Alain Delon, the French movie star whose heartthrob image and James Dean-like persona made him one of his nation’s most celebrated actors, has died. He was 88.
The actor died "peacefully” at his house in Douchy, in France’s Loiret department, Agence France-Presse reported, citing Delon’s children.
Since his first movie in 1957, Delon was a near-constant presence in French cinema and fan magazines, on par with rival and occasional acting partner Jean-Paul Belmondo. Delon was typically cast as a handsome rebel or gangster, coldly aloof and even a bit sinister.
His "watery blue eyes,” the New York Times noted in 1970, "are to France what Paul Newman’s are to the United States.”
In France, Delon appeared in some 80 films and made-for-TV series, many of them police or action dramas. A sex symbol known as the male Brigitte Bardot, Delon was dubbed the "pretty-boy killer” for his striking looks and roles. Critics said his most distinguished works were playing a hitman in "The Samurai" (1967) and a master thief in "The Red Circle" (1970) with film noir director Jean-Pierre Melville.
Delon himself rated "Monsieur Klein" (1976), in which he played the title character — an unscrupulous art dealer — as his finest role. The movie, directed by Joseph Losey, won three Cesar awards, France’s national film honor.