60 Fun Facts About Alain Delon

In which wealthy suburb of Paris was Alain Delon born in 1935?

His father later became director of the Le Regina cinema in Bourg-la-Reine.

What was Delon's father's profession when Alain was born?

His mother was a pharmacy assistant and theatre usher at the cinema where his parents met.

Whose execution did the young Delon hear from his foster family's home next to Fresnes prison in 1945?

His foster father was a guard at the prison.

In which trade did the teenage Delon earn a vocational certificate?

He worked in his stepfather's delicatessen and bought 40 kg of sausages a morning at the central markets.

Which branch of the armed forces did Delon join at 17, serving in Indochina?

He was dishonourably discharged and spent his 20th birthday in a cell.

What did Delon steal in Indochina, leading to his dishonourable discharge?

The vehicle ended up in a stream and his radio licence was revoked.

Which Hollywood producer offered the young Delon a seven-year contract on condition he learn English?

He auditioned at Cinecitta on the sidelines of A Farewell to Arms but ended up making his debut in France instead.

How did Delon get the small scar under his chin that became part of his image?

He had borrowed Pascal Jardin's Renault 4CV against advice during a film shoot.

Which German actress chose Delon as her leading man in Christine (1958) and became his fiancee?

They met for the first time when she stepped off a plane at Orly for a press interview.

Which Patricia Highsmith character did Delon play in Purple Noon (1960)?

Highsmith herself was a fan of his portrayal in Rene Clement's film.

Who directed Rocco and His Brothers (1960), in which Delon played the title role?

The same director later cast him in The Leopard.

Which actor did Delon name in 1959 as the model he tried to emulate?

He said Marais always remained the same despite the whirlwind of fame.

Which Antonioni film paired Delon with Monica Vitti in 1962?

It won the Special Jury Prize at Cannes and Scorsese called it the boldest film of the trilogy.

What became known as Delon's method after the 1963 heist film Any Number Can Win?

Jean Gabin claimed Delon earned ten times more than he did as a result.

Which character did Delon play in Visconti's Palme d'Or winner The Leopard (1963)?

Burt Lancaster played the ageing prince and Claudia Cardinale his goddaughter.

Delon's segment of the 1964 anthology The Yellow Rolls-Royce paired him with which American star?

It was his British film debut; his Hollywood debut came in Once a Thief with Ann-Margret.

In which 1966 Western did Delon appear opposite Dean Martin?

He also played a Foreign Legionnaire alongside Anthony Quinn in Lost Command that year.

Who directed Delon as the hitman Jef Costello in Le Samourai (1967)?

They made three films together; the last, Un flic, saw them argue constantly on set.

What pet does hitman Jef Costello keep in his spartan Paris apartment in Le Samourai?

The film sold over 1.9 million tickets in France.

Under what title was Le Samourai released in an English-dubbed US version in 1972?

The film sold over 1.9 million tickets in France.

Which 1968 Delon film with Marianne Faithfull was the first to receive an X rating in the United States?

Released in the US as Naked Under Leather, it was a surprise hit in Britain.

Which 1969 thriller reunited Delon and his former fiancee on the French Riviera?

Jane Birkin and Maurice Ronet co-starred, and an English-language version was shot simultaneously.

Whose body was found in a rubbish dump near Paris in October 1968, in a scandal that touched Georges Pompidou?

A letter from the Yugoslav bodyguard blamed Delon and Corsican gangster Francois Marcantoni should he be killed.

Which fellow French star co-starred with Delon in the 1970 gangster hit Borsalino?

The film was based on the real gangsters Paul Carbone and Francois Spirito.

How long is Le Cercle Rouge's famous near-silent climactic heist sequence?

Yves Montand, Bourvil and Gian Maria Volonte co-starred.

Which Japanese star joined Delon and Charles Bronson in the 1972 Western Red Sun?

The film did well, unlike Losey's The Assassination of Trotsky the same year.

With which singer did Delon record the spoken part of the 1973 hit Paroles, paroles?

He also duetted with Shirley Bassey on Thought I'd Ring You in 1983.

Which masked hero did Delon play in a 1975 Italian-French film?

It was his first swashbuckler since The Black Tulip in 1964.

In Monsieur Klein (1976), Delon plays an art dealer in occupied Paris who is mistaken for what?

Joseph Losey's Kafkaesque film won three Cesars including Best Film; Delon was nominated for Best Actor.

What was Delon's final attempt at Hollywood stardom in 1979?

