As a 25-year-old, French movie star Alain Delon was known as the “most seductive man in cinema history.”
When he appeared on screen, his otherworldly handsomeness left viewers breathless and in real life, “ladies would pass out at the mere sight of him.”
But the actor, an international sex symbol from the 1960s to 1980s, had a life embroiled in controversies, including infidelities, family feuds and even an accusation of murder.
In 2019, Delon fell quiet after having a stroke, and since he retreated from the public, his name emerged again on August 18, 2024, the day he died at 88.
Before Alain Delon turned 21, the future superstar was charged for stealing a Jeep while serving with the French Navy, celebrated his 20 th birthday in prison and was hanging out with the wrong crowds.
“I was disruptive, very [undisciplined]…I was a kind of little monster; very rough,” Delon told the Guardian .
Born on November 8, 1935, just outside Paris, Delon faced a tumultuous childhood and his teenage years were restless and rebellious, guiding him to the “underworlds” of the Mediterranean.
In a 1970 interview with The New York Times , a 34-year-old Delon admitted that “most of the gangsters I know…were my friends before I became an actor.” He continued, “I don’t worry about what a friend does. Each is responsible for his own act. It doesn’t matter what he does.”
And, if it weren’t for the scores of women lusting after him, his life might have gone down a different path.
Speaking with a French publication when he was 82, Delon – called a “megalomaniac” by GQ – explained why he decided to share his handsome face with the world:“I want to see in the eyes of these women that I am the most handsome, the tallest, the strongest, and that is why I become an actor.”
Dominated French cinema
Leaning on his perfectly chiseled cheekbones and the icy blue eyes that melted hearts, Delon shot to fame in 1959’s Women are Weak , a French comedy that put him on the big screen to international audiences.
His next big role was Tom Ripley in the 1960 film Plein Soleil ( Purple Moon ), based on the book The Talented Mr. Ripley , the film that was famously remade in 1999 with Matt Damon.
From the 60s to the mid 80s, Delon dominated the national box office and was the highest-paid actor in France’s history.
And despite his considerable success in European cinema, he did not reach the same level of acclaim in Hollywood.
One notable exception was his performance alongside Burt Lancaster in the 1973 film Scorpio, where Delon played the role of the apprentice hitman named Scorpio.
National scandal
The star’s career extended beyond acting into various business ventures, leveraging his fame and looks to create a successful brand. He was involved in the world of cosmetics, capitalizing on his image to promote branded products. Additionally, Delon dabbled in horse racing, investing in a racehorse stable alongside Jacky “Le Mat” Imbert, a notorious figure in the Marseille criminal underworld.
Delon’s connections with the criminal world became more public when a scandal known as the “Markovic Affair” erupted. The controversy began when Stefan Markovic, a former bodyguard and confidant of Delon, was found dead , with a bullet in his head, in a bag discarded in a dump near Paris. This shocking discovery led to an investigation that put Delon in the spotlight. Although Delon was interrogated by the police and ultimately cleared of any involvement, the affair became a national scandal, highlighting his connections with individuals from the criminal world.
Love, affairs and kids
In 1959, Delon was engaged to actor Romy Schneider, who he met on the set of the 1958 film Christine . Before splitting with Schneider in 1964, he had an affair with Nico, a German actor and singer, and had his first son, Christian Boulogne in 1962. Denied by his father since birth, Boulogne (also known as Ari Päffgen) died in 2023 of an apparent overdose.
Also in 1962, while engaged in an affair with Austrian actor Marisa Mell, he married his only wife Nathalie Barthélémy (now Delon), who was pregnant with Anthony Delon (born September, 1964).
Following several more affairs, Delon met Dutch model Rosalee van Breemen, and during their relationship (1987 to 2001), the couple shared two children, daughter Anouchka (born 1990) and Alain-Fabien (1994).
All three kids are actors in French cinema.
Family feud
Never establishing relationships with his sons, Delon made it abundantly clear that he had a favorite child.
“I have a daughter who is the love of my life, perhaps a little too much with regard to the others,” he told the Guardian . “To no other woman have I so often said I love you.”
And Delon arranged his will so that half of his estate goes to Anouchka, 33, while the other half is split between sons Anthony, 59, and Alain-Fabien, 30.
French daily paper Le Monde suggests his troubles with his sons stems from seeing them as industry rivals. “No doubt his ego – as uncertain as it was immense – made him consider his sons as potential rivals who he needed to smash,” the publication reports of the tragic feud created between his sons and daughter.
Death
In 2019, Delon suffered a stroke, leaving him disabled. Retreating from the spotlight, the critically acclaimed actor became reclusive.
And on August 18, 2024, the producer and stage actor, who made hearts throb around the world, died at age 88, French media reports.
French president Emmanuel Macron paid tribute on X to “a French monument.”
“Alain Delon has played legendary roles and made the world dream,” he wrote. “Melancholic, popular, secretive, he was more than a star.”
Despite the bitter feud, Delon’s children shared some loving tributes on social media . “Thanks to all of you, his loved audience, for these spontaneous tributes from the heart,” writes Anthony in an August 27 Instagram post. “It is by grace and through you that he will continue to live.”
On the same day, Alain-Fabien shared a sweet tribute, which includes a photo of him with his elderly father.
“Lowering the curtain, eternal beautiful night, I know you found them up there and you’re okay. I miss you so much. I love you Daddy,” he writes before signing off, “Alf.”
And the day before her stepbrothers offered their thoughts, Anouchka shared her heartbreaking thoughts on Instagram.
“I’ll keep you on my heart. To blow my fear away. Above all don’t say nothing, don’t say anything, I’m too fine…there…I love you, you know, only you know,” she writes in the August 26 post. “I could never…never live without you. I love you. Do you? Daddy, I love you, daddy.”
Rest in peace, Anthony Delon. What are favorite films with this amazing actor? Please share your thoughts with us and then share this story with your friends so we can send our very best to the family in their time of grief.
