Alain Delon

Infobox actor
name = Alain Delon


caption =
birthdate = birth date and age|1935|11|8|df=y
birthplace = Sceaux, France
yearsactive = 1957 - present
spouse = Nathalie Barthélemy (1964-1968)
cesarawards = Best Actor
1985 "Notre histoire"

Alain Delon (born 8 November 1935) is a César Award-winning French actor. He rose quickly to stardom, and by the age of 23 he was garnering comparisons to famed French actors such as Gérard Philipe and Jean Marais, as well as American actor James Dean. He was even called the male Brigitte Bardot. Over the course of his career, Delon has worked with many well-known directors, including Luchino Visconti, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Melville, Michelangelo Antonioni and Louis Malle.

Delon acquired Swiss citizenship in 1999 and the company managing products sold under his name is based in Geneva.

Early life

Delon was born in Sceaux, Île-de-France, a suburb of Paris. His parents, Édith (née Arnold) and Fabien Delon, divorced when Delon was young. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/28/Alain-Delon.html Alain Delon Biography (1935-) ] ] Both remarried, and Delon has a half-sister and two half-brothers. He attended a Roman Catholic boarding school, the first of several schools from which he was expelled because of unruly behavior. Teachers once tried to convince him to enter the priesthood because of his aptitude in religious studies.

At 14, Delon left school, and worked for a brief time at his stepfather's butcher shop. He enlisted in the army three years later, and in 1953 was sent to fight in the First Indochina War. Delon has said that out of his five years of military service he spent 11 months in prison for being "undisciplined". After being dishonorably discharged from the army he returned to Paris. He had no money, and got by on whatever employment he could find. He spent time working as a waiter, a porter, and a sales clerk. During this time he became friends with the actress Brigitte Auber, and joined her on a trip to the Cannes Film Festival, where his film career would begin.

Career

At Cannes, Delon was seen by a talent scout for David O. Selznick. After a successful screen test Selznick offered him a contract, provided he learn English. Delon returned to Paris to study English, but when he met French director Yves Allégret, he was convinced that he should stay in France to begin his career. Selznick allowed Delon to cancel his contract, and Allégret gave him his debut in the film "Quand la Femme s'en Mêle" ("When the Woman Butts In"). Delon then got to show a comedic aspect of himself in the film "Faibles Femmes" ("Women Are Weak"). This was also the first of his films to be seen in America, where it became a success.

In 1960, Delon appeared in René Clément's "Purple Noon", which was based on the Patricia Highsmith novel "The Talented Mr. Ripley". He played protagonist Tom Ripley to critical acclaim. He then appeared in Luchino Visconti's "Rocco and His Brothers". Critic Bosley Crowther of the "New York Times" said Delon's work was : "touchingly pliant and expressive." John Beaufort in the "Christian Science Monitor" said: :"Rocco's heartbroken steadfastness furnishes the film with the foremost of its ironic tragedies ... [I] ts believability rests finally on Mr. Delon's compelling performance."

Delon made his stage debut in 1961 in John Ford’s play, "'Tis Pity She’s a Whore" alongside Romy Schneider in Paris. Visconti directed the production. Delon would work with him again for "Il Gattopardo" ("The Leopard"). Delon also worked with Jean-Pierre Melville, who directed him in "Un Flic", "Le Cercle Rouge", and "Le Samouraï".

In 1964, the Cinémathèque Française held a showcase of Delon's films and Delon started a production company, Delbeau Production, with Georges Beaume. They produced a film called "L’insoumis", which had to be re-edited due to legal issues. Delon then started his own production company, Adel, and starred in the company’s first film, "Jeff". Delon followed the success of the film with "Borsalino", which became one of France’s highest grossing films of the time. In 1973, he made a duet with the French pop singer Dalida on "Paroles, paroles", which was a big hit in France, Japan, Canada, and many other countries. Fact|date=November 2007

He was awarded the Best Actor César Awards (French equivalent of Oscars) for his role in Bertrand Blier's "Notre histoire" (1984). Then followed a string of box office failures in the late 1980s and 1990s, culminating in the failure of Patrice Leconte's "Une chance sur deux". Delon announced his decision to give up acting in 1997, although he still occasionally accepts roles.

In 1990, he worked with auteur Jean-Luc Godard, on "Nouvelle vague", in which he played twins. In 2003, the Walter Reade Theater showed a series of Delon's films under the aegis, "Man in the Shadows: The Films of Alain Delon".

Most recently, it has been announced that he will play a role in a film called "L’Ennemi public n°1", a biopic about Jacques Mesrine with Vincent Cassel in the title role.

Products

Since the formation of a perfume label in his name, Delon has had a variety of products sold under his name including clothing, eyewear, stationery and cigarettes. [ [http://www.alaindelon.com/e/products.asp ALAIN DELON - Products - Introduction ] ]

Delon's sunglasses brand became particularly popular in Hong Kong after actor Chow Yun Fat wore them in the 1986 crime film "A Better Tomorrow" (as well as two sequels). Delon reportedly wrote a letter thanking Chow for helping the sunglasses sell out in the region. [ [http://members.aol.com/aleong1631/johnwoo.html The Films of John Woo and the Art of Heroic Bloodshed by Anthony Leong from MediaCircus.net ] ] The film's director John Woo has acknowledged Delon as one of his idols and wrote a short essay on Le Samourai as well as Le Cercle Rouge for the "Criterion Collection" DVD releases. [ [http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=306 The Criterion Collection: Le samourai by Jean-Pierre Melville ] ]

Relationships and family

Delon was engaged to actress Romy Schneider, whom he met when they co-starred in the film "Christine" (1958). During this period, it was speculated he had an affair with German actress and singer Nico. In 1962 Nico gave birth to a son, Ari (Christian Aaron), who she claimed was fathered by Delon. The child was raised mostly by Delon's parents but Delon has always denied his fatherhood. Fact|date=November 2007

In 1963, Schneider and Delon decided to break the engagement. In August 1964, Delon married Nathalie Barthélemy. Their son, Anthony Delon, was born in September. The couple divorced four years later. He had a long relationship with French actress Mireille Darc over the following years.

In 1987, Delon met Dutch model Rosalie van Breemen on the shooting of the video clip for his song "Comme au cinéma" and started a relationship. They had two children: Anouschka (1990) and Alain-Fabien (1994). The relationship ended in 2001.

candal

In 1968, one of Delon’s bodyguards, Stevan Markovic, was found shot in the head in a dumpster outside Delon’s home. Delon’s friend, Corsican gangster François Marcantoni, was charged with accessory to murder. Delon himself was held by police for questioning, despite the fact that the murder took place in Paris, and Delon was filming in St. Tropez. Delon's then-wife, Nathalie, was also questioned.

Honours

*At the 60th Cannes Film Festival, he presented the Best Actress Award to South Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon for her role in Lee Chang Dong's Secret Sunshine. She became the first South Korean to win a prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

*At the 2008 César Awards on February 22, 2008, he presented the César Award for Best Actress to Marion Cotillard, whom in two days would win the Academy Award for Best Actress for La Vie En Rose. Marion Cotillard became only the second French national, after Simone Signoret, to win an Academy Award for Best Actress.

Filmography

References

External links

*
* [http://www.alaindelon.com/e/ Official website]