himself was held by police for questioning, despite the fact that the murder took place in Paris, and Delon was filming in St. Tropez. Delon's then-wife, Nathalie, was also questioned.

Honours

At the 60th Cannes Film Festival, he presented the Best Actress Award to South Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon for her role in Lee Chang Dong's Secret Sunshine. She became the first South Korean to win a prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

At the 2008 César Awards on February 22, 2008, he presented the César Award for Best Actress to Marion Cotillard, whom in two days would win the Academy Award for Best Actress for La Vie En Rose. Marion Cotillard became only the second French national, after Simone Signoret, to win an Academy Award for Best Actress.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
2008	Asterix at the Olympic Games	Jules César
2006	L'Instinct de mort
2004	Frank Riva	Frank Riva	TV series, 2nd season
2003	Frank Riva	Frank Riva	TV series, 1st season
1999	Les Acteurs	Himself
1997	Une Chance sur deux	Julien Vignal
1996	Le Jour et la nuit	Alexandre
1994	Les Cent et une nuits	L'acteur d'un jour
1993	L'Ours en peluche
1992	Un Crime	Maitre Charles Durand
1992	Le Retour de Casanova	Casanova
1990	Nouvelle vague	L'homme
1990	Dancing machine	Alan Wolf
1988	Ne réveillez pas un flic qui dort	commissaire Eugène Grindel
1985	Parole de flic	Daniel Pratt
1984	Notre histoire	Robert Avranche
1984	Le Passage	Jean Diaz
1983	Le Battant	Jacques Darnay
1983	Swann in Love	Baron de Charlus
1982	Le Choc	Martin Terrier
1981	Pour la peau d'un flic	Choucas
1980	Trois hommes à abattre	Michel Gerfaut
1980	Teheran 43. Nid d'espions	Foche
1979	Le Toubib	Jean-Marie Desprès
1979	The Concorde: Airport '79	Paul Metrand
1978	Attention, les enfants regardent	L'homme
1977	Le Gang	Robert le Dingue
1977	Mort d'un pourri	Xavier Maréchal
1976	Monsieur Klein	Robert Klein	by Joseph Losey
1976	Armaguedon	Dr. Michel Ambrose
1976	Comme un boomerang	Jacques Batkin
1976	L'Homme pressé	Pierre Niox
1975	Flic Story	Roger Borniche
1975	Le Gitan	Le Gitan
1974	Zorro	Diego/Zorro
1974	Les Seins de glace	Marc Rilsen
1974	Borsalino & Co.	Roch Siffredi
1973	Deux hommes dans la ville	Gino Strabliggi
1973	La Race des seigneurs	Julien Dandieu
1973	Les Granges brûlées	Larcher
1973	Scorpio	Jean Laurier, alias Scorpio
1973	Les Grands fusils	Tony Arzenta
1972	Traitement de choc	Devillers
1972	Il était une fois un flic	Man searching Rodriguez
1972	La prima notte di quiete	Daniele Dominici	by Valerio Zurlini
1971	Un Flic	Coleman
1971	La Veuve Couderc	Jean
1971	Soleil Rouge	Gauche	by Terence Young
1971	Fantasia chez les ploucs	A caïd
1971	The Assassination of Trotsky	Frank Jackson	by Joseph Losey
1970	Le Cercle rouge	Corey	by Jean-Pierre Melville
1970	Borsalino (film)	Rocco Siffredi
1970	Doucement les basses	Simon
1969	Le Clan des Siciliens	Roger Sartet
1969	Madly	Julian
1969	Jeff	Laurent
1968	La Piscine	Jean-Paul
1968	La Motocyclette	Daniel
1968	Adieu l'ami	Dino Barran
1968	Spirits of the Dead	William Wilson	Episode "William Wilson", by Louis Malle
1967	Le Samouraï	Jef Costello	by Jean Pierre Melville
1967	Diaboliquement vôtre	Pierre
1966	Les Aventuriers	Manu
1966	Les Centurions	Capt. Philippe Esclavier
1966	Texas nous voilà	Don Andrea
1965	Paris brûle-t-il ?	Jacques Chaban-Delmas
1965	Once a Thief	Eddie Pedak
1965	The Yellow Rolls-Royce	Stefano
1964	L'Insoumis	Thomas
1963	La Tulipe noire	Count de Saint Preux
1963	The Leopard	Tancredi	by Luchino Visconti
1963	Mélodie en sous-sol	Francis
1963	Les Félins	Marc
1962	Le Diable et les Dix Commandements	Pierre Messager
1962	Carambolages	Lambert
1962	L'eclisse	Piero	by Michelangelo Antonioni
1962	L'Amour à la mer	The film actor
1961	Les Amours celebres	Prince Albert	Episode "Agnes Bernauer"
1961	Quelle joie de vivre	Ulysse
1960	Plein Soleil	Tom Ripley
1960	Rocco and His Brothers	Rocco Parondi	by Luchino Visconti
1959	Le chemin des écoliers	Antoine Michaud
1959	Faibles femmes	Julien Fenal
1958	Christine	Franz Lobheiner
1957	Quand la femme s'en mêle	Jo
1957	''Sois belle et tais-toi	Loulou