Alain Delon, a huge star of the “golden age” of French moviemaking, has died at age 88.
Delon, an uncommonly handsome man with piercing blue eyes, became a European heart-throb and is best-known for his roles in Borsalino and The Samurai. He was known for playing “tough guy” characters. In recent years Delon’s health has been in decline and he has lived reclusively.
Sex symbol actress from the same era, Brigitte Bardot, said Delon’s death has left a “huge void” that no one else in the field will be able to fill.
Delon was described more than once as the most beautiful man in cinema. During the 1960s he starred in hit French films such as The Leopard and Rocco and his Brothers. Whether he was playing a con artist or a murderer, female audience members (and some male ones) swooned for the dark-haired actor.
Delon made more than 90 films during his career, which slowed down substantially in the 1990s, though he remained a favorite topic for celebrity gossip columns.
Emmanuel Macron, President of France, marked Delon’s death by saying that the “made the world dream” through the “legendary roles” he played. Writing on Twiter/X, Macron said Delon was a “French monument” who transcended mere stardom with his mix of “melancholy” and an air of mystery.
Like many famous handsome men, Delon had more than his share of romances, which were avidly tracked by the French public through magazines like Paris Match. He led the sort of personal life described as “colorful,” and despite the criticism such figures get, the public usually falls in love with handsome rakish men who have a touch of the bad boy about them.
And like any prominent man who has conservative politics, Delon did not escape the ubiquitous accusations of “misogyny,” likely because he was an unabashed playboy who did not apologize for his interest in women. French liberals castigated him for his support of the right-wing politician Marine LePen, and for his opposition to same-sex marriage.
Delon’s family released a statement saying the actor had died peacefully in his home in Douchy.
His last public appearance took place at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019.