Alain Delon without a doubt

When Anoushka, the daughter of Alain Delon and his ex-partner Rosalie, was 21 years old (she is now 33), her father called the successful and prolific playwright Éric Assous and asked him to write a play. By invitation. A special play for him, for Alain Delon, and for his daughter, Anoushka. 

Thus was born the play “Une journée ordinaire” (An Ordinary Day), in 2014. The father wanted his daughter’s first steps on the boards to be taken alongside him. Both were very proud of their work together. The father introduced his daughter to the world.

“A Regular Day” gives a platform to a 20-year-old woman who lives with her father and has difficulty telling him that she is leaving him to live with her partner. The father, who loves his daughter madly, understands, nevertheless, that he needs to make some space. Everyone has their place.

Every evening, at the end of the play, when the actors bowed to the applause of the audience, Alain Delon could not hold back his tears. The character he played merged with the man he was. How can one come to terms with a life that, by its very existence, whether we like it or not, revolves in constant motion, characterized by changes and shifts? And so, in the blink of an eye, Alain Delon would disappear, fade away, to find refuge in his estate in the village of Douchy.

Douchy, not far from Paris but the middle of nowhere, darkness, loneliness. Alain Delon was feeling, running fast to reunite with the elderly cat he picked up on the street and with his beloved dogs. In Douchy he felt safe, not threatened, protected from prying eyes. A wolf in his den.

For more than fifteen years he has lived in Doshi, surrounded by the shadows of the past. On the walls of a designated corridor hang souvenir photos – film stills, characters he loved and knew from the world of past cinema, he and Jean Gabin, whom he admires, are seated at a table. Photos of Romy (Schneider), Natalie (Delon), Mireille (Darc), his deceased lovers. Alain Delon, haunted by demons and ghosts, worships the grandiose past, lives in a kind of mausoleum.

“He can’t come to terms with the passing of time,” says Claudia Cardinale (who played Angelica alongside Allen in “The Cheetah”).

In his private bedroom, Anoushka says, there is a picture of baby Alan, in a zinc basin, with his mother, personal belongings such as a small cross that his mother gave him, which he carries with him everywhere as a talisman. It will always be on his nightstand, in his bedroom or in a hotel room. “Little Jesus,” he calls him, his mother’s words, apparently. A kiss to Little Jesus.

Famous scenes from “In the Eye of the Sun,” “Rocco and His Brothers,” “The Cheetah,” “The Black Tulip,” “The Samurai,” “Mr. Klein,” “Borsellino,” “The Pool,” are anchored in the collective subconscious of audiences who love to watch the films again and savor them. But for Alain Delon, these were memories of a world that no longer exists. 

A central figure in French, European and international cinema of the 1960s and 1970s, and of all time, one of the last myths of glamorous cinema, the most beautiful and desirable man in the world, an object of admiration and envy, Alain Delon chose, when his star faded, to shut himself away most of the time and, apart from respites here and there, never came out of his shell. How it all began and how it all ended – a few lines, Alain Delon without a care in the world.

Bruised childhood

Alain Delon was born on November 8, 1935, in the southern suburb of Paris, Sceaux, into a family belonging to the petty bourgeoisie, the only son of his father, Fabien Delon, and his mother, Edith Arnold. His father was a cinema manager and his mother, who did not fulfill her dream of becoming an actress, was a pharmacist.

When Alain was 4 years old, his parents divorced and each started a new family. The mother began working in her second husband's large butcher shop in the nearby suburb of Bourg-la-Reine, which employed 16 people. 

The father disappeared for many years and Alain spent his whole life looking for a replacement. And as if that weren't enough, the little boy was given to a foster family, which was, by the way, worthy. The father of the family was a prison guard and little Alain played with the other prison guards' children in the yard of the prison, the Fresnes prison complex (Le centre pénitentiaire de Fresnes), and was exposed to the harsh scenes of the life of the handcuffed prisoners.

To this day he remembers the whistle of the bullets that killed Pierre Laval in October 1945. Alain was only 8 years old at the time. He and his friends thought about the execution scene that they had not seen with their own eyes but whose echoes reached their ears, imagined and acted it out.

This period contains the secret of the adult Alain's attraction to criminal circles and his intense love for weapons. The latter was to his detriment when, in February 2024, about six months before his death, gendarmes raided his estate in Douche and confiscated seventy-two firearms (some of which belonged to the collection) and more than three thousand bullets that were kept without a license (there is a shooting range in Douche). No action was taken against Delon because his physical and mental condition was poor.

