Alain Delon, Legendary French Actor Known for Rocco and His Brothers and Purple Noon, Dies at 88

Alain Delon, the legendary French actor known for films including 1960’s Rocco and His Brothers and Purple Noon, has died. He was 88.

The actor died on Sunday, Aug. 18 at his home in Douchy-Montcorbon, France, his family told Agence France-Presse. Following Delon’s death, fans gathered at his home to pay respects, footage shared by the French news agency shows.

Delon’s family did not provide a cause of death, but one of the star’s sons, Anthony Delon, did reveal that the star’s health has been declining since he suffered a stroke in 2019, according to The Washington Post and The New York Times.

He was also diagnosed with a form of lymphoma, for which he began treatment in 2022.

The actor and sex symbol’s storied career, which included over 80 films, began thanks to his role as iconic con artist Tom Ripley in 1960’s Purple Noon. The late star also frequently made headlines for his romantic life and other scandals.

Born in Sceaux, France, in 1935, Delon had a tumultuous childhood. When he was 4, his parents got divorced and sent him to live with a foster family. When his foster parents died, his family then sent him to a boarding school. He enlisted in the military at age 17, served during the First Indochina War and later returned to France in 1956.

His film career began when he went to the Cannes Film Festival in 1957 and was spotted by a Hollywood talent scout who wanted him to learn English before coming to America. But when Delon met French director Yves Allégret, he decided to stay in France and made his debut in the director’s 1957 film Quand la femme s’en mêle.

Reflecting on the role decades later in 2018, Delon told British GQ, “I had no idea what to do.”

“Allégret stared at me, just like that, and told me: ‘Listen to me, Alain. Speak as you are speaking to me. Stare as you are staring at me. Listen as you are listening to me. Don’t act. Live.’ It changed everything,” he recalled. “If Yves Allégret had not told me that, I would never have had this career.”

In 1960, he starred in both Purple Noon and Rocco and His Brothers, both of which earned international acclaim.

“Alain Delon as the sweet and loyal Rocco, the brother who emerges from deep pain to shoulder the burden of his wayward brother and the family responsibilities, is touchingly pliant and expressive,” The New York Times raved in its review.

Delon teamed up once again with Rocco director Luchino Visconti for 1963’s The Leopard, which cemented him as one of French cinema’s biggest stars. He starred with Jane Fonda in 1964’s Les Félins, and by the mid-’60s, he began appearing in Hollywood productions.

He appeared in 1965’s The Yellow Rolls-Royce alongside Shirley MacLaine and had his first Hollywood leading role in 1965’s Once a Thief, opposite Ann-Margret, with whom he became romantically involved.

However, Delon’s Hollywood career was severely limited because of his French accent, and he was often cast as the seductive European lover. He ultimately decided to focus on French and European cinema.

Other major films for Delon included 1967’s Le Samouraï, 1968’s Farewell Friend, 1969’s La Piscine, 1970’s Le Cercle Rouge, 1973’s Tony Arzenta, 1975’s Zorro, 1976’s Monsieur Klein and 1984’s Our Story, for which he won a César Award for best actor.

When La Piscine screened in New York in 2021, The New York Times wrote, “Almost 10 years after his landmark roles as Tom Ripley in Purple Noon and Rocco in Rocco and His Brothers… Delon still retained every iota of his ultra-sultriness. In dramatic roles, the actor, his sexy sleekness notwithstanding, tends toward a solemnity, and that suits him well here.”

Delon also appeared on the small screen a few times, including in the 2002 miniseries Fabio Montale and the 2003 series Frank Riva. In 1973, he also released a song, duet “Paroles, paroles” with French singer Dalida.

At the height of Delon’s career, he was occasionally embroiled in scandals. In 1968, he was questioned in the murder of Stevan Marković, his friend and bodyguard. Delon’s friend François Marcantoni was arrested for the murder but was later released, and the case was never solved.

Delon was in a relationship with his Christine costar Romy Schneider until 1964 when they broke up, in part, because of her family’s opposition to the romance. Delon maintained that Schneider, who died in 1982, was the love of his life.

In 1961, he had an affair with Nico, a German actress. The next year, she gave birth to their son, Christian Aaron Boulogne, whom Delon never acknowledged, even after Boulogne sued him twice. Boulogne died in 2023.

In 1964, he married Nathalie Barthélémy, who was pregnant at the time. They welcomed a son, Anthony, later that year. The couple divorced in 1969, partly because of Delon’s continued infidelities.

Delon began a relationship with Rosalie van Breemen in 1987. They welcomed two children — Anouchka Delon and Alain-Fabien Delon, born in 1990 and 1994, respectively — before splitting in 2001.

In January 2024, following his stroke and lymphoma diagnosis, Delon’s care was placed under legal guardianship, amid fighting between his three children over his care and assets, per Barron’s.

In 2019, Delon received the honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his long career. The festival was highly criticized for the choice, since Delon had a history of homophobic and sexist remarks and had vocally supported France’s far-right political party.

“There is one thing in the world that I’m truly proud of, the only thing: It’s my career, and this Palme d’Or has been offered to me for my career and nothing else,” he said in his acceptance speech.

“Look, I had incredible luck. I’ve been happy all my life; I filmed with the best,” he told British GQ in 2018. “I did what I wanted, with who I wanted, when I wanted. I dwell on the past more than I think about the future, yes, because my past was extraordinary. Today just doesn’t compare. A life like I had doesn’t come around twice. That’s why when it comes to retirement, I have no regrets.”

Source people.com