Copy in clipboard...
Actor, ‘French monument’ Alain Delon, dies at 88
The film actor known for leading roles in classics such as ‘Le Samourai’ (1967), and ‘Rocco and His Brothers’ (1960) died early Sunday, his children told French media.
“Alain Fabien, Anouchka, Anthony, as well as [his dog] Loubo, are deeply saddened to announce the passing of their father. He passed away peacefully in his home in Douchy, surrounded by his three children and his family,” read his family’s statement to the AFP news agency, referring to the city in northcentral France where he spent the last years of his life.
French President Emmanuel Macron was among those who paid tribute to the late actor, calling him not just a legendary actor but a “monument”.
“Alain Delon played legendary roles and made the world dream. Lending his unforgettable face to turn our lives upside down,” Macron wrote on X.
“Melancholy, popular, secretive, he was more than a star: He was a French monument.”
In Iran, Delon’s films were widely popular, thanks in part to the voice of Iranian voice actor Khosro Khosroshahi, who dubbed many of Delon’s movies. Khosroshahi, whose unique voice remained fresh and vibrant despite his illness, fell silent for a brief moment after learning of the death of the French cinema figure he had often spoken about. When a reporter asked how he felt about the news, Khosroshahi replied simply, “I’m not feeling well at all. I'm feeling a bit
off today.”
Over the course of his career, Khosroshahi dubbed more than 40 films featuring Alain Delon, breathing new life into the late actor’s roles. Khosroshahi kicked off his work on Delon’s films with the movie ‘The Yellow Rolls-Royce’.
In a previous interview, Khosroshahi recalled that the late Iranian filmmaker Hamid Qanbari had once shown Delon a clip from the film ‘Le Samourai’ on TV, and Delon had acknowledged that his best dubber in the world was his Iranian voice actor. French Culture Minister Rachida Dati paid tribute to the late Alain Delon, saying “We believe he was immortal … his talent, his charisma, his aura made him destined for a Hollywood career at a young age, but he chose France.”
The former culture minister Jack Lang spoke of Delon’s kindness and their friendship of more than 20 years. Lang said Delon was “an acting giant, prodigious … a prince of the cinema”.
“He was extremely modest, reserved, restrained, shy at the same time; even if he did express himself brutally from time to time, he did it with a flourish,” Lang said.
Valérie Pécresse, the president of the Île-de-France region, wrote on X: “Goodbye dear Alain,” while Éric Ciotti, of Les Républicains, wrote that Delon was a star apart: “France mourns a sacred giant who existed in the daily lives of French people across the generations and who will continue to thrill us for a long time to come.”
The writer and film director Philippe Labro wrote: “Goodbye friend. A wonderful collection of films, an incredible and fascinating personality. Beauty is not enough to explain the exceptional evolution of his talent. He was the ultimate star. The Samurai.”
Delon suffered a stroke in 2019.
Earlier this year, his son Anthony had said his father had been diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma, a type of cancer.
The former actor’s dwindling health was the cause of months of public family feuding. Before Delon’s debilitating stroke, he made his last major public appearance on the red carpet to receive an honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2019.
“It’s a bit of a posthumous tribute, but from my lifetime,” he had said upon receiving the award.
Delon’s physical appearance was his biggest asset for filmmakers in the 1960s and 70s, at the height of his career.
He set the template for one of Hollywood’s favourite tropes – the mysterious, cerebral hitman – with his performance as the silent killer in Jean-Pierre Melville’s ‘Le Samourai’.
Directors from Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino to Hong Kong’s John Woo all have lauded the actor, although the former French actor never made it big in Hollywood.
And although he was adored by many, he also faced many
criticisms.