This was not the first time that Alain Delon's firearms had caused trouble for the family. In 2011, a bullet from an old pistol from Delon's collection went off and seriously wounded a young Spanish woman in the stomach. The accident occurred during a party that Delon's youngest son, Alain-Fabien, then 17, had organized for wealthy and hard-drinking friends at his father's apartment in Geneva. Alain Delon was not present at the apartment and claimed that the party was held without his permission and that the gun, dating back to World War II, had been moved from the mansion in Douche to the apartment in Geneva without his knowledge.

Back on Alain's path. Four years later, at the age of 4, he was sent to boarding school and then to five more boarding schools due to disciplinary problems. "Like an orphan," Alain Delon said painfully to journalist Verley Trierweiler in an interview in Paris Match, January 8, 2018 (updated September 2023, XNUMX).

The boy Alan was, according to testimonies from those close to him, terribly undisciplined, unbearable. What was the meaning of the wild behavior? What was its purpose? To attract the attention of the mother who had given him away? Of the father who had abandoned him? Or perhaps it was the rage against him that erupted without limit and was directed at symbols of authority, the administrators of the institutions and the teachers? Or perhaps it was all of it together?

When he reached the age of 14, his mother and stepfather, Paul Boulon, gave him a place in their home, and then he underwent a professional apprenticeship in cannoc (charcuterie) and worked for a short time in the family butcher shop. When he saw a poster on the street from the army, he was tempted and decided to accept it.

“I was only 17 years old and my parents signed an agreement for me to enlist, without any hesitation, as if they were getting rid of me for the second time,” he told Valérie Trierweiler again with pain in the same interview. “You don’t send a 17-year-old to war like that.” “When I became famous,” he continued, “they suddenly began to be proud of me and boasted that they were Alain Delon’s parents. My mother, whose name was Madame Boulogne, began to call herself Madame Delon.” And he added a key sentence in understanding his character and behavior throughout his life: “The feeling of abandonment in childhood cannot be fixed. All my life I felt lonely, even when I loved a woman and was loved by her.” 

Before being sent to Indochina, he served in the Navy in Toulon as a communications technician on a ship in a unit of 12 soldiers. He is remembered as a quiet and mysterious man. In the evening, he would go out for a walk around the city to check out shooting positions at fairground stands and shady bars where he befriended local mafia members. A masculine world on the fringes of society with its own rules, loyalty to promises – word for word, and a code of silence, rules that enchanted him. In addition, he saw in his godfather a heroic and admired father figure.

His service in Toulon was interrupted when he was caught stealing military communications equipment. Young Alain was faced with two choices: either dismissal from the army or two years of service in Indochina. The adventure of going to a foreign country during the war beckoned to him, as did the financial reward that came with it. 

Return to France and the beginning of his career

After two years in Indochina, at the age of 21, Alain Delon returned to France and settled in the Hotel Regina in the Pigalle district. Without informing his parents, who were furious with him, he decided to fend for himself, working odd jobs, as a waiter in a café, and as a porter at the Le Havre market, until he arrived with a friend in a neighborhood he had never heard of, Saint-Germain.

A new world opens up before him. Musicians, painters, directors, actors sit in cafes in the evening and chat, a world of first-rate art. Jean Rochefort, Jean-Pierre Mariel, Jean-Paul Belmondo – Alain Delon is exposed to students at acting schools and finds a common language with them, with all of them but especially with Jean-Paul Belmondo. Both are bold, ambitious, determined to make the most of life. Jean-Paul is extraordinary in his playful appearance and knows the codes, Alain is still a stranger but gifted with rare beauty and the ability to make connections.

Brigitte Auber, a successful and well-known actress at the time (“To Catch a Thief,” Alfred Hitchcock, 1955, alongside Cary Grant and Grace Kelly), was charmed by his blue, black-framed gaze and hosted him in her apartment on the Left Bank. Their romantic relationship lasted a few months, but she disliked his bratty friends and his brash behavior. 

“I will succeed,” he shouted at her during an argument, “I will do whatever it takes to succeed.” The straw that broke the camel’s back. Brigitte ordered him to leave, but not before guiding and guiding him through the world of acting. He went down to the festival with her. Cannes (1957) and he was hosted at her country house in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. Brigitte Auber recognized his talent, believed in him and introduced him to the right people. 

