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In developing The Equalizer film franchise, director Antoine Fuqua acknowledged that Delon influenced the character of Robert McCall, a solitary man with strong moral motivations who acts as a vigilante for those unable to defend themselves. Played by Denzel Washington, Fuqua explained: “My biggest inspirations were foreign films from the 1970s, really […]. And of course, all those Alain Delon films, particularly the French ones, like Le Samouraï (1967), with that kind of slow rhythm and character development as the story unfolds. That's the kind of film that inspires me.”
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Keanu Reeves, in John Wick: Chapter 4, plays a fearsome hitman but imbued with a certain emotional depth, imitating Alain Delon, whom Reeves has as a model. Chad Stahelski, the director behind the John Wick franchise, is also a great admirer of Alain Delon and Jean-Pierre Melville. Stahelski drew inspiration from Le Cercle Rouge and Le Samouraï when crafting John Wick : "The John Wick films are all love letters from Keanu, myself, our stunt team and our creative team to everyone from Wong Kar-wai to Sammo Hung to Sergio Leone, Kurosawa, Alain Delon and "The Samurai", Spielberg, Tarantino... To all those people we loved growing up."
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Michael Fassbender is inspired in David Fincher's The Killer by the character played by Alain Delon in Melville's The Samurai.
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Jon Watts (director of the Spider-Man trilogy) cites Alain Delon among his influences, with The Samurai which he considers a model of "lone wolf movies", inspiring the creation of the characters of George Clooney and Brad Pitt in Wolfs. In addition, the film begins in a fictionally deluxe suite named Delon Hotel, an obvious nod to the French actor.
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In the 2024 remake of The Killer, John Woo pays explicit tribute to Delon by setting the action in Paris.
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Forty years after American Gigolo, Paul Schrader once again turned to Richard Gere, asking him to draw inspiration from Alain Delon for his role in Oh, Canada.
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Delon is indirectly responsible for the ongoing superhero franchise films which continue to this day. After seeing a poster for Delon's 1974 cinematic turn as Zorro while in Paris, Ilya Salkind was inspired to make 1978's Superman with Christopher Reeve, the film that started it all.
Asian productions
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From South Korea to China, numerous filmmakers have drawn inspiration from Alain Delon's career, particularly his portrayal of Jeff Costello in Le Samouraï (1967).
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John Woo chose Chow Yun-fat for the role of Mark Lee in A Better Tomorrow (1986) because of his resemblance to Alain Delon. In the film and its sequels, Chow also wore sunglasses that were marketed under Delon's name. The sunglasses brand became especially popular in Hong Kong, and Alain Delon personally thanked Chow Yun-fat for it.
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Chow Yun-Fat, in John Woo's The Killer, does not merely reprise Alain Delon's role in Le Samouraï; he embodies a character who dreams of being Alain Delon. Woo specifically asked Chow to take inspiration from Delon's acting, seeing him as the embodiment of French charm: “handsome, brooding, and dangerous.”
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Tony Leung, in his role as the undercover inspector in Hard Boiled, adopts characteristics reminiscent of Delon's Le Samouraï. His character is even named after Alain Delon—he is called Alan.
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Johnnie To's films frequently pay homage to Delon's work, with Fulltime Killer and Vengeance serving as notable examples. A great admirer of Melville and his films Le Cercle Rouge and Le Samouraï, To has often expressed his desire to work with Alain Delon. Although Delon ultimately declined the lead role in Vengeance, To retained the character Francis Costello—his name a direct reference to Jeff Costello from Le Samouraï.
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Kim Jee-woon, director of A Bittersweet Life, instructed lead actor Lee Byung-hun to take inspiration from Delon's performances in Jean-Pierre Melville's films. The protagonist of A Bittersweet Life, named "Jeff" after Costello, is a direct descendant of Jeff Costello, sharing the same traits as the betrayed, solitary assassin.
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In Pang Ho-Cheung's comedy You Shoot, I Shoot, Eric Kot plays a hitman who idolizes Jeff Costello, dressing like him and even speaking to a Le Samouraï movie poster in his apartment.
