RIP Alain Delon, 88

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oh wow. an icon, and certainly an interesting life.

78. Alain Delon Born 1935 Film Debut 1949
Delon was one of Europe's most prominent actors and screen sex symbols in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, achieving critical acclaim for roles in films including Rocco and His Brothers (1960), L'Eclisse (1962), The Leopard (1963) and Le Samouraï (1967). Directors Delon worked with included Luchino Visconti, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Melville, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Louis Malle.

Delon left school at 14 and worked for a brief time at his stepfather's butcher shop. He enlisted in the French Navy three years later, aged 17 and served as a fusilier marin in the First Indochina War. In 1956, after his naval service in Saigon, Delon returned to France, and spent time working as a waiter and a porter. He became friends with the actress Brigitte Auber and joined her on a trip to the Cannes Film Festival, where his film career began. In 1960, he appeared in René Clément's Plein Soleil, released in the US as Purple Noon, which was based on the novel The Talented Mr. Ripley. Delon played protagonist Tom Ripley to critical acclaim. The movie was a hit in France and on the art house circuit in English-speaking countries. He then played the title role in Luchino Visconti's Rocco and His Brothers (1960).

While making the 1969 thriller La Piscine, Delon's friend and bodyguard Stevan Marković was found murdered in a rubbish dump near Paris. The police investigation revealed claims of sex parties involving celebrities such as Delon and members of the French government, including future president Georges Pompidou, whose wife, was allegedly the subject of a series of compromising photos at one such party. Corsican crime boss François Marcantoni, a friend of Delon, was suspected of involvement in the murder. A letter from Marković to his brother recorded "If I get killed, it's 100% the fault of Alain Delon and his godfather Francois Marcantoni" . The affair gained notoriety throughout France. The song "Beautiful Killer" on Madonna's twelfth studio album MDNA is said to be a tribute to Delon.

In 2024, police seized 72 firearms from Delon’s home. Delon, 88, "has no authorisation that would allow him to own a firearm", said a local prosecutor.

César Award for Best Actor
Berlin International Film Festival Honorary Golden Bear 1985
Cannes Film Festival Honorary Palme d'Or 2019
Officier (Officer) of the Ordre national du Mérite 1995
Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur 1991.Officier 2005

Notable films: Rocco and His Brothers (1960) L'Eclisse (1962) The Leopard (1963) Le Samouraï (1967) La Piscine (1969), Le Cercle Rouge (1970)



Bye, Jef.
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HEI guys.



Society ennobler, last seen in Medici's Florence
Delon was embodiment of everything attractive of the western world. Cinema, Lifestyle, Fashion, Fragrances, Elegance, Love, Adventure... he was everything.
Can't think of a biggest star than him in our lifetime era.

I've seen his Zorro a dozen of times in the early school years, followed by these numerous stylish crime flicks of the 80's which obtained a cult status for us...
Trois hommes à abattre [Three Men to Kill]
Pour la peau d'un flic [For a Cop's Hide]
Le Battant [The Fighter]
Parole de flic [Cop's Honour]


...and when I think of him and Romy Schneider in La Piscine [The Swimming Pool]... wow that's a high cinema class!
After all, he also was the first Tom Ripley on the big screen.

At this moment, the evening prime time, in his honour our national TV is broadcasting Pour la peau d'un flic [For a Cop's Hide]. Delon presented the young Anne Parillaud to the world with this movie. That's probably my eighth view of the film. All the following evenings are also reserved for his movies on this tv channel, meaning that the whole country gonna be devoted to Delon in the next week.




R.I.P.
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