And so, after a few small roles, he was chosen to play alongside the well-known star, Romy Schneider, not yet 20 years old, in the film “Kristine.” Alain Delon was not only beautiful, he was also talented, naturally, the best of them all. Romy did not like him at first, a polite bourgeois who did not interest him. The production invited the media to a staged meeting between the two at Orly Airport when Romy arrived from Germany in Paris, but the smiling photo did not reflect reality.

And yet, something suddenly changed. The handsome, brash, wild actor eventually attracted her and, surprisingly, he did not remain indifferent. They both shared a childhood scar, the absence of a father. The director of the film “Christine,” Pierre Gasard-Huit, witnessed the birth of their love while filming the film.

Romi found the courage to defy her mother, who had dominated her until now, and did not return to Germany. Ellen and she raced through the streets Paris In his small, roofless car, at night, clubs, alcohol, movies. Rumi was exposed to bohemian circles she had never known before, she tasted the intoxicating taste of freedom.

The journalists wanted to know who the young actor who starred alongside Romy in the film “Kristine” and in life itself was. Alain Delon realized that he could harness his partner’s publicity to advance his film career.

Romy and Alain entered a happy period in their lives. Romy was freed from her mother's control, and Alain Delon received an offer from director René Clément to play the role of Tom Ripley in the film "In the Eye of the Sun." Alain Delon's polished acting captivated critics and audiences. The praise the unknown young man received instantly made him a leading actor. An international star was born. 

A resounding success

Alain Delon turned the heads of all the girls, but also the heads of the boys. Luchino Visconti fell for him and offered him the role of the sensitive boxer in the film “Rocco and His Brothers.” Alain Delon did not remain indebted. Visconti shaped him as an actor, glorified him and got the most out of him, gave him the foundation on which his future career rested, which indeed seemed promising.

Jean-François Delon, the younger half-brother, who had not seen Alain for five years, came across a poster for a play in which Alain starred with Romy, in 1961, at Visconti’s bio. A play by John Ford, a 17th-century English playwright, “A Pity She’s a Whore.” Jean-François, of the same father, of a different mother, plucked up the courage and went to the Paris Theater (Le Théâtre de Paris), at 15 Rue Blanche, in the 9th arrondissement, to meet Alain in his cell.

“I’m Titi, don’t you recognize me?” he asked. Alan was excited to see his brother but rejected the offer to meet his father. The wound of abandonment was still open. Relations with his younger brother would be good. Alan would even get him a job in the film industry as an assistant director.

In 1962, at the Cannes Film Festival, more attention is paid to Alain Delon than to his partner Romy Schneider. The tables are turned. Alain soars, Romy plummets. Romy is jealous of Alain's success and his closeness to Visconti. And as if that weren't enough, another woman appears, Natalie.

Bentley found Alain his female twin, the same audacity, the same freedom, the same disregard for accepted social rules. Natalie was the only woman he proposed to and officially married. In 1964, Anthony was born. At the age of 28, Alain Delon became a father.

Anthony's baptism ceremony on May 1966, XNUMX, at Allen's country house, was a happy moment that brought together for the only time his family, father, mother (it was the only time he saw them together), and his friends from the acting world, director Luchino Visconti and actor Jean-Claude Briali, his old friend from the beginning. All circles. 

Alan seemed calm, reconciled. But the family happiness was shattered two years later when Natalie left home with 4-year-old Anthony. The exact age Alan was when his parents divorced and abandoned him. A disturbing generational transition.

Natalie was not ready to put up with Alain's many infidelities and sacrifice everything for him. The failure of the marriage was not to the liking of the abandoned man, but he soon recovered. Preparations for his next film, "The Pool," directed by Jacques Deray, are progressing. Who will play his partner in the film? The producers are thinking of Delphine Serig and Monica Vitti.

But Alain Delon has a different plan. Five years have passed since Alain left Romy Schneider. She lives in Berlin, a forgotten star, unwanted, unhappy.

Alain, at the peak of his career, took the opportunity to pay his debt to Romy. “Either Romy or the film without me.” Who would refuse Alain Delon? The producers gave in. Alain opened the doors of French cinema to Romy. Alain left Romy as a partner but never left her as a friend. And so it was with Mireille Darc. A true friendship strong until death do us part.

