November 8th – Alain Delon (French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter) celebrates his 89th birthday.
Alain Delon (full name: Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon) was born on November 8, 1935, in the French town of Sceaux, in a family of cinema theater owners. When he was three years old, his parents divorced. Although his mother remarried, Delon spent his early childhood with a foster family, Madame Nero. After school, his mother decided to train him as a sausage maker. He obtained a diploma and worked for several months at a sausage shop in Paris. At 17, he dreamed of becoming a test pilot and enlisted in the military, but was assigned to the French Foreign Legion, where he participated in the Indochina War. After his discharge in 1956, he returned to Paris and tried working as a waiter in a tavern, but it didn’t suit him. His friends suggested that the handsome young man try his hand at acting.
Initially, producers did not see him as a potential actor, but gradually Delon managed to convince them. He made his acting debut in 1957 in Yves Allégret’s film *When a Woman Intervenes*. However, it was not this film that brought him fame—his good looks were first noticed in the comedy *Weak Women*. In 1960, critics praised his acting in *Purple Noon*, a detective thriller. During the 1960s, Delon was invited to work with Italian director Luchino Visconti and in Hollywood. His typical roles were gangsters, amoral types, and playboys. The film *The Basement* in which he starred was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1964. Delon’s television debut came in the 1962 miniseries *The Dog*. After that, he took a break from TV for forty years, returning in the early 21st century, fully stepping away from cinema.
Delon also made occasional appearances on stage. His first was in 1961 in Luchino Visconti’s play *How Sad That She Is a Whore*, followed by a performance seven years later in Raymond Rouleau’s *Poked Eyes*. After that, Delon disappeared from the theater scene for 28 years. Delon also tried his hand at producing. His first film as a producer was *The Unconquered*. Today, his producing credits include more than 30 films, including the César Award-winning *Monsieur Klein* (1977). In 1964, Delon established his film studio, Delbeau Productions, and a few years later, another one called Adel Productions. In 2008, just before his 73rd birthday, Delon appeared before audiences as a theater director for the play *Love Letters*, in which he also played the lead male role. An officer of the Legion of Honour, Alain Delon has received awards from various film festivals and other cinematic accolades.
