13 cult films starring Alain Delon
French film legend Alain Delon has died at the age of 88. The actor was popular in the 1960s, and worked with some of the finest directors.
'Rocco and his Brothers'
Alain Delon was 25 when he played in Italian director Luchino Visconti's 1960 "Rocco and his Brothers" — his first international movie.
'Purple Noon'
That same year, Delon shot a movie that became a classic: "Purple Noon," based on "The Talented Mr. Ripley" by Patricia Highsmith. The thriller catapulted Delon to stardom.
'The Eclipse'
This early film by Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni is still considered a milestone in film history today. In the 1962 work, Alain Delon starred opposite Monica Vitti.
'The Leopard'
In 1963, Visconti worked once again with the young French actor. In "The Leopard," adapted from the novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Delon starred alongside Claudia Cardinale.
'The Swimming Pool'
Delon starred alongside Romy Schneider in the classic 1968 film 'The Swimming Pool.' He went on to have an affair with the German actor.
'The Last Adventure'
Alain Delon shone beside beautiful women, but he was also good at portraying characters in movies on men's friendships and conflicts. In "The Last Adventure," he and the much older Lino Ventura were a perfect match.
'The Samourai'
In 1967, the French actor played his most career-defining, iconic role in Jean-Pierre Melville's classic, "The Samourai." In the cult movie, Delon depicts an ice-cold contract killer.
'Borsalino'
He played in many films in the early 1970s, often alongside other super stars — like Jean-Paul Belmondo in the gangster film "Borsalino."
'The Assassination of Trotzky'
Co-starring with German-French actress Romy Schneider, Delon put on an impressive act in the 1971 film "Assassination of Trotzky," where he plays the assassin of Russian revolutionary Leo Trotzky (Richard Burton), in exile in Mexico.
'Scorpio'
By the early 1970s, Alain Delon was an international star. In 1973, the French actor made a film in the US, cast in the role of a hitman in the spy film "Scorpio."
'Mr. Klein'
Delon enjoyed success and fame in the '70s. In Joseph Losey's 1976 film "Mr. Klein," Delon took on the role of a French art dealer under Nazi occupation during the Second World War.
'Swann in Love'
During the second part of his long acting career, Delon worked mainly with French directors. But in 1984, he played in a film by German film director Volker Schlöndorff: "Swann in Love," based on a novel by Marcel Proust.
'New Wave'
"New Wave," directed by Jean-Luc Godard, follows the story of a drifter played by an ageing Delon. "Nouvelle Vague," the movie's original French title, refers to the French cinematic revolution by the same name in the early 1960s.
Delon dies at 88
Delon had millions of fans around the world who adored him. But, he also drew legions of critics, with feminists appalled by the lifetime achievement award given to him at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019. This was his last major public appearance.