On August 12, 1968, he receives Rumi at the airport. Nice, in front of the media. An emotional moment, for Alain, Romy and all those present. For all of France. Ten years have passed since he welcomed her at Orly Airport. The contrasting parallel between the two scenes is understandable.

A week later, filming for “The Pool” began in Rematuel and the producers’ doubts were dispelled. Romy is the right actress in the right movie. The former lovers have wonderfully rekindled their passion.

https://youtu.be/KyehfAz8GeA

In a chilling coincidence, the reality of Alain Delon's life merged with the plot of the film in which he starred. In both parallel universes, the police came to question him about a murder. Filming of the film was stopped twice for the investigation. Did Alain Delon order the murder of his former friend, the Yugoslav underworld figure Stefan Markovic, whom he hosted in his home, out of jealousy over his relationship with Natalie? 

Delon's ties to crime circles were his downfall. His bodyguard and former assistant, the criminal Stephane Markovitz, was found shot to death on October 1, 1968, and Delon was summoned for lengthy interrogations on suspicion of having ordered the murder. Alain Delon was in the midst of a separation and mental divorce process. Markovitz, to Delon's displeasure, had a brief love affair with Natalie and was fired from his job by Delon shortly before the murder. Markovitz humiliated Delon with his courtship of Natalie and, according to rumors, she threatened him in court: "I'll kill you if you touch my wife." From here to Delon's suspicion, the road was short.

On October 8, 1968, two police inspectors arrived on the set of “The Pool” to question Delon about his relationship with his former friend Markowitz, who had lived in his house for two years. In the film itself, not two inspectors arrive at the villa in Rematuel, only one inspector, but the similarity between reality and the film’s plot is astonishing. 

In the film, Alain Delon also plays the role of a murder suspect being investigated by the police. Jean-Paul (Alain Delon) causes the drowning of Harry (Maurice Ronay), his close friend and the former lover of his partner Marianne (Romy Schneider). Marianne covers up for Jean-Paul and does not reveal to the police inspector that it was he who drowned the arrogant Harry during a fit of madness, who did not stop humiliating him, like Markowitz who severely wounded Delon's male pride.

The imagination stops here. It is important to note that while in the film Delon plays a murderer, in reality itself, after a grueling and publicized eight-year ordeal, Alain will be cleared of all guilt.

The woman who now shares his life, Mireille Darc, supports him like a solid rock. Mireille softened his life, made it easier for him, organized everything. The Douchy mansion is identified with Mireille. “Twenty-three and a half hours a day I live for him and half an hour I live for myself,” Mireille said to her friend, the actress and writer Nicole Calfan.

Endless dedication and patience, which I detailed in the article. The beating heart of Mireille DarcMireille also suffered from her parents' treatment of her as a child, but her reaction to the trauma was completely different from Alain's. Mireille built and renovated Douchy, Mireille promoted Delon's businesses, related products, and real estate assets. About all of this in an article dedicated to the amazing woman who was Mireille.

The crime films that multiplied in Alain Delon's career seemed to continue the Stefan Markowitz affair and grow its branches. During the filming of the film “The Pool,” Delon read the book by sports reporter and writer Eugène Saccomano, “Criminals in Marseille,” was enthusiastic and suggested to Jacques Dre that he adapt it into a film. And who would be the second star if not Alain's old friend, Jean-Paul Belmondo? Many things can be said about Delon, and they have been said, but to praise is to praise.

After many difficulties, complications over budget and rights, friction between Jacques Dre and the stuntman, threats from mafia associates in Marseille who felt offended, changes were made to the script. Delon chose the name “Borsalino” and success was evident. Nearly five million viewers. The Delon-Belmondo pairing as two gangsters, one tough, the other easygoing, did its job.

In early 1967, Alain Delon was introduced to the perfectionist director Jean-Pierre Melville, who shared his fascination with the world of crime, violence, and death. Delon understood that Melville would establish his image as a fearless, solitary, enigmatic, rebellious hero who initially obeyed all his orders. During this decade, Delon cultivated to the extreme his image as a professional who wore a raincoat and hat.

