- 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 aCésar Award -winning Frenchactor . He rose quickly to stardom, and by the age of 23 he was garnering comparisons to famed French actors such asGérard Philipe andJean Marais , as well as American actorJames Dean . He was even called the maleBrigitte Bardot . Over the course of his career, Delon has worked with many well-known directors, includingLuchino Visconti ,Jean-Luc Godard ,Jean-Pierre Melville ,Michelangelo Antonioni andLouis 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 aRoman 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 actressBrigitte Auber , and joined her on a trip to theCannes Film Festival , where his film career would begin.Career
At
Cannes , Delon was seen by a talent scout forDavid 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 directorYves Allégret , he was convinced that he should stay inFrance 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 thePatricia Highsmith novel "The Talented Mr. Ripley ". He played protagonistTom Ripley to critical acclaim. He then appeared inLuchino Visconti 's "Rocco and His Brothers ". CriticBosley 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 withJean-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 singerDalida on "Paroles, paroles ", which was a big hit in France,Japan ,Canada , and many other countries. Fact|date=November 2007He was awarded the Best Actor
César Awards (French equivalent ofOscars ) for his role inBertrand Blier 's "Notre histoire" (1984). Then followed a string ofbox office failures in the late 1980s and 1990s, culminating in the failure ofPatrice 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 theaegis , "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 aboutJacques Mesrine withVincent 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 actorChow 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 directorJohn Woo has acknowledged Delon as one of his idols and wrote a short essay onLe Samourai as well asLe 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 singerNico . 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 2007In 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 actressMireille 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,Corsica n gangsterFrançois Marcantoni , was charged withaccessory to murder . Delon himself was held by police for questioning, despite the fact that the murder took place in Paris, and Delon was filming inSt. 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'sSecret Sunshine . She became the first South Korean to win a prize at theCannes Film Festival .*At the 2008
César Awards on February 22, 2008, he presented theCésar Award for Best Actress toMarion Cotillard , whom in two days would win theAcademy Award for Best Actress forLa Vie En Rose . Marion Cotillard became only the second French national, afterSimone Signoret , to win anAcademy Award for Best Actress .Filmography
References
External links
*
* [http://www.alaindelon.com/e/ Official website]
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