Alain Delon, one of Europe’s most known actors of all time has sadly passed away in his home in Douchy after a long decline following his stroke in 2019. The actor was 88, and stared in over a 100 films over his decades long career. His three children and remaining family were with him and announced his passing to the AFP New agency.

Delon first broke on the film scene in 1957 with director Yves Allégret, Send a Woman When the Devil Fails, after making friends with other directors after being a guest at the Cannes Film festival. He had no experience with acting and  His career after flourished with titles like Le Samouraï (1967), his most famous appearance and Purple Noon (1960), an adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley where he plays the dastardly villain himself. Delon would have one of the most prolific of careers ever seen in film in the post war era of the 60’s and 70’s including appearing in smaller roles as far up to 2019 before he had to retire due to his health.

His life was one of contentiousness passion for film, though he gained few awards or recognition for his contributions including when he started taking on roles as producer and writer. He was awarded an honorary Palme d’or at the Cannes Festival in 2019, a fitting send off for the actor before retirement.

In an Interview Le Figaro, Delon stressed that he never saw himself as a thespian and described his career as such. “I’m an actor … A thespian performs, spends years learning his craft, while an actor lives. I always lived my roles and never performed them. An actor is an accident. I’m an accident. My life is an accident. My career is an accident.” And what a happy accident it was, Delon brought a dedication and artistry to his films and dazzled audiences for years.