A father-son relationship developed between the two, not without tensions, which began with childish quarrels and ended in a painful rift. Alain Delon cut off contact after three films with the man who gave him some of his most beautiful roles in the films “The Samurai,” “The Red Circle,” and “Night on the City” (the name of the third film in Hebrew coincides with its name in Italian, Notte sulla città, while the original name in French is Un flic – “flick” in French is a colloquial term for “policeman”).

Ten months later, Melville, devastated by the relative failure of his third film with Allen and the latter's disappearance, suffered a stroke while dining with his journalist friend, Philippe Labro, who had sought to cheer him up with a humorous dinner. Delon, who received the news, attempted to reach Melville's house by helicopter, but the flight was not permitted due to the severe storm that raged that night. With no choice, Delon crossed the entire France In the car.

Too late. When Alain arrived at his destination and asked his nephew how Jean-Pierre was doing, he was informed that his uncle had died. Alain collapsed, lying on the floor unable to get up. Melville's associates, who had come to pay their respects, skipped over his body. Jean-Pierre Melville, who was a member of a Jewish family from Alsace, the Grumbach family, was 55 years old when he died.

The same year that Melville died, 1973, the song “Frola, Frola” was released, a successful collaboration between Alain Delon and his longtime friend, Delilah. Alain and Delilah had shared a hotel room on Rue Jean Mermoz, in the 8th arrondissement, in 1956, when they were still unknown and Delilahs. In 1963 they met in Rome, Alain was between Romy and Natalie, and what happened in Rome stayed in Rome. It was only in 2006 that Alain revealed the secret of their love affair that lasted only a few stormy nights.

Dalida's brother, Orlando, was enamored by a song performed by Italian singer Mina and actor Alberto Lupo, who had launched a popular television show they co-hosted. He bought the rights and asked lyricist Michaela, who was also born in Egypt, like Dalida, to compose French lyrics for the tune. The version in Moliere's language depicts a man who declares his love for a woman, but she sees his words as fake, empty words. Go offer your talents to someone else who will believe you. 

Who will play the male role? Dalida offered it to Alain Delon and the success was huge. The song became an international hit, one of the most well-known French songs in the entire world.

In 1976, “Mr. Klein,” considered the finest film about the situation of the Jews during the occupation, was released. Alain Delon, who received the script, sent it to British director Joseph Losey, under whose direction he had acted five years earlier in the film “The Assassination of Trotsky” with Romy Schneider and Richard Burton. Delon played the murderer in it.

Joseph Lucey read the script for “Mr. Klein” and immediately said yes. Delon insisted on being the film’s producer and put all his heart and soul into it. Some say this is Delon’s best film, playing an art dealer who changes sides from being a cynical exploiter of the Jewish victims of the Holocaust to joining them.

Renewal

Two years after Melville's death, Visconti died. Allen felt orphaned again. Those who created the Delon myth are no more. Allen did not end his career, but he lost interest. How to renew it? So he decided to become the producer, director and actor of his own films. He always wanted total control without following instructions. He was already a producer and actor, now he felt the need to direct.

He felt and did. In 1980, he produced and directed the film “For the Skin of a Policeman.” He also starred in it, of course. Delon jumped from the role of director to the role of actor with surprising ease, as if he was endowed with a circular vision that allowed him to see everything, even what was happening behind him. Alain Delon presents Alain Delon in Alain Delon’s film. 

And the production was a success, with critical acclaim and audience votes of two million viewers. Alain Delon was happy to be surrounded by the women of his life, Anne Parillaud, 21, star of “For the Skin of a Cop,” with whom he had a relationship that would last 5 years, Mireille and Romy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WbFsEYUMzs&pp=ygUWUG91ciBsYSBwZWF1IGQndW4gZmxpYw%3D%3D

In 1982, another hard blow, the death of Romy. Alan went to her apartment, looked at her for a long time, did not move from her bed, wrote her a long letter, as if to postpone the farewell: “I look at you sleeping, they tell me you are dead. I think about you, about me, about us. What is my fault? Everyone asks this question in front of someone they loved, who still loves, who will always love.” In the end, he photographed her three times. He would always carry the photographs in his wallet. 

His two other films as a producer were not successful, as expected. Does Alain Delon still have a place in French cinema, where new trends and unfamiliar faces are being discovered? Delon repeatedly emphasized his seventy films, his rich career, his vast experience.

His arrogance was not liked. Not only humorists but also journalists did not hesitate to ridicule the way he spoke about himself, often in the third person. His affiliation with the right and even, over time, with the far right – his demonstrated affection for Jean-Marie Le Pen – also aroused indignation and criticism.