The Concorde... Airport '79 was not a big success.

For which 1984 Bertrand Blier film did Delon win the Cesar Award for Best Actor?

The same year he played the Baron de Charlus in Swann in Love.

In which 1990 Jean-Luc Godard film did Delon play twins?

His last major role came in Une chance sur deux with Belmondo in 1998.

Which Roman leader did Delon play in the 2008 hit Asterix at the Olympic Games?

Gerard Depardieu co-starred as Obelix.

Which honour did Delon receive at Cannes 2019 amid controversy over his remarks about women?

He had already received the Honorary Golden Bear at the 45th Berlin festival.

Which world middleweight boxing champion did Delon promote and befriend?

The biggest fight he promoted was Monzon's defence against Jose Napoles.

Which Hong Kong actor made Delon's brand of sunglasses a hit by wearing them in A Better Tomorrow (1986)?

Delon reportedly wrote to thank him; director John Woo calls Delon one of his idols.

Which role in Lawrence of Arabia did Delon decline after a successful audition?

Difficulties with the brown contact lenses the part required led him to turn it down.

Producer Robert Evans considered Delon for which role in The Godfather?

Delon refused, saying he would have had to learn to speak English properly.

Whom did Delon suggest for the lead in Last Tango in Paris after declining it himself?

He also turned down Taxi Driver and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

A still of Delon from The Unvanquished appears on the cover of which 1986 album by The Smiths?

It was used with his written approval; Madonna's Beautiful Killer is also a tribute to him.

Which singer maintained that Delon was the father of her son Ari, born in 1962?

Delon never acknowledged paternity, though the boy was raised by Delon's own parents.

With which actress did Delon have a relationship lasting from 1968 to 1982?

They met during the shooting of Jeff, and he asked her to appear in a film with him.

Delon's daughter Anouchka and son Alain-Fabien were born to which Dutch model?

They met in 1987 on the set of the video for his song Comme au cinema.

Which country's citizenship did Delon acquire in 1999?

He lived in Chene-Bougeries in the canton of Geneva.

Which political tradition did Delon say he was raised in?

He wrote to de Gaulle after the 1969 referendum defeat that the result broke his heart.

Which world leader did Delon interview for TV5Monde in September 2022?

He expressed support for the Ukrainian people and was invited to visit Ukraine.

How many firearms did police seize from Delon's home in February 2024?

He was not authorised to own a firearm; 3,000 rounds of ammunition were also found.

What unusual request did Delon make about his Belgian Shepherd Loubo before his death?

His family chose not to euthanise the dog.

Where did Delon die on 18 August 2024, aged 88?

He had been diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma earlier that year.

What verbal habit was Delon known for?

Media commentator Mark Gallagher argued his lasting reputation may be as a worldwide style icon rather than as an actor.

What was Delon's first big hit in France in 1959, and the first of his films seen in America?

He reunited with Mylene Demongeot in the comedy.

Which franchise role did producer Albert Broccoli offer Delon in 1979, only to be turned down?

Delon also declined roles in Taxi Driver, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette.

In Alejandro Jodorowsky's abandoned 1970s film of Dune, Delon was slated to play which character?

The doomed production also lined up Salvador Dalí, Orson Welles and Mick Jagger, with music by Pink Floyd and Magma.

Why did Delon decline the role of Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia despite a successful audition?

He also declined Michael Corleone because he did not want to learn English with an Italian accent.

Which Madonna song, from her album MDNA, is a tribute to Delon?

Marianne Faithfull, Baustelle and Russia's Nautilus Pompilius have also referenced him in songs.

With which singer did Delon record the 1983 international hit 'Thought I'd Ring You'?

At 83 he released another single, 'Je n'aime que toi', in April 2019.

In the hit 2001 French TV drama Fabio Montale, Delon played what kind of character?

He tried to repeat the success in 2003 with another police drama, Frank Riva.

Which fashion house used young-Delon footage from The Swimming Pool in its Eau Sauvage cologne ads?

Delon licensed his name to watches, eyewear, perfume and even cigarettes.

Which Hong Kong director calls Delon one of his idols and wrote Criterion essays on Le Samourai and Le Cercle Rouge?

Delon reportedly wrote to Chow Yun-fat to thank him for boosting his sunglasses sales via A Better Tomorrow.

Which director's Bitter Moon (1992) grew from a project meant to pair Delon with Isabelle Adjani?

Téchiné's planned adaptation of Pascal Bruckner's Evil Angels collapsed after disagreements between the two stars.