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Alain Delon Dies at 88: Farewell to an Icon of French and International Cinema

Legendary actor Alain Delon passed away peacefully at his home in Douchy, surrounded by his loved ones. He leaves an unparalleled cinematic legacy and a void in the hearts of millions of fans.

Alain Delon Dies at 88: Farewell to an Icon of French and International Cinema.

Alain Delon, legendary actor of French and international cinema, has died at the age of 88. The news was made public by his three children, Alain Fabien, Anouchka and Anthony, through a press release in which they expressed their immense pain. “Alain Fabien, Anouchka, Anthony, as well as his dog Loubo, have the immense pain of announcing their father's passing,” reads the press release. Delon passed away peacefully at his home in Douchy, surrounded by his loved ones. The family asked for respect for their privacy in this time of mourning.

Alain Delon was born on November 8, 1935 in Sceaux, a suburb of Paris, into a modest family. Son of a small cinema manager and a shop assistant, Delon lived a childhood marked by his parents' separation. After dropping out of school, he worked in various jobs, including working in a butcher's shop, before joining the French navy at just 17 years old. In 1953, Delon was assigned to the expeditionary force in South-East Asia during the Indochina War, an experience that profoundly affected him. Discharged in 1956, Delon returned to France and began to frequent the artistic circles of Paris, where he met intellectuals and protagonists from the world of entertainment. His magnetic beauty and natural talent did not go unnoticed, and he was soon noticed by some film producers.

The film career of Delon took off in the late 50s, but it was in the 60s that he achieved international fame. Among his first successes was Luchino Visconti's “Rocco and His Brothers” (1960), a film that allowed him to express all his interpretative depth in the role of Rocco Parondi, a young immigrant from Southern Italy in Milano. The film is considered one of the masterpieces of neorealist cinema and consolidated Delon's reputation as an actor of great caliber. In the same decade, Delon collaborated again with Visconti on “The Leopard” (1963), where he played the charming Tancredi, a role that definitively established him as one of the most talented and fascinating actors in European cinema.

Delon's other iconic films include Michelangelo Antonioni's "L'eclisse" (1962), where he starred alongside Monica Vitti, and Jacques Deray's "The Pool" (1969), which saw him act with Romy Schneider, with whom he had an intense and tormented romantic relationship. Delon also became known for his role in “Frank Costello: The Face of an Angel” (1967) by Jean-Pierre Melville, in which he played a silent and impenetrable hitman, a character that became iconic and representative of his career.

In addition to his extraordinary film career, Alain Delon has been at the center of a very eventful private life, which has attracted media attention for decades. His relationship with Romy Schneider, which began on the set of “Christine” in 1958, was one of the most famous of the time. The two actors were considered the golden couple of European cinema, but their love story ended abruptly in 1963, when Delon sent Romy a letter of breakup. This separation left Romy deeply affected, so much so that she fell into a serious depression. Despite the end of their relationship, Delon and Schneider maintained a special bond throughout their lives.

After the end of his relationship with Romy, Delon married Francine Canovas, known as Nathalie Delon, in 1964. From their union was born Anthony Delon, also a future actor. However, the marriage did not last long and the couple divorced in 1968. At the same time, Delon began a long relationship with actress Mireille Darc, which lasted fifteen years and was characterized by great complicity both on the set and in private life.

In the 80s, Delon met Rosalie van Breemen, a young Dutch model, with whom he had two children, Anouchka and Alain-Fabien. This relationship also ended in separation in 2001. Delon later had a relationship with Hiromi Rollin, a woman of Japanese origin, who claimed to have had a love affair with him for 33 years, a version disputed by the actor's children.

Despite his professional success, Delon's life was marked by numerous scandals and controversies, including legal problems and gossip that have often fueled the actor's public image as a charming but complex and tormented man. Despite everything, his talent and stage presence continued to shine throughout his career.

In the 80s and 90s, Delon's career took a slight downturn, with the actor focusing on roles in crime dramas and thrillers that were less notable than his previous successes. However, he still managed to leave his mark in works such as Jean-Luc Godard's “Nouvelle vague” (1990), where he played a self-deprecating and enigmatic role. In the following years, Delon dedicated himself more and more to television, participating in TV series and films which allowed him to continue working, although he reduced his film appearances. Among his latest film performances are "Asterix at the Olympics" (2008) and the docufilm "Belmondo par Belmondo" (2015), a tribute to his friend and colleague Jean-Paul Belmondo.

Delon and Belmondo were considered the two great rivals of French cinema, a rivalry that fueled the film and gossip columns of the 60s and 70s. However, the two actors always maintained a relationship of mutual respect and friendship, as also demonstrated by the words of Paul Belmondo, son of Jean-Paul, who greeted Delon with a touching message on social media: “Alain, one day you told me that you missed my father. Today it is you who will be greatly missed. Rip Alain”.

Delon's disappearance sparked numerous reactions in the political and cultural world.

The French president Emmanuel Macron defined it "more than a star, a French monument", recalling how Delon's unforgettable face profoundly marked the cinema and culture of the twentieth century. Marine Le Pen, president of the Rassemblement National, also paid tribute to the actor, saying that "a small part of the France we love goes with him".

The president of the Chamber's culture commission, Federico Mollicone, remembered Delon for his memorable performances in films such as “Rocco and His Brothers” and “The Leopard”, underlining how her name will forever be synonymous with beauty and talent.

In one of his last public appearances, in 2019, Delon had received the Palme d'Or for lifetime achievement at the Cannes Film Festival. On that occasion, the actor thanked the public for the affection shown to him over the years, declaring: "As my journey comes to an end, I want to say it: I have known many passions, many loves, many successes and failures, many controversies, many scandals, dark events, many memories, many missed appointments and impromptu encounters, many ups and downs; that when honors are nothing more than vain and distant memories, there is only one thing that shines with its constancy and longevity: you, only you. To you who have determined what I am and who will determine what I will be, I must say thank you, thank you, thank you."

The figure of Alain Delon, with his ambiguity and magnetic charm, has left an indelible mark on the history of world cinema. His artistic contribution, characterized by intense and nuanced interpretations, marked an era and will continue to inspire generations of actors and filmmakers.. With his death, a fundamental chapter of cinematographic culture closes, but the legacy of Delon will remain alive in the films that made millions of spectators dream all over the world.

Alain Delon è Morto a 88 Anni: Addio a un'Icona del Cinema Francese e Internazionale

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