Alain Delon is much less sought after and is using the time to start a family. In 1987, he met Rosalie Van Breeman, a Dutch model and TV presenter, when she came to shoot a video clip for his song “Like in the Cinema.”

In this song, Alain Delon talks about his image as a star compared to his feeling as a person, like anyone else, looking in the mirror. Full of terms from the world of cinema, this time referring metaphorically to the private person, the song clarifies the bridges and gaps between all sides of the star. A clarification that is probably not sincere because the singer, like the actor, is in front of the cameras and putting on a show.

Rosalie is 31 years younger than Alain. Anoushka was born in 1990, Alain-Fabian was born in 1994. The separation in 2001 put an end to the relationship, which, according to Alain-Fabian, was full of quarrels and even fistfights. A year later, she married another famous Alain, the optician and businessman Appello. They divorced in 2008. In 2010, she married again to an American businessman, Roberto Agostinelli, and divorced again after three years.

Separations also dominate Alain's life. He hasn't seen his mother in 17 years. Another story, apparently, of abandonment. Alain Delon refused to recognize the child born to Nico, a German singer and actress, after an affair with her, in 1962, during the Roman era. Nico asked Alain Delon's mother to take the child home when he was 5 years old, and she, seeing him as a grandson, agreed, but sent him to boarding school when he turned 9.

Delon refused a paternity test, claiming the child was not his and was furious with his mother for taking him into her home against his will. In 1977, his mother's husband, Paul Boulon, adopted Ari and gave him his name.

A French name in addition to the German name did not improve the child's complicated situation. Ari Boulon was shuffled between his mother and grandmother (assuming that he was, indeed, Alain's eldest son), between many places of residence in different countries and cities, torn between several identities and paid for with drug addiction and psychiatric hospitalizations.

Ari Bolon died in 2023 at the age of sixty, in horrific circumstances after frequently using drugs and being paralyzed on one side of his body. His body was found, some time after his death, in a state of decomposition, in a wheelchair, in the neglected and filthy two-room apartment where he lived in the 15th arrondissement. He left behind two children, a son and a daughter.

Alain Delon agreed to see his mother in her final days. Brigitte Auber called him to tell him that her mother was ill and dying. Alain went to see her, it is not known what mother and son said to each other after such a long separation. Edith Boulon, known as Mont, died in 1995 at the age of 84. As the attendants passed in front of her coffin, Alain hugged him in his arms.

fading

The years pass, the 60-year-old actor has lost his place but not his passion. In his private cinema in Doshi, he watches one film or another every week, not necessarily films in which he stars. Films by Jean Gabin, his role model, old films, cult films. His favorite film was “Apocalypse Now.”

And suddenly, 25 years after “Borsellino,” Patrice Leconte suggested to Alain Valjean-Paul that they renew their collaboration on a new film, “Half Luck,” with Vanessa Paradis (1998). Work on the film went smoothly thanks to the courageous friendship of the two actors who started their careers together and always kept in touch. Patrice Leconte was happy to “guide the crazy Pierrot and the cheetah,” he said. 

“What would I have done without Jean-Paul for more than sixty years?” Delon clarified his relationship with his friend-rival. “How lucky I was to have come across him. Neither he nor I would have had the same career if we had not met.” There was a friendly competition between the two giants of the generation. A knife sharpened in the thigh of its friend. Every time one of them released a film, the other would rush to catch up.

However, success did not shine this time, as expected, for the two giants, despite nearly a million viewers. The idea was nothing more than an attempt to recreate a formula and the magic did not work.

You can watch the full film atLink this.

parachuting

The disappointment that the failure of the film “Half Luck” brought to Delon was bitter. He had the feeling that he had already done everything and said everything. In 1999, Delon declared his intention to end his film career, but that same year he agreed to participate in Bertrand Blier’s film, “The Actors,” a tribute to Jean Gabbana, Lino Ventura, Bourville, Louis de Pins, Yves Montaigne, Simone Seigneur.

In 2001, he played Inspector Fabio Montella in a television series called The Inspector, for Channel 1 (TF1), based on the work of Marseille native Jean-Claude Izzo. A historic success – more than 12 million viewers.

