Early life

Delon was born in Sceaux, Seine (now Hauts-de-Seine), Île-de-France, a suburb of Paris. His parents, Édith (née Arnold) and Fabien Delon, divorced when Delon was four. Both remarried, and Delon has a half-sister and two half-brothers. His paternal grandmother was Corsican, from Prunelli-di-Fiumorbo. 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 French Navy three years later, and in 1953-54 he served as a fusilier marin in the First Indochina War. Delon has said that out of his four years of military service he spent 11 months in prison for being "undisciplined". In 1956, after being dishonorably discharged from the military, he returned to France. He had little money, and got by on whatever employment he could find. He spent time working as a waiter, a porter, a secretary and a sales assistant. 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 screen test Selznick offered him a contract, provided he learn English.

Delon returned to Paris to study the language, 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).

French stardom

Delon then appeared in the film Women are Weak, which was a big hit. This was also the very first of his films to be seen in America.

International fame

Delon then made two films which ensured his international reputation. In 1960, he 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; Highsmith herself was also a fan of his portrayal.

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 ... ts believability rests finally on Mr. Delon's compelling performance."

Delon made his stage debut in 1961 in the John Ford play Tis Pity She's a Whore alongside Romy Schneider in Paris. Visconti directed the production which broke box office records.

Around this time Delon was mentioned as a possibility for the lead in Lawrence of Arabia. Peter O'Toole was cast instead, but then Delon was signed by Seven Arts to a four picture deal, including a big budget international movie of the Marco Polo story and The King of Paris, about Alexander Dumas.

Neither project came to fruition; however Delon then appeared in a big hit at the French box office, co-starring with Jean Gabin in Any Number Can Win. His reputation was further enhanced when he worked with Visconti again for Il Gattopardo (The Leopard).

Instead of a straight salary for Any Number Can Win, Delon accepted distribution rights for the film in various territories. This gave him a taste for producing, which he would develop later.

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 because of legal issues.

Hollywood star

By now Hollywood studios were very interested in Delon and he decided to make a bid for American stardom. He was quoted in 1965 as saying:

I don't know whether I'll succeed or not. If I were to concentrate on working entirely here and flop it would be a disaster for me in Europe. Everything would dissolve and I would have nothing. My dream is to do one picture a year in America and one in Europe... the top, the last step. It's a kind of consecration... If you want to be an international star you must establish yourself in American pictures, because only they will get adequate world wide distribution. It takes only a year for an American star to become known throughout the world. But European actors consider it a big break to get their pictures shown in New York. Because of my accent I would not attempt to play Americans. I am working on removing the distinctly French inflections from my speech so that I can play all continental nationalities.

Any Number Can Win had been distributed in the US by MGM, who signed Delon to a five picture contract. The first movie of this deal was Joy House (1964), shot in France with Jane Fonda. He then followed it up with two more films for the studio: the all-star The Yellow Rolls Royce, in which Delon had a relatively small role, and Once a Thief, where he co-starred with Ann-Margret.

MGM also announced him for a Western Ready for the Tiger directed by Sam Peckinpah, but the film was never made.

Delon signed a three picture deal with Columbia, for whom he appeared in the big budget action film Lost Command (1966). The studio also announced that he would appear in the biopic Cervantes, but this was never made.

Universal Studios used Delon in a Western, opposite Dean Martin, Texas Across the River. Seven Arts wanted to use him in The Night of the Iguana and This Property is Condemned. He did not appear in either film but was in that studio's Is Paris Burning?. This was a massive hit in France but performed disappointingly at the US box office - as did all of Delon's Hollywood financed films.

Along with Steve McQueen and Sean Connery he was one of the biggest stars in Japan. However he could not make headway in America.

Return to France

After six Hollywood movies Delon returned to France to make The Last Adventure. He was meant to reteam with Visconti in The Stranger but did not end up playing it.

Delon then made Le Samourai with Jean-Pierre Melville, which became another classic.

Producer

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 the early 1970s Delon tried Hollywood again, appearing in Red Sun. The film was popular in France but not the US.

In 1973, he recorded with Dalida "Paroles, paroles", a popular French-language version of the Italian song "Parole parole".

He played the title character in the 1975 Italian-French film Zorro. In 1976, Delon starred in Monsieur Klein, which won him the César awards (French equivalent of Oscars).

In 1979 he stated only a quarter of his business activities involve films:

I have a helicopter business, build furniture, promote prize fights, and race horses... I star in two or three pictures a year in France. They make tremendous profits around the world. My pictures are the most popular in Russia. I am a superstar in Europe. I would like to be a star in America. In order to do so I would have to live and work in Hollywood. I can't do that. My Adel productions makes at least one film a year. I do everything from A to Z. I find a story, hire writers, choose a director, collect a cast, and then put it all together. I even handle the finances, distribution, and publicity. I refuse to accept the director who thinks himself a genius and tries to put his stamp on my films. It is my stamp that counts... I don't mean to sound egotistical. The simple truth is that I am an enormous star all over the world. I like that because it enables me to live well.

