Alain Delon: French movie actor dies at 88

The iconic figure of French cinema, Alain Delon, has passed away at the age of 88.

Renowned as a luminary of the golden age of French film, Delon captivated audiences with his hardened, enigmatic roles in classics like The Samurai and Borsalino. A statement issued by the AFP news agency confirmed, “He passed away peacefully at his residence in Douchy, surrounded by his three children and family.”

In recent years, Delon had retreated from the public eye, plagued by deteriorating health. The disintegration of his family also made headlines in France. Once hailed as the epitome of male beauty in cinema, Delon starred in numerous hits from the 1960s, including The Leopard and Rocco and His Brothers. Though his appearances on the silver screen dwindled from the 1990s onwards, he continued to be a regular feature in celebrity news.

Throughout his prolific career, he graced over 90 films with his presence. A family statement expressed their profound grief: “Alain Fabien, Anouchka, Anthony, along with his beloved dog Loubo, are deeply saddened to announce the passing of their father. He passed away peacefully at his home in Douchy, surrounded by his children and family.”

Alain Delon :

Le Parisien lauded him as “a cinematic legend,” while Libération hailed him as “a towering figure of the silver screen, the embodiment of brooding masculinity, an actor of immense charisma.”

He made his final significant public appearance at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2019, where he received an honorary Palme d’Or. During the event, he delivered an emotional speech that many interpreted as a farewell to his illustrious career.

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Recently, the turmoil within his family had garnered attention in France. His three children aired their grievances in public, exchanging insults, accusations, lawsuits, and even secret recordings, with disputes over his medical care being a central issue. In April of this year, a judge placed him under “reinforced curatorship,” stripping him of full control over his assets.

Delon made headlines again in February when French authorities seized 72 firearms and 3,000 rounds of ammunition from his residence, noting that he lacked a proper gun license. A shooting range was also discovered at his mansion in Douchy-Montcorbon.

His portrayal in Le Samouraï as a self-contained and detached hitman found echoes in his role as Klein. Nearly a decade after Melville’s crime classic, Delon’s restrained demeanor had evolved into something more refined yet morally ambiguous. His brilliance shone through in a scene where he coldly humiliates a Jewish customer, his face a canvas of fleeting emotions—fear, astonishment, distaste, panic—before he suppresses them to maintain an unyielding facade. In many ways, this performance was his magnum opus.

Delon’s career was marked by a wide array of roles, including his portrayal of the aging, irascible gourmet Baron de Charlus in Volker Schlöndorff’s Swann in Love (1984). Though the casting was inspired, Delon never seemed entirely at ease in the role. In later years, he became notorious for his controversial admiration of the far-right Front National and, like Sean Connery, for his deplorable comments about hitting women. However, he redeemed himself to some extent by supporting Joseph Losey and the exploration of antisemitism in Monsieur Klein. Delon was an icon, a symbol of the lost elegance of the 1960s.