French film star Alain Delon dies aged 88

 
Alain Delon, the celebrated actor who starred in a string of classic films such as Plein Soleil, Le Samouraï and Rocco and His Brothers, has died aged 88, his children have told French media. "Alain Fabien, Anouchka, Anthony, as well as [his dog] Loubo, are deeply saddened to announce the passing of their father. He passed away peacefully in his home in Douchy, surrounded by his three children and his family," they said in a statement, adding that the family asked for privacy.

Identified with French cinema's resurgence in the 1960s, Delon played a string of cops, hitmen and beautifully chiselled chancers for some of the country's greatest directors, including Jean-Pierre Melville, René Clément and Jacques Deray. He also made films with auteurs including Luchino Visconti, Louis Malle, Michelangelo Antonioni and Jean-Luc Godard - though he never quite succeeded in his attempts to make it in Hollywood.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, wrote on X that Delon had through his acting roles "made the world dream … he offered his unforgettable face to shake our lives".

"He was more than a star. He was a French monument," Macron added.

Brigitte Bardot, who starred with Delon in the 1961 film Amours Célèbres, was "devastated" by his death, according to the animal protection foundation she now runs.

"Today, it is with a heavy heart we learn of Alain Delon's death. He was an exceptional man, an unforgettable artist and a great friend to animals," the Brigitte Bardot Foundation said in a statement.

"Alain was a close friend of our president, Brigitte Bardot, who is devastated by his death. Their friendship, based on a shared love of animals and a shared concern for their welfare, was precious and genuine. Alain understood the profound link between man and animal." Delon, a dog lover, once said he would wish to be reincarnated as a malinois.

The French culture minister, Rachida Dati, wrote: "We believe he was immortal … his talent, his charisma, his aura made him destined for a Hollywood career at a young age, but he chose France."

Born in 1935 in Sceaux in the Paris suburbs, Delon was expelled from several schools before leaving at 14 to work in a butcher's shop. After a stint in the navy (during which he saw combat in France's colonial war in Vietnam), he was dishonourably discharged in 1956 and drifted into acting. He was spotted by the Hollywood producer David O Selznick at Cannes and signed to a contract, but decided to try his luck in French cinema and made his debut with a small role in Yves Allégret's 1957 thriller Send a Woman When the Devil Fails.

Delon's intense good looks made an immediate impact and he swiftly graduated to lead roles. In 1958 he was cast opposite Romy Schneider in Christine. They played a soldier and a musician's daughter who fall in love. Delon and Schneider began a high-profile real-life romance off the set, which confirmed Delon's burgeoning reputation as a sex symbol.

>>Guardian