New Delhi: French actor Alain Delon has passed away. The actor was 88 years old. French media reprted the demise of the versatile actor known for playing cops, hitmen and dancers. The actor-producer has worked with the French cinema's greatest directors like Jacques Deray, René Clément and Jean-Pierre Melville. .
Delon had been keeping poor health since having a stroke in 2019, rarely leaving his estate in Douchy, in France's Val de Loire region.
"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,” his children said in a statement sent to the French media.
Acting career
Delon is known for his work in French cinema post its resurgence in the 60s, he is one of the mose well-known and globally recignised actors to emerge from the European subcontinent.
Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon grew up in a humble household but in forster care and more. With a deeply troubled childhood that left an indelible mark on him, he developed unruly behaviour which created trouble for him in school. Expelled from several schools, and some jail time in his adoloscence, he worked off jobs and was even a part of a gang at one point in his life.
Stint in Navy
Delon joined the French Navy and was posted in French Indochina. After notorious theiving incidents and some prison time, Delon returned to France in 1956 and lost touch with his parents for sending him to Indochina. Delon then began his acting career.
Mafia ties
Delon was friends with the mafia and openly acknowledged ties with the underworld in international interviews. Delon also courted controversy during his career when he spoke about death penalty and gay marriage.
The actor regretted the abolition of the death penalty and was not in favour of gay marriage, which was legalised in France in 2013.