As the title indicates, our series dedicated to remembering some of the greatest actors of all times is taking a break from Hollywood. There’s so much more to the film industry than Tinseltown and so many movie icons who never got the international stardom they deserved for one tiny defect - they did not speak English or did not speak it good enough. I’m sure that every country has its own local film legends who never got an international career because of that.
As a European, I grew up watching many Italian, French or even Russian movies, which I find quite fortunate as I am familiar with many great actors, less known outside Europe. There’s so many names that come to mind, but I will dedicate this post to one of the most talented and most handsome French actors, Alain Delon, whose extraordinary career will be honored at this year’s film festival in Cannes.
Actually, Alain Delon’s career started with a casual trip to the Canne Film Festival. The year was 1956 and Alain Delon was 21 years old and penniless. He had just returned from the war in Indochina and was surviving on odd jobs. While in Cannes, he was spotted by a talent scout for David O. Selznick, who offered him a contract, provided he learned English, of course. That was enough to create a certain buzz and Delon was quickly recruited by a French director.
In love with Romy Schneider.
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Two years later, Alain Delon got the lead role in ’Christine’ a period romance, where he played opposite the beautiful German actress Romy Schneider. It was also the beginning of a mythical love story between the two young actors. He was 23 and she was 20. They soon got engaged and spent the next four years together, until the day he left and broke her heart. One of the reason he gave for the split was that their busy professional schedules would never allow them to be a family. Another reason was that he’d just met Natalie, the woman he’d marry in 1964.
I know that for many of you ’The Talented Mr. Ripley’ means the 1999 movie starring Matt Damon, but Alain Delon also played the part in 1960, to critical acclaim and even novelist Patricia Highsmith, who wrote the Ripley series, was delighted with the French actor’s interpretation.
With Renato Salvatori, in 'Rocco'
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The same year would bring Alain Delon’s consecration as a major European film star with the leading role in ’Rocco e i suoi fratelli’ (Rocco and his brothers), directed by Luchino Visconti. It is the tragic story of an Italian family who leaves the impoverished South, hoping to better their lives in the industrialized North. The film follows the destiny of each brother and the slow destruction of the family ties. Alain Delon plays Rocco, who makes a living as a boxer, trying in vain to help the weakest of his brother, Simone.
His looks recommended him for love stories and light comedies, but Delon managed to make a number of great movies, working with Europe’s best directors. Michelangelo Antonioni cast him in ’L’Eclisse’ (The Eclipse - 1962) opposite Italian beauty Monica Vitti. One year later, Alain Delon worked again with Visconti, in ’Il Gattopardo’ (The Leopard), together with Burt Lancaster and Claudia Cardinale. Based on the novel by Italian writer Giuseppe Tomassi di Lampedusa, the movie is an epic drama set in 19th century Sicily, a time of upheaval when the aristocratic ruling class was challenged by the revolutionary forces headed by Giuseppe Garibaldi.
In 1965, Alain Delon crossed the ocean to try his luck in Hollywood:
‘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.’
He ended up making six movies in the US, none really successful, which prompted him to return to Europe where he belonged.
Delon, Gabin and Ventura, the Sicilians
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He switched from romance and comedy to thrillers and gangster movies. In 1969, he starred in ’Le Clan de Siciliens’ (The Sicilian Clan), alongside legendary actors Jean Gabin and Lino Ventura. The film was a blockbuster in Europe, as was another movie released the same year ’La Piscine’ (The Swimming Pool) which saw him reunited, on screen at least, with his former lover Romy Schneider.
In 1973, he again teamed up with Jean Gabin for ’Deux Hommes dans la Ville’ (‘Two Men in Town), the tragic story of an ex-con persecuted by a cop so bad he ends up killing him. Easy to guess the film ending is heart-wrenching, magnificently played by Delon and Gabin who manage to convey a myriad of feelings just by locking eyes.
In love, again, with Mireille Darc
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The most creative part of his life coincides with the love affair with French actress Mireille Darc, with whom he made several movies. They were together for 15 years and it’s been said the reason he left her in 983 was that he wanted more kids and she couldn’t give him any. At her death, in 2017, a saddened Delon admitted she was the woman of his life.
His last movie was ’Asterix at the Olympic Games’(2008), where he played Julius Caesar.
Today aged 83, Alain Delon lives in Switzerland with his two youngest children.
Post authored by 
References: Wiki, Marie Claire.
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