Everything about Alain Delon totally explained
Alain Delon (b.
8 November 1935,
Sceaux, France) is a
César Award winning
French actor.
Delon rose quickly to stardom, and by the age of 23 he was garnering comparisons to famed French actors such as
Gérard Philipe and
Jean Marais, as well as American actor
James Dean. He was even called the male
Brigitte Bardot. Over the course of his career, Delon has worked with many well-known directors, including
Luchino Visconti,
Jean-Luc Godard,
Jean-Pierre Melville,
Michelangelo Antonioni and
Louis Malle.
Delon acquired
Swiss citizenship in 1999 and the company managing products sold under his name is based in
Geneva.
Early life
Delon was born in
Sceaux,
Île-de-France, not far from
Paris. His parents, Fabien and Édith, 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'll 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'd an affair with
German actress and singer
Nico. In 1962 Nico gave birth to a son, (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 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
Further Information
Get more info on 'Alain Delon'.
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