In 1979 he made another attempt at Hollywood stardom, signing with agent Sue Mengers and starring in The Concorde ... Airport '79 (1979). The film was not a big success.

He was awarded the Best Actor César Award for his role in Bertrand Blier's Notre histoire (1984), and portrayed the aristocratic dandy Baron de Charlus in a film adaptation of Marcel Proust's novel Swann in Love in the same year.

Then followed a string of box office failures in the late 1980s and 1990s. One notable film during this time was Jean-Luc Godard's Nouvelle Vague in 1990, in which Delon played twins. Delon's last major role was in Patrice Leconte's Une chance sur deux in 1998, another box office disappointment.

Delon announced his decision to give up acting in 1997, although he still occasionally accepts roles.

Business career

In the 1970s Delon expanded his interests. He bought trotters and promoted fights.

Since the formation of a perfume label in his name, Delon has had a variety of products sold under his name including wristwatches, 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 Chow 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.

Personal life

On 20 March 1959, Delon was engaged to actress Romy Schneider, whom he met when they co-starred in the film Christine (1958).

During their relationship, he had an affair with German actress, singer and model Nico. On 11 August 1962, Nico gave birth to a son, Christian Aaron "Ari", fathered by Delon. The child was raised mostly by Delon's parents.

In December 1963, Schneider and Delon decided to break the engagement.

On 13 August 1964, Delon married Nathalie Barthélemy. Their son, Anthony Delon, was born in September. Delon filed for divorce in late 1967 but they continued to live under the same roof. The couple divorced on 14 February 1969.

In 1968, during the shooting of the film Jeff, he met French actress Mireille Darc with whom he started a 15-year relationship, lasting until 1982.

In 1987, Delon met Dutch model Rosalie van Breemen on the set of the music video for his song "Comme au cinéma" and started a relationship. They had two children: Anouchka (25 November 1990) and Alain-Fabien (18 March 1994). The relationship ended in October 2002.

During an interview in 2013 Delon came out in support of the French far-right political party National Front, saying "The National Front, like the MCG in Geneva, is very important…I encourage it and I perfectly understand it".

Alain Delon lives in Chêne-Bougeries in the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland with his two youngest children.

Alain Delon was good friends with, among others, Argentine world champion boxer Carlos Monzon.

Markovic affair

Main article: Markovic affair

On 1 October 1968, in the village of Élancourt, Yvelines, on the western outskirts of Paris, the dead body of Stevan Marković, ex-bodyguard of Delon, was found in a public dump.

Alain Delon and a Corsican gangster Francois Marcantoni came under investigation. One of the factors pointing in that direction was a letter of Stevan Markovic to his brother Aleksandar where he wrote: "If I get killed, it's 100% fault of Alain Delon and his godfather Francois Marcantoni."

Later, the investigation involved the former French Prime Minister (and later President) Georges Pompidou after a few press articles and a testimony of Borivoj Ackov.

He testified that he was present at parties with the wife of Pompidou, Stevan Markovic and Alain Delon.

The death of Stevan Markovic provoked a lot of rumors, suggesting the existence of group sex photos with Pompidou's wife. Pompidou himself accused Louis Wallon and Henri Capitant for using the French espionage service SDECE with an aim to set him up. After becoming President of the Republic, he named Alexandre de Marenches as the head of the SDECE in order to reform it. Assisted by Michel Roussin, his principal private secretary, de Marenches expelled a "secret agent" involved in investigation Jean-Charles Marchiani.

Other legal troubles

In 1969 Delon was given four months in jail by an Italian court for assaulting an Italian photographer.

De Gaulle document

In 1970 it was reported that Delon, through a friend, purchased a copy of the original manuscript of Charles De Gaulle's 1940 speech to the French encouraging them to resist the Germans. Delon paid 300,000 francs for the manuscript then returned it to the government.

Influences

Delon's favorite actor was John Garfield. He also admired Montgomery Clift, Marlon Brando and Robert Walker.

