Five Points About Alain Delon's Private and Professional Life

Alain Delon, the star of French cinema who passed away at the age of 88 on Sunday, August 19, after a period of illness, was one of the most recognized actors of the 20th century. He was also very familiar to Iranians, being known primarily through the voice of Khosro Khosroshahi. Here are five points about Alain Delon's private and professional life: Accidental Entry into Cinema. Alain Delon stated that he entered the film industry by chance and always wished to be his childhood self. In a 1996 interview with the famous French journalist Bernard Pivot, he said, "What I am today is what I have always been. My entire life has been a series of events, each more unexpected than the last." Delon emphasized, "I became an actor by accident. Everything I did was coincidental, lucky, or sudden. What I knew for survival was what I was in early childhood, what made me, and I will never change. Call it 'the stray child' or whatever you want. I do not deny it, I do not disown it. I feel very good about who I am because I am myself." Joseph Losey, director of some of Delon's films, said he has a relatively self-destructive personality and is in search of his identity. Born in 1935 in the suburbs of Paris, despite his great fame, he tried not to be narcissistic, although he stated that narcissism is part of an actor's existence. He said, "Narcissism is part of the existence of theater and cinema acting, but I do not feel like I am a unique being. I am not someone who worships myself. In this profession, I think there are many colleagues far ahead of me." According to art critics, the chiaroscuro of his dual personality added to his appeal throughout his acting career, depicting a character not seeking to be loved but showing a bitter yet humanitarian image of himself. But what did cinema mean to Alain Delon? He himself said that cinema is a dream that should not be killed: "Cinema is a dream. And we have killed it by trivializing it, by turning it into something mundane. Cinema is made for seeing beings that we will never be." Alain Delon captivated the greatest directors with his attractive appearance and abundant inner genius, shining with films like "Purple Noon" and "The Samurai" with his unique face, gaze, and movements. Other famous films of his include "Rocco and His Brothers," "Eclipse," "The Red Circle," "The Leopard," "The Swimming Pool," and "The Policeman." Alain Delon, the star of French cinema in the 1960s and 70s, passed away on August 19 due to illness and old age at the age of 88. He died at his home in Douchy, France. Directors such as Luchino Visconti, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Melville, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Louis Malle collaborated with him. However, the directors of the "New Wave" did not have a good relationship with him. Delon himself stated that these directors were not inclined to cast him. Nevertheless, he acted in a film called "New Wave" by Jean-Luc Godard in 1990. Delon won the César Award in 1985 and the Legion of Honor of France in 1991. He was present with seven films in the competition section of the Cannes Festival but never received the festival's award. However, in 2019, the Cannes Film Festival honored him and awarded this legendary actor the honorary Palme d'Or. At the Cannes Festival, while crying, he said in a speech that smelled of death, "Tonight for me is more than the end of a professional activity; it seems to me the end of life. Tonight's ceremony is somewhat a posthumous tribute, although during my lifetime." Alain Delon first attended the Cannes Festival with the film "The Pleasure of Life" in 1961. After that, he came to the festival with the film "Eclipse" by Antonioni in 1962 and received the Jury Prize that year. The film "The Leopard" from 1963, starring Alain Delon, won the Palme d'Or at this festival. His film "Mr. Klein" faced a cold reception from audiences and judges at the Cannes Festival in 1976. Alain Delon last attended the Cannes ceremony in 2013, but prior to that, he had not participated for ten years due to displeasure with the festival organizers. In an interview about his success in acting, he said, "The professional record of anyone is not achieved alone. This record is a combination of circumstances. There is always a set of moments, a set of situations." Delon believed that other factors in the film world contributed to his successes: "This record is achieved with the participation of screenwriters, writers, and directors as well as actors. It can also be shaped by yourself, your talent, your professional intelligence, and your perseverance." However, what he considered the main reason for his success was public favor: "I am a long-standing actor; I do not know acting without audiences. People want what you were at first; they follow you, sometimes they like you, sometimes not so much, but it is these people who keep you as an actor." Alain Delon, the renowned French actor, made a decision for voluntary death. This acting legend, whose professional activity declined in the late 90s, had some of his recent positions, including in favor of the far-right leader, capital punishment, or against homosexuality, become controversial. At the time of awarding the honorary Palme d'Or to Delon, some feminist organizations protested this award and in a petition with 25,000 signatures, labeled this actor as "racist, homophobic, and misogynistic." Additionally, family disputes affected his final years, but all of this did not prevent him from remaining a legend in French cinema and indeed in world cinema. Less than three years ago, Delon's child told a German network that his father had announced that his choice was euthanasia or "voluntary death," in which a person deliberately ends their life to be free from suffering and pain. Alain Delon had previously stated in 2018 his interest and readiness to "leave this world." The death of Alain Delon recalls his statement in the final years of his life, where he said, "A hero must always know how to die. I loved dying because it is a point of ending."