I desperately need to talk about Alain Delon
It's true, I've developed a new obsession.
So… here’s the deal: a while ago, I watched the thriller La Piscine (1969) for the very first time. What initially drew me in was the young (and might I add stunning) Jane Birkin, but shortly thereafter I noticed my attention shifting. By the end, I was utterly and entirely mesmerised by a certain 33-year-old Frenchman. Naturally, the only plausible follow-up was to watch about a handful of films starring the man himself, Alain Delon, and fall down an intriguing rabbit hole regarding his personal life – ergo, that’s what I did. Do you want to know what I discovered on that journey? Well, I’m more than happy to share. While “investigating” I stumbled upon countless stories of affairs, political scandals and… murder (yes, that’s right). With that being said, let me guide you through the tumultuous life of one of France’s most influential actors of the past 60+ years.
Alain Delon was born on the 8th of November 1935 (making him a Scorpio) in Sceaux, France. Sadly, most of his earlier stage in life was filled with rejection and loneliness. When he was four years old, his parents got divorced and handed him over to another woman acting as his host mother. He stayed with her until the age of eight and went on to attend half a dozen different boarding schools in the six years following, getting kicked out repeatedly for his bad behaviour. At fourteen, Alain stopped going to school in favour of a working lifestyle as a butcher and at seventeen, he decided to join the French Marines. After finding his way back to Paris in 1956, Delon befriended a few actors and actresses – one of whom he accompanied on a trip to the Cannes Film Festival. There, he was offered a contract by a talent scout under the one condition that the then-20-year-old would improve his English – an offer he declined. Instead, he was introduced to the director Yves Allégret, who advised him to focus on French cinema and provided Alain Delon with his first-ever acting gig in Quand la femme s’en mêle (1957).
From that point on, Alain rose to instant stardom and gained his first leading role the following year. In the period piece Christine (1958), he starred alongside German-French actress Romy Schneider. The two of them started dating right away and even got engaged soon thereafter in 1959.
Faibles femmes (1959) was Delon’s first motion picture to be shown in the US, thus furthering his celebrity status overseas. His next cinematic project was Plein Soleil (1960) – an adaption of Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr. Ripley (probably better known for its 1999 version starring Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow). Regarding the casting process for his role in Plein Soleil, GQ reported:
“[René] Clément imagined Delon, then largely unknown, as perfect for the role of Philippe Greenleaf, the playboy son of a millionaire. But Delon wanted to play the con artist, Tom Ripley. Yet hotshot actor Jacques Charrier, dating Brigitte Bardot, had already been cast. Delon was invited to the director's home, near the Champs-Élysées, with producers Robert and Raymond Hakim. "In the salon, I said to René Clément that I wanted to be Ripley," recalls Delon. "The Hakim brothers were gobsmacked. They said to me: 'Who are you to demand one role over another? You are addressing Mr Clément!'" At the other end of the salon, a woman with a Slavic accent spoke: Bella, Clément's wife. Delon imitates her by rolling his Rs. "René, darling, the little one is right!" And so the little one won. "Match point," says Delon, "the end. The role was mine."“ – GQ in 2018
Let’s also take the time to talk about his remarkable style and the influence it had on the masses. A quick Google search will lead you to countless articles depicting Alain Delon’s fashion sense and offering advice on how to achieve a similar look. Movies like Plein Soleil (1960), L’Eclisse (1962) and La Piscine (1969) portrayed the actor in an elegant and effortless wardrobe. However, his private style was just as admired, maybe even more. In fact, Jane Birkin famously stated that the costume design of La Piscine (1969) mostly consisted of clothes owned by the actors themselves. Therefore, his off- and on-screen-fashion more or less blends into one, I suppose. My personal favourite? An insane collection of sunglasses that Delon frequently featured in the said movie as well as in real life – I was absolutely obsessed the first time this specific pair (Picture no 2) appeared on-screen.
In 1962, his relationship with Romy Schneider, unfortunately, came to an end. The couple parted ways amid numerous affairs, and Alain even had an illegitimate child with the German actress and singer Nico, whom he would never acknowledge as his own. Despite their separation and their new relationships with different partners, Delon still referred to Romy as the love of his life for decades to come. A few years down the line, in 1964, Alain and his then-wife Nathalie welcomed their first son, Anthony, into this world.
Though Delon starred in a bunch of memorable movies such as L’Eclisse (1962) and Le Samouraï (1967) all throughout the sixties, we’ll now skip to 1968 aka the year when La Piscine was being filmed. For one, this deep dive is long enough as it is. However, the other (and way more thrilling) reason is the fact that simultaneously with the film’s production, a huge scandal involving the actor began unravelling. You see, the then-32-year-old was tied to a controversial murder case under the name of “The Marković Affair” all while acting alongside his ex-fiancé Romy Schneider and a young Jane Birkin.
