Alain Delon, the influential French actor who starred in such European cinema classics as Samurai and TigerHe died at the age of 88.
The actor's sons confirmed his death on Sunday in a statement to AFP (via BBC): “Alain Fabien, Anoushka and Anthony, as well as his dog Lupo, are deeply saddened to announce the death of their father. He passed away peacefully at his home in Duchy, surrounded by his three children and family.”
Delon was a box office star and charismatic actor in his native France and throughout Europe throughout the 1960s and 1970s, appearing in such acclaimed films as Luchino Visconti's The Last Man. Rocco and his brothers and TigerMichelangelo Antonioni Lee Klisand Rene Clement purple afternoon – First amendment to the book The Talented Mr. Ripleywith Dillon as Tom Ripley – early in his career.
After a short stint in Hollywood starring in films such as Once upon a time there was a thief, Loss of leadership and texas across the riverDelon returned to France and then gave his most enduring role in Jean-Pierre Melville's film SamuraiDillon portrayed a calm, methodical, fedora-wearing hitman. Dillon's somber, lonely anti-hero inspired dozens of similar characters in films such as cabby, The driver, Leadsand John Wick.
In the 1970s, Dillon continued to appear in crime films such as Melville. red circle and On Fleckbesides Sicilian clan and Mr. Kleinin addition to the international spaghetti western. red sunAmerican spy movie Scorpioand the star Airport 79: Concorde.
“Monsieur Klein or Rocco, the Leopard or the Samurai, Alain Delon played legendary roles and made the world dream. He lent his unforgettable face to shake our lives. Sad, popular and discreet, he was more than a star: a French monument,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on social media on Sunday following news of Delon’s death.
Delon's career as a major star began to wane in the 1980s and 1990s, despite his supporting role as Julius Caesar in the 2008 French comedy Asterix at the Olympic Games It became his most successful film at the box office. It was also Dillon's last appearance on the big screen where he did not portray his real character.
In recent years, Dillon's decline has followed a stroke and reports of cancer, and earlier in 2024, his condition became tabloid fodder as his children fought each other in court over their father's custody and estate.
Delon was one of France's most decorated actors, receiving a César Award for Best Actor, an Honorary Golden Bear from the Berlin International Film Festival, and an Honorary Palme d'Or from the Cannes Film Festival. The latter honor was met with criticism in 2019, as Delon later in life aligned himself with far-right groups and had a history of “racism, homophobia, and misogyny,” a petition protesting the Cannes honor alleged (via Hollywood Reporter.)
“You don't have to agree with me,” Dillon later said when accepting the award at the Cannes ceremony. “But if there's one thing in this world that I'm sure of, and I'm really proud of – one thing – it's my career.”