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South Korean actor Jung Woo Sung also drew inspiration from Alain Delon's performance in Le Samouraï for his first criminal role in Cold Eyes.
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Kazakh filmmaker Adilkhan Yerzhanov's Yellow Cat features a solitary character roaming the vast Kazakh steppes while donning the trench coat and fedora made iconic by Alain Delon in Le Samouraï. The character sees himself as the guardian of a unique talent: the ability to imitate Alain Delon. He envisions himself as the French actor, fully embodying his cinematic persona.
Others
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Rocco Siffredi chose his stage name in reference to the characters Roch Siffredi (Borsalino and Borsalino & Co) and Rocco Parondi (Rocco and his brothers), both played by Alain Delon. Hong Kong actor Ti Lung chose his stage name from a verbal derivation close to the name of his favorite actor Alain Delon.
Borsalino, a film released in 1969, tells the adventures of Roch Siffredi and François Cappella, two gangsters in Marseille in the 1930s. Played by Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo, Borsalino marks their only collaboration. This tandem, made up of two of the most popular French actors, inspired Robert Redford and Paul Newman to stage The Sting in 1973.
Ilaria Urbinati, stylist for Ryan Reynolds, Bradley Cooper, and Donald Glover among others, counts Alain Delon as one of the style icons who inspire her: "Alain Delon, a young Pacino and a young DeNiro are my all-time style icons. And probably Paul Newman at all ages. They'll keep you right."
Playwright Adrienne Kennedy was an admirer of Delon. A mystery novella by Kennedy, Deadly Triplets featured a fictional version of Kennedy who has written a play titled, The Heart Of Alain Delon.
International recognition
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During the four years Delon lived with Romy Schneider, he became a leading man in movie roles, and an international sex symbol. According to media commentator Mark Gallagher, Delon's reputation ultimately may be as a worldwide style icon, rather than as an actor. He writes that Delon's on-screen sex appeal is well received in many cultural contexts, that it allowed him to transcend strictly French film and culture, and connected him to "international film culture and popular culture".
Delon was offered roles in several iconic productions, thus illustrating the international recognition bestowed upon him. For instance, he was invited by Sam Spiegel (the film's producer) to portray Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia. Despite a successful audition, difficulties related to wearing brown contact lenses for the role led the French actor to decline the offer. Robert Evans also considered Alain Delon for the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather, stating, "That's how he was described in the book." Delon, however, refused the proposal : “I would have had to learn to speak English with an Italian accent. I didn't like that.” Evans also wanted to cast Delon in The Cotton Club to play Lucky Luciano, a role that ultimately went to Joe Dallesandro. Additionally, in 1979, Albert Broccoli, in charge of the James Bond franchise, offered Delon the role of James Bond. Delon refused. Director André Téchiné planned to bring Delon and Isabelle Adjani together on screen in a film adaptation of Pascal Bruckner's novel Evil Angels. Disagreements between the two actors led to the project's cancellation, and Roman Polanski ultimately directed Bitter Moon in 1992. In 1973, director and screenwriter Alejandro Jodorowsky embarked on the cinematic adaptation of Dune. Jodorowsky assembled a prestigious artistic team, including rock bands Pink Floyd and Magma for the music. Jodorowsky also envisioned an ambitious cast: Salvador Dalí, Orson Welles, and Mick Jagger among others. Alain Delon was slated to portray the character of Duncan Idaho. However, anticipating a 14-hour film, the project was abandoned due to significant financial constraints (Dalí notably demanding $100,000 per hour). Alain Delon was among Anne Rice's top choices for the role of Louis, as depicted in her book Interview with the Vampire, which was under discussion for a film adaptation. However, the project didn't come to fruition until 1994, with Brad Pitt ultimately taking on the role. Alain Delon was also slated to appear in the adaptation of André Malraux's novel Man's Fate, alongside Johnny Depp, Daniel Day-Lewis, Uma Thurman, and John Malkovich. This project, initiated by Michael Cimino, was abandoned due to financial difficulties. In 2014, a film project titled Patient was announced, a drama centered on the Armenian genocide, with Delon or Adrien Brody in a leading role. Dustin Hoffman was also set to star. This project never materialized.
