14 cult films starring Alain Delon
Alain Delon celebrates his 80th birthday on November 8. The handsome French 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 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 — a dream couple.
'Have I the Right to Kill?'
During his long career, Delon mainly played in crime thrillers. The film noir "The Unvanquished," released in the US as "Have I the Right to Kill?" (1964) is set in the Algerian war and featured once again Delon's sex appeal.
'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.
'The Swimming Pool'
Two years later, Alain Delon played in a movie that isn't necessarily one of his artistic highlights but that left its mark. "The Swimming Pool" is memorable because he and Romy Schneider are such a lovely couple in this drama set in the Cote d'Azur.
'Borsalino'
He played in many films in the early 1970s, often alongside other super stars - like Jean-Paul Belmondo in the gangster film "Borsalino." Alain Delon always stood out with his striking good looks.
'The Assassination of Trotzky'
Co-starring once again with 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 an American film, cast in the role of a hit-man in the spy film "Scorpio."
'Mr. Klein'
Although Delon enjoyed his success and fame in the '70s, the directors of his films were not always first-rate. One exception was Joseph Losey for whom he worked in 1976. In "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 directed by 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 admirably 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.