French actor, singer and filmmaker Alain Delon is known to many lovers of the male form. Known to many as one of Europe's most prominent actors and sexy symbol sin the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's. He is also a César Award (French Oscar) winning actor, winning best actor for his performance in Notre histoire (1984). This is just one of many awards the actor has won. In 1991, he became a member of France's Legion of Honour. At the 45th Berlin International Film Festival, he won the Honorary Golden Bear. At the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, he received the Honorary Palme d'Or.
Since this is FH, many readers are familiar with Delon's beautiful face and body, which the French actor showed off fully in several of the many movies that he made. Prior to the Internet, Delon was mostly known for his acting and his looks.
Although he acted in international films, he was mostly known for his looks through the odd airing of his films in festivals and on television, and his images in internationally seen magazines. Delon was also the first actor to play Tom Ripley on the big screen, playing the manipulative Ripley in Plein Soleil , also known as Purple Noon in1960.
With the Internet taking off in the 1990's, more of Delon's personal life, relationships political views, arrests and problematic past began to surface. Multiple relationships, a throuple and Delon's many affairs were just the tip of the iceberg. Given his age, and the fact that he'd left acting for a career in business, the information that came out initially seemed to have little impact on his acting legacy.
Some of the scandals Delon was involved in however, went far beyond your usual show business drama. At one point in the late 60's, Delon was under investigation for the death of his bodyguard whose body was discovered in a public dump. Delon and a Corsican gangster François Marcantoni were involved in an investigation that went al
l the way up to include the former French Prime Minster, and later President, Georges Pompidou.
Even though he'd basically left acting, Delon was still sparking controversy in the 2000's for his support of the French far-right political party and his views on homosexuality and violence again women. It's not that shocking to find a man in his 80's views like Delon's, but in most cases, (Orange asshat aside) they are usually not celebrated.
All of these issues came forward in 2019 when The Cannes Film Festival decided to go forward with it's decision to award an honorary Palme d’Or to Delon despite criticism from the U.S. organization Women and Hollywood, noting Delon's past comments about slapping women, opposing same-sex couples right to adopt, and supporting the rise of the far right in France.
Mr. Klein (1976)
Delon said very little at the time, he stood by most of his views in interviews, but claimed other comments attributed to him were false or distorted. Delon claimed he was not against gay marriage, saying people should do what they please. He maintained however, that he was against adoption by two people of the same sex.
'Cannes told Variety that it was “honoring Alain Delon because he is a legendary actor and part of Cannes history, as we did for Clint Eastwood, Woody Allen and Agnès Varda. After Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean-Pierre Léaud, it seemed crucial for us to celebrate the iconic actor Alain Delon.” The festival declined to address the specific points raised against Delon. Through his assistant, Delon, 83, declined to comment. His controversial remarks have previously been criticized as sexist and bigoted, but he has never been accused of domestic violence or of a crime.
Delon did go on a sort of 'apology tour' after the Canne's awards, especially when it came to social issues he supports and claiming he's evolved when it comes to his respect for strong women. Whether he's changed or not, there is no denying the impact the now 88 year old Delon had on Foreign cinema, and on the male form in film. It was, and still is, rare for a star to go full frontal in films, and it's possible many of the nude scenes we enjoy today were due to his taking it all off in the 60's and 70's. It's also worth noting the irony that someone thought to be anti-gay will be most remembered by gay men who were impacted by seeing his nude body on screen.
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