‘More than a star, a monument’: Macron leads tributes to film icon Alain Delon
Tributes poured in Sunday for film legend Alain Delon, the internationally acclaimed actor and heartthrob described as the “last of the giants” of French cinema’s golden age.
French President Emmanuel Macron led tributes on Sunday to Alain Delon, the iconic film star known for his roles in classics "Purple Noon" (1960) and "Le Samourai" (1967), who died aged 88.
“Alain Delon has played legendary roles and made the world dream,” Macron wrote in a post on X. “Melancholic, popular, secretive, he was more than a star: a French monument.”
With his handsome looks and tender manner, the prolific actor was able to combine toughness with an appealing, vulnerable quality that made him one of France’s memorable leading men.
Read moreAlain Delon, French cinema’s enigmatic, ‘angel-faced’ icon
Delon “bewitched generation after generation of spectators with his steely gaze and feline smile,” wrote former culture minister Jack Lang, describing the late actor as “the most beautiful face in French cinema”.
Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Frémaux recalled “an incredibly attentive, affectionate and funny man, with an irresistible sense of sarcasm and humour”. Delon was “the embodiment of what we call a star, not just in terms of popularity and fame, but also the huge works he left behind,” Frémaux told FRANCE 24.
Read more on FRANCE 24 English
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