MOVIE NEWS – On August 18, 2024, at the age of 88, Alain Delon, the renowned French actor, passed away, as reported by France24. According to AFP, the sad news was announced by the actor’s three children.

“Alain Fabien, Anouchka, Anthony, and (his dog) Loubo are deeply saddened to announce that Alain Delon passed away peacefully at his home in Douchy, surrounded by his children and family,” reads the statement.

The actor suffered a stroke in 2019, after which his health continued to decline, and he was also diagnosed with lymphoma. He had largely withdrawn from public life, with his last appearance being at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019, where he received an honorary Palme d’Or.

Delon’s career began in the 1950s, but it was the films of the 1960s that brought him true recognition. After serving in the French Navy, he took on various odd jobs, during which he met several actors and accompanied them to the 1957 Cannes Film Festival. There, he caught the attention of American producer David O. Selznick, who offered him a contract, but Delon, on the advice of French director Yves Allégret, chose to begin his film career in France instead.

His first film role was as a young gangster in Allégret’s Quand la femme s’en mêle (When the Woman Gets Involved), and he landed his first leading role in the romantic film Christine in 1958, starring alongside Romy Schneider. He gained international recognition with Plein Soleil, based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr. Ripley. His memorable works from this period include Rocco and His Brothers, The Leopard, L’Eclisse, Le Mépris, and La Piscine, along with his most famous 1967 film, Le Samouraï.

Although Delon became best known in France for his roles in gangster films (such as Le Samouraï and Le Clan des Siciliens), he acted in a variety of genres and also took on English-language films, including The Yellow Rolls-Royce and Red Sun. While he did not achieve the same level of fame in America, he was celebrated as a major star in Europe and Japan.

From the 1980s, the popularity of Delon’s films waned, but he made a comeback in the early 2000s: in 2002, he starred in Fabio Montale, and from 2003 to 2004, he played the lead in the crime series Frank Riva. In 2008, he appeared as Caesar in Asterix at the Olympic Games, which achieved moderate success.

Delon was appointed an Officer of the French Legion of Honor in 2005 and received numerous other awards, including a César Award and the Honorary Golden Bear.

The Delon family made headlines in January when the actor’s three children could not agree on the treatment for their elderly father. The matter was taken to court, resulting in the actor being placed under judicial protection to prevent any potential neglect in his care due to disputes among his children.