According to the American Film Institute, Delon was considered for roles in Joshua Logan's Fanny (1961), Tony Richardson's The Loved One (1965), Sydney Pollack's This Property Is Condemned (1966), Henri Verneuil's The Scavengers (1968), and John Huston's Escape to Victory (1981).
Among other roles Delon declined were Magnet of Doom (L’Aîné des Ferchaux) by Jean-Pierre Melville, Viva Maria! by Louis Malle, The Bear and the Doll by Michel Deville, Max and the Junkmen by Claude Sautet, Last Tango in Paris by Bernardo Bertolucci (Delon suggested Marlon Brando for the part), Taxi Driver by Martin Scorsese, Close Encounters of the Third Kind by Steven Spielberg, Death Watch by Bertrand Tavernier, Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola, Pardonnez-moi by Maïwenn, Mesrine by Jean-François Richet, Vengeance by Johnnie To, A Gang Story by Olivier Marchal, and Salaud, on t'aime by Claude Lelouch.
Influence in music
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A still shot of Delon in The Unvanquished appears on the cover of the 1986 album The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths, which was used with his written approval. The song "Beautiful Killer" on Madonna's twelfth studio album MDNA is a tribute to Delon. An early EP by the music group White Town was the "Alain Delon EP". The song "A Look From The Screen" by Russian band Nautilus Pompilius is a tribute to Delon. In 2010, Emma Daumas paid tribute to Alain Delon in the song Dans les yeux d'Alain Delon, on her E.P. Acoustic. Far from this chorus of praise, Marianne Faithfull, a friend of Nico's and who was Delon's partner in the cinema in the 1960s, mentions the actor on her album Kissin' Time. The Italian music group Baustelle (La canzione di Alain Delon), the Bulgarian music group Shturtzite (Alen Delon), Christoff de Bolle (Ich hab Alain Delon gesehn), Erlend Krauser (Deneuve Meets Alain Delon in The Train), Davide Van De Sfroos (L'Alain Delon de Lenn), Dann Stuyven (Dîner Delon), Sıla Gençoğlu and Ozan Doğulu (Alain Delon) and Femme Schmidt (Alain Delon) have all quoted and/or paid tribute to Alain Delon in their musical productions.
Cultural and popular representations
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In Cinema
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In La Boum by Claude Pinoteau, both Vic (Sophie Marceau) and Lysia (Nathalie Riqué) have feelings for Mathieu. Jealous of her rival, Vic describes her as “the daughter of Alain Delon and the Mona Lisa,” implying the extraordinary nature of her beauty.
In Tiger on the Beat, Francis (Chow Yun-fat) reads out a list of names while filling his glass with raw eggs, making a pun on the word "Lung" (meaning "dragon" in Chinese). Every name he mentions contains “Lung”: Bruce Lee (Lei Siu-Lung), Jackie Chan (Sing Lung), Alain Delon (Ah Lan Daai Lung), Sylvester Stallone (Si Taai Lung), and Ti Lung.
In the film Camping, one of the campers (played by Frédéric Bonnet) is nicknamed Alain Delon and speaks in the third person. In both Camping and Camping 2, lines also reference Delon and his public persona.
In Asterix at the Olympic Games, Alain Delon plays Julius Caesar and pokes fun at his own career with a self-referential monologue: “Caesar has succeeded at everything, conquered everything. He's a leopard, a samurai, he owes nothing to anyone—not to Rocco, nor his brothers, nor the Sicilian clan. Caesar is of noble blood. In fact, the Caesar for Best Emperor was awarded to Caesar. Ave me!”
In One Day, Dexter's mother (played by Patricia Clarkson) compares her husband to Alain Delon: “Is that Alain Delon? What? No. That's your father,” showing just how in love she is with him.
Other humorous references to Alain Delon appear in Les Tuche, notably in a scene where Jeff Tuche (Jean-Paul Rouve) arrives at a luxury hotel in Monaco. When the receptionist announces the Alain Delon suite, Jeff, confused, says: “Wait, I don't know Alain Delon, I don't want to disturb him.” To which the receptionist replies: “But he's not here.”