Delon starred in more television series and appeared on the stage in several plays, but suffered from depression. “Life doesn’t do much for me anymore. I knew everything, I saw everything. I hate this era, I vomit on it. I know I will leave life without any regrets,” he declared.

In 2019, Alain Delon suffered a stroke. In 2021, he introduced the Japanese Hiromi Rollin, a 66-year-old assistant director, to the public as his partner and thanked her for taking care of him for months during his illness. Hiromi Rollin took over and appeared alongside Delon at all the official events he agreed to attend.

In July 2023, Hiromi Rolland was expelled from Doushi by Delon's bodyguards at the request of his three children, who claimed that she was taking advantage of their father's weakness to isolate and control him. Delon's health was, indeed, increasingly deteriorating. As if the Hiromi Rolland scandal, which reached the courts, were not enough, a bitter conflict erupted between the two sons, Anthony and Alain-Fabian, and the daughter Anoushka over the management of their father's condition.

The conflict was revealed to the public in 2024. The sons claimed that Anoushka was working to move their father to Switzerland, where she lives with her husband and son (in an apartment that Delon had purchased in a posh district of Geneva), because of financial interests, while his desire was to remain in Douche, not to mention that he was too weak to travel and change places. Anoushka denied the brothers' claims and claimed that he would receive better treatment in a Swiss hospital under her auspices (Deloon had had Swiss citizenship since 1999).

It should be noted that the relationship between the two sons and their father was full of ups and downs, while Anoushka enjoyed unconditional love. Alain Delon knew how to be a father to a daughter, but he did not know how to be a father to sons. Anthony revealed that according to Delon's will, Anoushka would receive fifty percent of the inheritance (estimated at one hundred and fifty million euros) while they, each, only twenty-five percent. 

Alain Delon himself stated in the media that he preferred his daughter to his sons. Indeed, Anthony and Alain-Fabien, not to mention Ari Boulon, experienced great difficulties in their lives (various kinds of entanglements with the law) while Anoushka glided on water with ease and continues to walk confidently. 

Alain Delon became increasingly withdrawn in his closet. His daughter tells of a mysterious makeup room he liked to go into and rummage through his films, all of which are stored there, to look at the costumes, wigs, other accessories he had kept, a mask, a clown nose, perhaps to try them on again. A small secret museum of memories of his brilliant cinematic past.

Claudia Cardinale expressed disappointment that he had stopped seeing her. Alain Delon also did not want to see Patrice Leconte anymore. Not because he did not like his friends but because he needed solitude. When his children came to visit, they knew when to leave. 

Alain Delon returned to being, more than ever, the lonely boy he had been at the end of his days. He never recovered from the wound of abandonment. Alain Delon did not believe that it was possible to escape childhood. “The adult is a child in disguise,” he said.

On August 18, 2024, he returned to his senses surrounded by his three children, reconciled and united in the face of loss. On the 24th of the month, he was buried, according to his wishes, in the chapel in Doshi, next to his dogs. The ceremony was held in a small circle, about fifty people, but hundreds of admirers gathered outside the estate's fence, laying flowers and shedding tears. After a minute of silence, they broke into the song "Frola, Frola." The deceased's two sons came out to the crowd before the burial and exchanged impressions with him.

Alain Delon remains immortal. A huge legacy remains from one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, about a hundred films in which his natural talent is proven, born to act, self-taught. His unique, perfect beauty remains, the sculpted face and the blue steel eyes, the moderately muscular body, not too much. We can always watch this or that favorite film again. 

And finally, a translation of the short letter he wrote to his fans the day after the emotional, moving, and tearful speech he gave at Cannes in 2019, when he was awarded the Honorary Palme d'Or for lifetime achievement:

As my journey draws to a close, I want to say what I have long wanted to say: I have known so many passions, so many loves, so many successes and failures, so many disagreements, so many scandals, so many dark affairs, so many missed and unexpected meetings, so many ups and downs, that when the honors are no longer but distant, vain memories, one thing will guarantee its persistence and longevity, you, only you.

To you who created who I am, who created who I will be, I had to tell you this. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Note

The article is based primarily on the episode dedicated to Alain Delon in Laurent Delous's program, Un jour, un destin, on Channel 2.

Un jour, un destin, Alain Delon: la solitude d'un fauve, Réalisation: Serge Khalfon, Création et Présentation: Laurent Delahousse, 3 mai 2019, France 2