After the death of Jean-Paul Belmondo, he was the last representative of French action and detective cinema of the 1960s and 1970s. Alain Delon passed away on August 18, 2024, at the age of 88."Alain Fabien, Anouchka, Anthony, as well as (his dog) Loubo, are deeply saddened to announce the passing of their father. He passed away peacefully in his home in Douchy, surrounded by his three children and his family. (...) His family kindly asks you to respect his privacy at this extremely painful time of mourning", announced the actor's children in a press release.
With him, a whole generation of French cinema mourns its passing. Very much appreciated by the French, the actor was known for having played hundreds of roles, in France and Italy, some of which are immensely cult: Plein Soleil, Rocco et ses Frères, Le Samouraï, La Piscine, Le Clan des Siciliens, Borsalino, Monsieur Klein and many others.
Alain Delon was born on November 8, 1935 in Sceaux. His first experience was as an actor at the age of 14, not as a comedian, a subtlety he has often emphasized: " My career has nothing to do with acting. Acting is a vocation. That's the essential difference - and there's nothing pejorative about it - between Belmondo and Delon. I'm an actor, Jean-Paul is a comedian. A comedian plays, he spends years learning, whereas an actor lives. I've always lived my roles. I've never acted. An actor is an accident. I am an accident. My life is an accident. My career is an accident.
He enjoyed his first successes in the 1950s, becoming a national star with René Clément's Plein Soleil in 1960. Numerous successes followed, both in France and Italy, where he became the darling of renowned filmmakers. He is often contrasted with his lifelong rival Jean-Paul Belmondo, who began his career at the same time as him and with whom he competed for the biggest hits of the year, before reuniting with him in the film Borsalino.
He continued in this vein, alternating between film and theater for many years before bidding farewell to the profession in 2011 with the TV film Un Mari de Trop. Then came the time for tributes, including an honorary Palme d'or, to be awarded in 2019 at the Cannes Film Festival. That, at the very least, was what was needed to celebrate a unique career in the history of French cinema. There certainly won't be a second one like it...
