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Welcome to the Official
ALAIN DELON page
"BIG GUNS" (1973)
ALAIN DELON [born 8th November, 1935] is a French actor, film producer, director, screenwriter, and businessman; One of the best known outside his native country.
ALAIN DELON, one of the most talented actors in France, and one of the most handsome men in show business.
No one can deny that ALAIN DELON was absolutely one of the most beautiful actors that has ever graced the silver screen and he was also one of the most talented.
ALAIN can say more with his eyes in minutes than most actors can with two hours of dialogues.
DELON has given brilliant performances that were timeless and thought provoking; though his acting abilities have often been dismissed by critics who can't seem to see past his extraordinary visage nor comprehend his wordless performances.
His contribution to the French cinema should not be ignored. In his career as an actor, he has worked with some of the best European directors, such as: Rene CLEMENT, Luchino VISCONTI, Jose GiOVANNI, Jean-Luc GODARD, Henri VERNEUIL, Jacques DERAY, and - last but not least - Jean-Pierre MELVILLE.
Frances most enigmatic actor, ALAIN Fabien Maurice Marcel DELON, came from very humble origins. He was born in Sceaux (dp. Hauts-de-Seine), France, in 1935. DELON led a troubled and rebellious childhood and was frequently expelled from school. His parents separated when he was four and he entrusted to the care of foster parents - the family Nereau - who lived next to the prison of Fresnes. After being sent to a Catholic boarding school, he re-joined his mother when she re-married, serving an apprenticeship as a butcher.
At age 17 he enlisted in the French Marines, serving in Indochina (Vietnam) as a parachutist for 3 years. In 1956 he returned to France and worked in Paris at various "odd jobs" including: waiter, salesman, and porter in 'Les Halles' market.
During this time, he made friends with aspiring young actors (including Jean-Claude BRIALY) through whom he would meet Yves ALLGRET, the film director who gave him his first acting job, a small part in the 1957 film "Quand la Femme s'en mele". He then landed another small role in Marc ALLGRETs film "Sois belle et tais-toi", appearing along side Jean-Paul "Bebel" BELMONDO, an actor whose popularity would rival DELONs in the following decade.
This was the start of a long career of some 87 films under the guidance of cinema's most famous directors. Between 1962 and 1963 three films in which he starred won the highest awards: "L'Eclipse" by ANTONIONI carried off 'the Prix Special du Jury' at the Cannes Film Festival; the following year, "Le Guepard" by VISCONTI won 'the Palme d'Or' from that same festival; finally, "Melodie en sous-sol", directed by Henri VERNEUIL, was awarded, in the United States, 'the Golden Globe' for the best foreign language film.
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Without previous professional preparation, Alain Delon came to embody the young, energetic, often morally corrupted man. With his breathtaking good-looks, he was also predestined to play tender lovers and romantic heroes, and he was in the beginning a French embodiment of the type created in America by James DEAN.
His breakthrough as a film star came with "Plein Soleil", a 1960 adaptation of Patricia HIGHSMITH's 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'. He also gave tremendous performances in Luchino VISCONTI's "The Leopard" and, perhaps his finest moment, "Le Samourai". His later work has not reached these heights, and his decline is characteristic of the nouvelle vague of French actors, such as Jean-Paul BELMONDO.
(The "sultry", DELON's trademark)
DELON's boyishly handsome looks made him a sex symbol in France and internationally and made it easy for him to get leading parts in the United States and Great Britain. He was increasingly cast as tough, taciturn gangsters or detectives
In 1962, had a son ("Ari" Boulogne) with the German singer-songwriter and fashion model NICO, an Andy Warhol superstar and best known for a collaboration with 'The Velvet Underground'.
In the mid-1970's, the actors career began to suffer a gradual decline, which was partly due to some excessive negative publicity in the press. This revolved mainly around his perceived association with criminal gangs and his supposed complicity in the murder of his bodyguard, Stefan MARKOVITCH, who was found shot dead in a garbage dump. DELON was also severely lambasted when he expressed sympathies for extreme right-wing politicians like Jean-Marie Le Pen or Aleksander Lebed.
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.
In 1976, Alain produced and starred in the film "Mr. Klein", directed by Joseph LOSEY, which won that year the 'Cesar Award' for Best Film, Best Director and Best Decoration, and which was arguably Delons best acting performance. However, the actor no longer enjoyed the adulation of the public and the critics which he had been able to command in the previous decade. He also tried his hand at screenwriting and co-wrote "Comme Un Boomerang" with Jose GIOVANNI.
As his acting career waned, DELON would turn his attention to more fruitful activities. He formed his own production company, making a number of successful films in which he starred. After trying his hand at producing for the first time in 1964 with "L'insoumis", from 1968 ALAIN DELON was intensively involved in this work, producing 26 films until 1990.
In 1978, he founded his own goods company Alain Delon Diffusion SA, marketing perfumes, clothing and accessories, Champagne, Cognac, even glasses and watches, all over the world.
Being a keen sports enthusiast, he has organized in France the World Boxing Championships featuring Bouttier / Monzon then Monzon / Napols, before creating a horse racing team with which he won the 'World Champion' title for trotter with his horse "Equileo". He is also a famously passionate collector of art and has brought together various works of high quality in an exceptional collection.
In the 1980's, Alain DELON became a successful business man and amassed a substantial personal fortune, although he was often noted for his ruthlessness (he took his own son Anthony to court when he attempted to infringe his own brand).
In 1981, he directed his first film "Pour La Peau D'un Flic".
After a string of box office failures in the 80's and 90's, culminating in the surprising box-office failure of Patrice LECONTE's film, "Une Chance sur deux", DELON announced his decision to give up acting in 1997 but he still acts occasionally.
In recognition of his exceptional contribution to French culture, he was awarded the 'Legion of Honour' in 1990; he also aquired Swiss citizenship in 1999.
Alains relationship with his public and the media has been ambivalent and often hostile. However, few can deny that, in his heyday, he was the most popular actor in France and an international celebrity. He retains a strong fan following and is still highly regarded by many.
"There is no solitude greater than a samurai's, unless perhaps it is that of a tiger in the jungle."
['Le Samourai', 1967]
Some interesting facts about Alain Delon:
* Not a well known fact, but Alain DELON and Jean-Paul BELMONDO has worked together 6 times.
* His character's names usually began with a -J, like Jean, or Julien.
* He often portrayed characters whose professions are either thief or hired killer and their final outcomes are usually deaths.
* The film "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962) was actually scheduled to shoot with Alain Delon as Lawrence, but due to scheduling problems, he was replaced by Peter O'TOOLE. It made O'Toole a star, but we can't help wondering what the film would have done to Alain's acting career.
* Delon was writer Anne RICE's original choice for the role of Louis when her book "Interview With The Vampire" was first optioned for a movie back in the mid 70's. He would have starred opposite Dutch actor Rutger HAUER, Anne's original choice for Lestat the vampire. Unfortunately, the film did not get made until 1994 and the role of Louis went to Brad PITT.
Copyright © 1999-2006 AlainDelon.com - All materials and photographs contained on this website are copyrighted and are not to be used, published, copied, or distributed in any media without gaining expressed permission to use them.