Everything came to light when the dead body of Alain Delon’s friend and (rumoured) bodyguard Stevan Marković was found in a public dump in Paris in October 1968. The two of them first met during the early stages of Delon’s career, whilst he was shooting a film in Belgrade, Serbia. Back then, Marković was heavily involved in streetfighting as well as having ties to Serbian gangsters. It was therefore alleged that the actor also became acquainted with shady characters, including the Corsican gangster François Marcantoni. The suspicions of a possible connection to the mysterious murder rose once letters of the victim addressed to his brother surfaced. In them, Marković apparently pointed guilt to Delon and Marcantoni, should any harm come upon him. Furthermore, according to the actor himself, Delon’s ex-wife Nathalie began dating Stevan shortly after their separation in June 1968. It goes without saying that the press was extremely suspicious of Alain Delon and his possible connection to the ongoing homicide investigation.
However, the plot continued to further thicken. The thing is, this wasn’t merely a crime case involving a huge film star – quickly it became a nationwide political scandal. You see, Delon’s former bodyguard was known for his high-class parties, which many celebrities and politicians attended. Thus, he allegedly was in possession of scandalous pictures depicting visitors in… well, should we say, rather compromising positions. One of them was the at-the-time-running presidential candidate, Georges Pompidou, and his dear wife. The high status of the individuals involved naturally led to extensive media coverage of the investigation. Delon was interviewed on multiple occasions for comments regarding his involvement in the case and said parties. Here’s what he told the BBC in 1969:
Alain’s friend François Marcantoni was arrested but got bailed out in 1969. The case still remains unsolved and was officially dismissed in 1973 due to a lack of evidence. Following the affair, Delon indirectly responded to the range of assumptions by starring in many gangster and crime movies throughout the seventies. I feel like now seems like an appropriate time to mention my personal favourite films (judging from the ones I’ve seen) of his, so here you go – needless to say, but La Piscine (1969) obviously ranks at number one. L’Insoumis (1964) and La Prima Notte Di Quiete (1972) were a joy as well, same goes for Plein Soleil (1960).
In 1982 Romy Schneider unexpectedly died at only 43. Alain took the actress’s death extremely hard, as he and Romy remained very close despite starting their own families with different partners. Thus, due to his immense distress, he was unable to attend her funeral. However, Delon arranged for Romy Schneider and her 14-year-old son David, who unfortunately died the year prior, to be buried in the same grave. In 2018 (prior to the death of his co-star Jane Birkin), he told GQ Magazine:
"It's too hard. I could never watch La Piscine again. That would be impossible. The three people I loved have gone: Romy, [Jaqcues] Deray and [Maurice] Ronet. I know the film off by heart. I can recite every line before it's even uttered." He pauses. "To hear Romy say, 'I love you', when she is no longer with us, I just can't bear it." – Alain Delon to GQ in 2018
Right, now we are approaching the portion of this piece that I honestly would have preferred to leave out. However, for total transparency, I will also include the less-than-admirable parts of Alain Delon. I’m not sure why it is that whenever you are rooting for a person, they are bound to disappoint you. Let this experience be a lesson and never put your trust in random celebrities, I guess (especially not those intertwined with literal murder investigations). To cut right to the chase: in 2013 Alain Delon made some questionable statements in support of The National Rally (FKA The National Front) aka France’s far-right political party – so yeah, definitely not great. Would this be a case of separating the art from the artist? I’m not sure.
Four years ago, the then-84-year-old suffered a stroke and as of lately, he’s been in the news once more. In July 2023, Delon’s children sued his live-in caregiver and companion for abuse and bullying toward the retired actor as well as his family and dogs – shortly thereafter, Alain joined the complaint with a written statement. I believe that new updates on the ongoing lawsuit have come out as recently as a few days ago, so we’ll see how this story is going to develop.
And that’s the most recent on the once-so-celebrated film star. Though things took a bit of a grim turn, I am still able to find joy in Alain Delon’s filmography and appreciate the mark his work has left on cinema as a whole. Looking back, I’m not entirely sure what I was trying to achieve with this piece of work, but I guess we’ve made it to the end. Hopefully, you learned a thing or two. Maybe you even feel a sudden urge to watch one of the previously listed movies, depending on where you stand on the whole art-artist debate, of course. And if you don’t, that’s perfectly alright – after all, who am I to tell you what films to see? K, see you around!
