On November 8th, the legendary Alain Delon turned 87.
He became famous for films like “Under the Sun” (1960), “Rocco and His Brothers” (1960), “The Leopard” (1963), “The Black Tulip” (1964), and “Zorro” (1975). The actor was nominated for a Golden Globe for “Our Story” (1984) and won a César Award for Best Actor.
Alain Delon was extremely popular among both women and men and was a global sex symbol from the 1960s to the 1980s. In the public eye, his name became synonymous with the ideal masculine beauty.
After his military service in Indochina, the young and handsome actor attracted the attention of American talent scouts, who invited him to Hollywood. However, actor friends who met him after an audition in Paris convinced the 23-year-old Delon to stay home and pursue his career there.
Actress Edwidge Fire helped the actor secure his first role. She saw his audition and convinced the producers that Delon was “more than his impeccable appearance suggested.”
She said, “He had an insatiable animal energy that was both physical strength and charm.”
In 1957, Alain Delon made his acting debut in Yves Alegre’s “Quand les femmes interviennent.”
A year later, in 1958, he appeared in “Be Pretty and Be Quiet,” where he shared a scene with actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, who was also making his debut. They then became close friends.
However, Alain’s first significant role was in the historical melodrama “Christina,” where he encountered his first great love – the German actress Romy Schneider, who was highly popular in her country.
Their relationship began on set, and the smitten young girl decided to settle in France with her lover.
The film “Christina,” a love story between a young officer and a musician’s daughter, did not achieve the box office success they had hoped for.
Delon and Schneider announced their engagement on March 20, 1959. The European press labeled them a beautiful couple, and everyone was talking about their marriage, but the lovers were not in a hurry to wed.
By the time the film “Under the Shining Sun” was released in 1960, Alain Delon was already internationally known.
In René Clément’s crime film, the actor portrayed the image of a cunningly charming, intelligent, and utterly immoral adventurer, capable of everything from forging documents to killing friends and stealing others’ lives.
Critics greeted the film with enthusiasm. Delon began to be spoken of as a talented young actor, emphasizing his importance to the film as someone who had both “the soul of a devil” and “the face of an angel.”
