French cinema icon Alain Delon dies at 88

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00:00I've lasted 62 years, and now I know that what's difficult is leaving, because I will

00:10be leaving."

00:11Alain Delon moved to tears at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where he received the Palme

00:17d'honneur for his entire career, 90 films that have drawn 135 million viewers.

00:24But his career began almost by chance.

00:27Discovered in 1956 in his twenties, on his return from war in French Indochina, his good

00:32looks and star quality were quick to turn heads, including that of actress Romy Schneider.

00:39Their engagement in 1959 cemented for some time at least their reputation as one of Europe's

00:43most glamorous couples.

00:45Their love story played out on and off screen, a common feat for most of Delon's relationships.

00:51We can find a lot of people from your professional life in your personal life.

00:55That doesn't shock you?

00:56No, it doesn't shock me.

00:58I think it's perfectly natural.

00:59If people see pictures, I can't stop reporters from doing their job.

01:03In 1961, Delon even made his stage debut alongside his fiancée.

01:08Delon's affair with a German actress torpedoed the relationship in 1963, but their screen

01:13appearances would continue, notably in the 1969 love triangle film The Swimming Pool,

01:18which would become one of the standout hits of Delon's career, and this scene a classic.

01:26But before that, Delon's international breakthrough came with Lucino Visconti's The Leopard in

01:301963, playing alongside Claudia Cardinal and Burt Lancaster.

01:39The film won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and made Delon France's most bankable film star.

01:46In the late 60s, he met actress Mireille D'Arc.

01:49They then spent 15 years of their lives together.

01:53Delon never made the full crossover into the world of non-French cinema, but kept turning

01:57out films at an impressive pace right into the 1980s, when came his first commercial

02:02flops like The Return of Casanova.

02:04But in 1995, Delon was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Berlin Film Festival.

02:14In the early 2000s, Delon moved to Switzerland and took a break from his career, but soon

02:18returned to crossover to the small screen with the popular French TV series Fabio Montale,

02:23and even returned to the silver screen with a role in 2008's Asterix at the Olympics.

02:29In recent years, Delon made headlines for homophobic and misogynistic statements, and

02:33for his support of France's far-right National Front party.

02:36He also suffered a number of health issues, and leaves behind three children, who became

02:40deeply divided over how best to take care of him.

02:43But it's his phenomenal career that will live on in memory, as an icon of French cinema.

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