Honours and cultural impacts

• At the 45th Berlin International Film Festival, he won the Honorary Golden Bear.
• At the 2008 César Awards on February 22, 2008, he presented the César Award for Best Actress to Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose.
• Delon appears on the cover of the 1986 album The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths.
• He was made Officier (Officer) of the Ordre national du Mérite in 1995.
• He was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur on 21 February 1991. He was promoted to Officier (Officer) in 2005.
• The song "Beautiful Killer" on Madonna's twelfth studio album MDNA is a tribute to Delon.
• The song "A Look From The Screen" of Russian band Nautilus Pompilius is a tribute to Delon.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Director	Notes
1957	Quand la femme s'en mêle	Jo	Yves Allégret
1958	Sois belle et tais-toi	Loulou	Marc Allégret
	Christine	Franz Lobheiner	Pierre Gaspard-Huit	with Romy Schneider
1959	Women are Weak (Faibles femmes)	Julien Fenal	Michel Boisrond	with Mylène Demongeot
	Le chemin des écoliers (fr)	Antoine Michaud	Michel Boisrond	with Bourvil and Lino Ventura
1960	Rocco and His Brothers	Rocco Parondi	Luchino Visconti	with Annie Girardot
	Purple Noon (Plein Soleil)	Tom Ripley	René Clément	with Marie Laforêt
1961	The Joy of Living (Che gioia vivere)	Ulysse Cecconato	René Clément	nominated for the Palme d'Or 1961
	Les Amours célèbres (fr)	Prince Albert	Michel Boisrond	anthology film
1962	Love at Sea (L'Amour à la mer)	A film star	Guy Gilles
	L'Eclisse	Piero	Michelangelo Antonioni	with Monica Vitti
	Carom Shots (Carambolages)	Monsieur Lambert	Marcel Bluwal	cameo appearance
	The Devil and the Ten Commandments (Le Diable et les Dix Commandements)	Pierre Messager	Julien Duvivier	anthology film
1963	Joy House (Les Félins)	Marc	René Clément	with Jane Fonda
	Any Number Can Win (Mélodie en sous-sol)	Francis Verlot	Henri Verneuil	with Jean Gabin
	The Leopard	Tancredi	Luchino Visconti	nominated - Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer - Male with Burt Lancaster and Claudia Cardinale
	The Black Tulip (La Tulipe noire)	Guillaume/Julian de Saint Preux	Christian-Jaque	dual role
1964	The Unvanquished (L'Insoumis)	Thomas Vlassenroot	Alain Cavalier	with Lea Massari
1965	The Yellow Rolls-Royce	Stefano	Anthony Asquith	anthology film
	Once a Thief	Eddie Pedak	Ralph Nelson	with Ann-Margret, Van Heflin and Jack Palance
	Is Paris Burning? (Paris brûle-t-il?)	Jacques Chaban-Delmas	René Clément	written by Gore Vidal and Francis Ford Coppola
1966	Texas Across the River	Don Baldazar	Michael Gordon	with Dean Martin
	Lost Command	Capt. Philippe Esclavier	Mark Robson	with Anthony Quinn, George Segal, Michèle Morgan and Claudia Cardinale
1967	The Last Adventure (Les Aventuriers)	Manú	Robert Enrico	with Lino Ventura and Joanna Shimkus
	Diabolically Yours (Diaboliquement vôtre)	Pierre	Julien Duvivier	with Senta Berger
	Le Samouraï	Jef Costello	Jean Pierre Melville	with Nathalie Delon
1968	Spirits of the Dead (Histoires extraordinaires)	William Wilson	Louis Malle	anthology film
	Farewell Friend (Adieu l'ami)	Dino Barran	Jean Herman	with Charles Bronson and Brigitte Fossey
	The Girl on a Motorcycle (La Motocyclette)	Daniel	Jack Cardiff	with Marianne Faithfull
1969	Jeff	Laurent	Jean Herman	with Mireille Darc
	The Sicilian Clan (Le Clan des Siciliens)	Roger Sartet	Henri Verneuil	with Lino Ventura and Jean Gabin
	The Swimming Pool (La Piscine)	Jean-Paul	Jacques Deray	with Romy Schneider and Jane Birkin
1970	Madly (fr)	Julien Dandieu	Roger Kahane	with Mireille Darc
	Doucement les basses (fr)	Simon	Jacques Deray	with Nathalie Delon
	Borsalino	Roch Siffredi	Jacques Deray	with Jean-Paul Belmondo and Catherine Rouvel
	Le Cercle rouge	Corey	Jean-Pierre Melville	with Bourvil, Gian Maria Volontè and Yves Montand
1971	The Assassination of Trotsky	Frank Jackson	Joseph Losey	with Richard Burton as Leon Trotsky
