Late French actor Alain Delon was like a 'god' in Japan

Probably true. But only for those who were young in the 1960s and 70s.

The last French legend has gone, thank you for all your amazing movies! Adieu...

I am not surprised. 1970s and 1980s or even 1990s and remnants of early 2000s would worship anyone who was blonde and blue-eyed.

Who was he?

@Seigi He wasn't blonde, but he was blue eyed! He was incredibly good looking, and it wasn't only Japanese women who swooned over him!

Who?????

That person was a blend of Yakuza like (plenty of French mafioso friends), top model, serial lover, former military, unique actor and French culture lover.

Difficult to access that level.

Delon made the first of many visits to Japan in 1963 to promote his films, but also increasingly to appear in television variety shows and at society events.

And to see his mistress. Haven't seen any of his films, but I think he was a guest on the Muppet Show once.

Who?????

You beat me to it lol

He was handsome, elegant and slightly mysterious.

She could have been talking about me.

SeigiToday  09:33 am JST

I am not surprised. 1970s and 1980s or even 1990s and remnants of early 2000s would worship anyone who was blonde and blue-eyed.

You must be confusing him with another actor. Delon's hair was dark brown!

Late French actor Alain Delon was like a 'god' in Japan

Absolutely. My Japanese mom in the 60s and 70s often uttered the name Alain Delon whenever she saw a good looking blue-eyed man. I had no idea who she was referring to until I saw L' Adventura and it clicked. He was pretty damn good looking.

There's not a single person from the older generation here that doesn't know that name or face.

Way before my time but if you're into cinema, some of his films are almost mandatory watching most notably Purple Noon. Didn't watch a lot of his films but really liked Le Samourai and La Piscine. His death seemingly denotes the end of era in French cinema. There are many but for me, it was him and Catherine Deneuve that symbolized French cinema. RIP.

Always desperate to get a local angle. Quite sad really.

Alain - what a smooth good looker he was.

Those asking "Who?" - gotta be either ignorant or a jealous loser to ask " who" he was, lmao.

Always desperate to get a local angle. Quite sad really.

Isn't this Japan Today site? Whats unusual about a local angle?

Delon may have been famous by being handsome, but by all accounts he was a deadbeat - refusing to recognise his paternity of his son. The son was brought up largely by Delons parents.

Certainly not a God-like nature.

I feel sorry for him having to hide from the obachan stalkers in his suite at the Okura. I can imagine him putting on his shades and going out on the pull in Roppongi.

He is brilliant in Purple Noon. The 1999 remake has its good points (Gwyneth Paltrow at her peak hotness), but Matt Damon had no hope whatsoever of matching Delon's Tom Ripley.

@Roger Husain

Yes. Purple Noon is great.

He was also good in Visconti's The Leopard.

All way before my time, but any film buff recognizes Delon as one of the biggest in cinema history. RIP

I loved him and am devastated by his passing. He reminds me of a world of higher standards. I think he would have had absolute contempt for a mattress actress like Meghan Markle.

I’ve been into Japanese media since 2008. Honestly I have never heard of this euro man. Bless him, but who is he??

But why Japanese women never seem to like their own macho handsome actors like Mifune, Sonny Chiba, Tomisaburo Wakayama???