French movie star ALAIN DELON celebrates his 80th Birthday today.
Delon was one of most prominent actors and screen "heart throbs" in the 1960s. He achieved critical acclaim for roles in films such as Rocco and His Brothers (1960), Purple Noon (the original Talented Mr Ripley in 1960), L'Eclisse (1962), The Leopard (1963), Lost Command (1966) and Le Samouraï (1967). Over the course of his career Delon worked with many well-known directors, including Luchino Visconti, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Melville, Michelangelo Antonioni and Louis Malle.
His attempts at making it big in Hollywood failed every time but in Europe he was a major box office star. Married twice and known to have had countless affairs, this handsome matinee idol always had a big gay following, partly because he was never afraid to strip off and show all his assets.
Delon announced his decision to give up acting in 1997, although he still occasionally accepts roles, and he now lives in Switzerland with 2 of his 4 children and focuses on his business activities.
Happy 80th Birthday Alain.