	Fantasia chez les ploucs (fr)	A passenger	Gérard Pirès	cameo appearance
	Red Sun (Soleil Rouge)	Gauche	Terence Young	with Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune and Ursula Andress
	La Veuve Couderc (fr)	Jean Lavigne	Pierre Granier-Deferre	with Simone Signoret and Ottavia Piccolo
	Dirty Money (Un flic)	Edouard Coleman	Jean-Pierre Melville	with Catherine Deneuve
1972	La prima notte di quiete	Daniele Dominici	Valerio Zurlini	with Giancarlo Giannini, Lea Massari, Sonia Petrovna and Alida Valli
1973	Shock Treatment	Dr. Devilers	Alain Jessua	with Annie Girardot
	No Way Out (Tony Arzenta)	Tony Arzenta	Duccio Tessari
	Scorpio	Jean Laurier	Michael Winner	with Burt Lancaster and Gayle Hunnicutt
	The Burned Barns	Judge Larcher	Jean Chapot	with Simone Signoret and Miou-Miou
	La Race des seigneurs (fr)	Julien Dandieu	Pierre Granier-Deferre	with Sydne Rome and Jeanne Moreau
	Two Men in Town (Deux hommes dans la ville)	Gino Strabliggi	José Giovanni	with Jean Gabin, Mimsy Farmer and Gérard Depardieu
1974	Borsalino & Co.	Roch Siffredi	Jacques Deray	sequel to Borsalino
	Les Seins de glace (fr)	Marc Rilson	Georges Lautner	with Claude Brasseur and Mireille Darc
1975	Zorro	Don Diego de la Vega/Zorro	Duccio Tessari	with Stanley Baker and Ottavia Piccolo
	Le Gitan (fr)	Hugo Sennart	José Giovanni	also produced by Alain Delon
	Flic Story	Roger Borniche	Jacques Deray	with Jean-Louis Trintignant and Claudine Auger
1976	Comme un boomerang (fr)	Jacques Batkin	José Giovanni	credited as writer
	Armaguedon	Doctor Michel Ambroise	Alain Jessua
	Monsieur Klein	Robert Klein	Joseph Losey	César Award for Best Film
1977	Man in a Hurry	Pierre Niox	Édouard Molinaro	with Mireille Darc
	Death of a Corrupt Man (Mort d'un pourri)	Xavier Maréchal	Georges Lautner	with Ornella Muti, Stéphane Audran and Mireille Darc
	Le Gang	Robert	Jacques Deray	credited as producer
1978	Attention, les enfants regardent (fr)	"The Man"	Serge Leroy	with Sophie Renoir
1979	The Concorde ... Airport '79	Paul Metrand	David Lowell Rich	with Robert Wagner, Susan Blakely and Sylvia Kristel
	The Medic (Le Toubib)	Jean-Marie Desprès	Jean Freustié	with Véronique Jannot
1980	Three Men to Kill (Trois hommes à abattre)	Michel Gerfaut	Jacques Deray	credit as writer
1981	Teheran 43	Foche	Aleksandr Alov and Vladimir Naumov	Golden Prize at the Moscow International Film Festival 1981
	For a Cop's Hide (Pour la peau d'un flic)	Choucas	Alain Delon	credited as director and writer
1982	The Shock (Le choc)	Martin Terrier	Robin Davis	with Catherine Deneuve
1983	Le Battant	Jacques Darnay	Alain Delon	with Anne Parillaud
1984	Notre histoire	Robert Avranches	Bertrand Blier	with Nathalie Baye
	Swann in Love	Baron de Charlus	Volker Schlöndorff	based on Marcel Proust, with Jeremy Irons, Ornella Muti
1985	Parole de flic	Daniel Pratt	José Pinheiro	with Fiona Gélin
1986	Le Passage (fr)	Jean Diaz	René Manzor	with Christine Boisson
1988	Let Sleeping Cops Lie (Ne réveillez pas un flic qui dort)	Commissaire Eugène Grindel	José Pinheiro	credited as co-writer and producer
1990	Dancing Machine	Alan Wolf	Gilles Béhat
	Nouvelle Vague	Lennox	Jean-Luc Godard	with Domiziana Giordano
1992	The Return of Casanova (Le Retour de Casanova)	Casanova	Édouard Niermans
	Un crime (fr)	Charles Durand	Jacques Deray	credited as writer
1994	L'Ours en peluche	Jean Rivière	Jacques Deray	based on Georges Simenon
1995	A Hundred and One Nights (Les cent et une nuits de Simon Cinéma)	Himself	Agnès Varda	cameo appearance
1997	Day and Night	Alexandre	Bernard-Henri Lévy	with Arielle Dombasle and Lauren Bacall
1997	Une chance sur deux	Julien Vignal	Patrice Leconte	with Jean-Paul Belmondo and Vanessa Paradis
1999	Les Acteurs (fr)	Himself	Bertrand Blier
2003	Frank Riva (fr)	Frank Riva		Television Series
2008	Asterix at the Olympic Games (Astérix aux Jeux Olympiques)	Julius Caesar	Frédéric Forestier and Thomas Langmann	with Gérard Depardieu, Clovis Cornillac and Benoît Poelvoorde
2012	Happy New Year, mothers! (С новым годом, мамы!)	Himself

[ Source: Wikipedia ]