Legendary Ladies’ Man Alain Delon Draws 1,000 Women to Haneda Airport Amid Bodyguard Shooting Incident

French actor Alain Delon, who became a global star with numerous masterpieces and hits such as the film Purple Noon, and was known as the “most handsome man of the century,” has passed away. His family announced this on August 18. He was 88 years old.

In the masterpiece suspense film Purple Noon (1960) directed by René Clément, Delon gave a passionate performance as the poor and lonely young man Tom Ripley. The film was a big hit along with Nino Rota’s sweet theme song, and Delon became a worldwide star.

Later, he starred in many masterpieces and hit films, including Rocco and His Brothers (1960) and The Leopard (1963) by Italian maestro Luchino Visconti, The Veiled Lady (1963), and Le Samouraï (1967), in which he coolly played a lone hitman, establishing himself as one of the representative actors of French cinema.

Alain Delon, a Japanophile who had visited Japan many times for film promotions, was interviewed when he came to Japan on April 17, 1977.

Invited by Toshiro Mifune, with whom he had appeared in the film Red Sun (1971), Delon attended the 15th anniversary party of Mifune Productions and also promoted his starring film The Night of the Following Day.

At Haneda Airport, more than 1,000 young female Delon fans were waiting. Despite the strict security measures, which included 23 bodyguards hired by Mifune Productions, 20 airport security personnel, and 50 riot police, the fans surged towards the exit, causing a major commotion and a scuffle with the riot police. Delon had to escape through a back exit.

“It’s awful, having to leave through the back entrance.”

There were female fans who broke down in tears.

At that time, 41-year-old Delon was living with actress Mireille Darc, but he was also rumored to be involved with a new actress he had worked with. During a press conference, when reporters asked about this, he responded,

“My heart belongs to Mireille, but my body doesn’t always follow.”

While such a comment might be considered inappropriate today, back then, it was seen as part of Delon’s distinctive “Delonisms,” fitting for the “handsome man of the century.

By the way, when Mireille Darc came to Japan at that time to attend “An Evening of French Cinema,” I had the opportunity to interview her alone. When asked about Delon, she said,