Discover the untold stories behind the iconic Alain Delon who lived 88 years! Here are 12 fascinating facts you probably didn’t know about the legendary actor. 🎬✨
He grew up in a foster family
Despite the fact that Delon’s parents were alive, fate decreed that he had to live in a foster family for some time. His mother, Edith, divorced his father, Fabien, and soon he found himself in foster care before he even started school. However, it wasn’t that bad there. Delon’s adoptive mother, Frena, left him with only the warmest memories, and when she passed away, he grieved very much. Alain’s adoptive father was also a good man. He worked as a prison guard and took his son to work, where he played with the children of other guards under the loud sounds of heavy doors opening and closing, as well as various screams. Soon, Alain’s adoptive father passed away, and then his natural parents had to arrange for joint custody. He alternated between spending time with his father and his new family, and then with his mother and her new family, but Delon did not feel at home anywhere, which is why he had problems in everyday life.
Alain studied at a boarding school
When Delon was 8 years old, his parents sent him to a Catholic boarding school, where, however, he did not stay long. Fights with other students, terrible behavior and everything else forced the school management to expel Alain. Over the following years, he changed several educational institutions, from which he was either expelled or he ran away on his own. In the end, Frena took her son from his last school to her home. She realized that he was not capable of learning and therefore it would be better if he started working.
Delon tried to flee the country
When we say that Alain Delon ran away from school, we do not mean that he went out for a few days with his friends, but actually ran away. So, at the age of 14, he and his friend Daniel Salvade decided to leave school and leave France. They managed to hitchhike almost 300 kilometers, but in Chatellerault, 500 kilometers from the border with Spain, a random person handed them over to the police, who sent the unlucky travelers back home. It was after this moment that Frena took her son to her.
He worked as a butcher for some time
Alen, who had once again lost his place at another school, did not need to look for a job on his own, since it was always right under his nose. His stepfather owned a butcher shop and easily gave Delon one job. Alain worked there for three years and became proficient with a knife, but Delon had a bad reputation outside the butcher’s shop as he joined a local gang and became even more obnoxious.
He participated in the Indochina War
Since Delon had no particular prospects and no desire to continue working as a butcher, he looked forward to being called up for military service and at the age of 17 began serving in the French navy. There, his youthful wind in his head came into play again when he helped a friend steal electronic equipment to make a radio. After Alain was caught, he was given a choice: either leave the army forever, or increase his service life to 5 years and go to the Indochina War. He chose the second and served until the end of the war, although with one reservation. He partially met its end in an underground prison, where he ended up for stealing a military jeep to get to a party. Only then did Alain Delon get a taste of such words as honor, discipline and the flag of his native country. It was the war that turned an ordinary hooligan into a man who is finally trying to find a purpose in life.
Upon his return, he severed contact with his family
When Alain Delon returned to France, he decided not to visit his father and mother. Alain held a grudge against them because they signed when he needed their permission to go to Indochina. Although Alain wanted this himself, he couldn’t understand how his parents could so easily let him go and even give their consent.
To survive, he began to do odd jobs and soon discovered his main advantage – beauty. Alain began to take advantage of his appearance, charming the women who literally supported him. One of them was actress Brigitte Aubert, who settled Alain in her house and introduced him to the world of cinema, where he was welcomed with open arms. Alain quickly received his first agent and began acting in films.
Yves Allegre’s advice predetermined his career
Brigitte Aubert also introduced Delon to director Yves Allegret, who directed the aspiring actor in his next film. At the same time, Yves gave Delon advice, with which he went all his way into cinema. The director told him not to play characters, but to be himself and live his roles. Years later, Alain Delon admitted that since then he had never tried to play someone, but lived by his own heroes. This, however, caused inconvenience to Delon’s loved ones, since he took his characters with him off the set. So, one day he could be a priest, and another – a policeman.
Alain stopped watching his old films
Not many actors like to re-watch their films, but Alain Delon did it regularly. But over time, he lost his love for it. One of the first films he stopped watching was “Swimming Pool,” released in 1969. The fact is that Romy Schneider and Maurice Ronet, who were very close to Delon, died in 1982 and 1983, respectively. After that, Alain could no longer watch this film. Over the years, the same has happened to most of his other works. Almost all the friends and colleagues with whom Alain worked had passed away, and his favorite films served as poignant reminders of a time when everything was good.
Delon had a son whom he did not recognize
At the beginning of his career, Alain Delon met the singer Nico, and soon she gave birth to a son, Christian Aaron, whose father she named Alain, who, in turn, refused to recognize him. However, he was recognized by Delon’s mother and stepfather. They, knowing that Niko did not have the opportunity to raise a child, took him for themselves, gave him their last name, thereby recognizing the relationship, and even sacrificed communication with Alain, who once again stopped communicating with his mother after she decided to devote her life to Ari . Their communication resumed only in 1988, when Alena and Niko’s stepfather passed away. However, Delon never recognized his son. He passed away in 2023 at the age of 60, a year before his father.
Hollywood didn’t accept him
At the beginning of his career, Alain Delon met an American agent who suggested that he learn English in order to become a Hollywood star, but Delon refused to do this and concentrated on French cinema, being confident that he could achieve success in Hollywood at any time. Over the next few years, Alain’s popularity grew significantly. He starred in several films that were very successful in the United States, collaborated with the American studio MGM and was popular with American audiences. However, when Alain finally decided to conquer Hollywood, he failed. He planned to star in several films, but some of them failed at the box office, and others were not even released. Defeated, Alain Delon returned to France and no longer looked towards Hollywood.
Alain Delon starred in a Soviet film
Where Alain Delon was definitely expected was in the Soviet Union, where his popularity was at its highest. In 1980, he even starred in the film Tehran 43, in which he played police inspector Georges Foch and joined a trinity of international actors, which also included Curd Jurgens and Claude Jade. The film was not a success in France, but in the USSR in 1980 almost 50 million people went to see it.
Alain Delon sued his son
Ari was not the only son with whom Alain Delon had a difficult relationship. Towards the end of his life, he quarreled with Anthony, who began to accuse his sister Anushka of manipulating her weakened father in the matter of inheritance. Anushka responded by saying that her brothers were putting their father’s life in danger. In the end, Alain Delon intervened in the case, who, as his lawyer said, could no longer listen to his son, who was constantly trying to point out his problems with his head. The case launched by Alain was supposed to open its first trial in 2025, but with the departure of the actor this does not seem to happen.
