Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly was born into a well-known Catholic family of Irish and German origin in the U.S city of Philadelphia. After graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1949, Kelly began appearing in New York City theatrical productions and over 40 live drama productions broadcast in early 1950s Golden Age of Television. She gained stardom from her performance in John Ford's adventure-romance Mogambo (1953), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the drama The Country Girl (1954). Other notable works include the western High Noon (1952), the romantic comedy High Society (1956), and three consecutive Alfred Hitchcock suspense thrillers: Dial M for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954), and To Catch a Thief (1955). Kelly worked with some of the most prominent leading men of the era, including Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Ray Milland, James Stewart, Bing Crosby, William Holden, Cary Grant, Alec Guinness, and Frank Sinatra. Kelly retired from acting at age 26 to marry Rainier, and began her duties as Princess of Monaco. Her final film contribution was in 1977 to the documentary The Children of Theatre Street directed by Robert Dornhelm, where she served as the narrator. The documentary was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Princess Grace retained her link to America by her dual U.S. and Monégasque citizenship. Hitchcock hoped that she would appear in more of his films which required an "icy blonde" lead actress, but he was unable to coax her out of retirement. The Prince and Princess had three children: Princess Caroline, Prince Albert, and Princess Stéphanie. Her charity work focused on young children and the arts, establishing the Princess Grace Foundation to support local artisans in 1964. Her organization for children's rights, AMADE Mondiale, gained consultive status within UNICEF and UNESCO. Kelly died at the age of 52 at Monaco Hospital on September 14, 1982, from injuries sustained in a car crash the previous day. She is listed 13th among the American Film Institute's 25 Greatest Female Stars of Classical Hollywood Cinema. Her son, Prince Albert, helped establish the Princess Grace Awards in 1984 to recognize emerging performers in film, theatre, and dance. BiographyGrace Kelly was born on November 12, 1929, at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to an affluent and influential family. Her father, John B. Kelly Sr. was born to Irish immigrants and won three Olympic gold medals for sculling. He also owned a successful brickwork contracting company that was well known on the East Coast. As Democratic nominee in the 1935 election for Mayor of Philadelphia, he lost by the closest margin in the city's history. In later years he served on the Fairmount Park Commission and, during World War II, was appointed by President Roosevelt as National Director of Physical Fitness. His brother Walter C. Kelly was a vaudeville star, who also made films for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Paramount Pictures, and his another brother named George was a Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist, screenwriter, and director. Kelly's mother, Margaret Majer, had German parents. Margaret had taught physical education at the University of Pennsylvania and had been the first woman to coach women's athletics at Penn. She also modeled for a time in her youth. After marrying John B. Kelly in 1924, Margaret focused on being a homemaker until all her children were of school age, following which she began actively participating in various civic organizations. Kelly had two older siblings, Margaret and John Jr., and a younger sister, Elizabeth. The children were raised in the Catholic faith. Kelly grew up in a small, close-knit Catholic community. She was baptized and received her elementary education in the parish of Saint Bridget's in East Falls. While attending Ravenhill Academy, a reputable Catholic girls' school, Kelly modeled fashions at local charity events with her mother and sisters. In 1942, at the age of 12, she played the lead in Don't Feed the Animals, a play produced by the Old Academy Players also in East Falls. In May 1947, she graduated from Stevens School, a socially prominent private institution in nearby Chestnut Hill, where she participated in drama and dance programs. Her graduation yearbook listed her favorite actress as Ingrid Bergman and her favorite actor as Joseph Cotten. Despite her parents' initial disapproval, Kelly decided to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress. To start her career, she auditioned for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, using a scene from her uncle George Kelly's The Torch-Bearers (1923). Although the school had already met its semester quota, she obtained an interview with the admissions department, and was admitted through George's influence. Kelly worked diligently, and practiced her speech by using a tape recorder. Her early acting pursuits led her to the stage, and she made her Broadway debut in Strindberg's The Father, alongside Raymond Massey. At 19, her graduation performance was as Tracy Lord in The Philadelphia Story. Her uncle would continue to advise and mentor Kelly throughout her acting career. At her father's insistence, she lived at the Barbizon Hotel for Women in Manhattan. She was hired as a model by the John Robert Powers agency, where some of her first modeling jobs were doing commercials for bug spray and cigarettes. Kelly was reportedly "fond of dancing to Hawaiian music down the hallways of the Barbizon, and given to shocking her fellow residents by performing topless." She later wrote that she had "wonderful memories of the three years I spent at the Barbizon." Television producer Delbert Mann cast Grace Kelly as the lead in an adaptation of the Sinclair Lewis novel "Bethel Merriday"; this was her first of nearly sixty live television programs. As a theater personality, she was mentioned in Theatre World magazine as: "[a] most promising personality of the Broadway stage of 1950." Some of her well-known works as a theater actress were: The Father, The Rockingham Tea Set, The Apple Tree, The Mirror of Delusion, Episode (for Somerset Maugham's tele-serial), among others. Impressed by her work in The Father, Henry Hathaway, director of the Twentieth Century-Fox film Fourteen Hours (1951), offered her a small role in the film. Kelly had a minor role as a young woman contemplating divorce. Following the release of this film, the "Grace Kelly Fan Club" was established, gaining popularity across the country with local chapters springing up and attracting many members. Kelly referred to her fan club as "terrifically amusing". Kelly's performance in Fourteen Hours went largely unnoticed by critics, and did not contribute to her film career's momentum. She continued her work in the theater and on television. Grace Kelly was performing at Colorado's Elitch Theatre, when producer Stanley Kramer offered her a role co-starring opposite Gary Cooper in Fred Zinnemann's High Noon (1952), a Western filmed in Columbia, California. She accepted the role, and the film was shot in the late summer and early fall of 1951 over a 28-day shooting schedule in hot weather conditions. She was cast as a "young Quaker bride to Gary Cooper's stoic Marshall", and wore a "suitably demure vaguely Victorian dress", alongside Cooper, who was 28 years her senior. The movie was released in the summer of 1952. High Noon garnered four Academy Awards, and has since been ranked by some reviewers among the best films of all time. After filming High Noon, Kelly returned to New York City and took private acting lessons, keen to be taken seriously as an actress. She performed in a few dramas in the theater, and in TV serials. She appeared in several television plays, and screen-tested for the film Taxi in the spring of 1952. Director John Ford noticed Kelly in the screen test, and his studio flew her out to Los Angeles to audition in September 1952. Ford said that Kelly showed "breeding, quality, and class". She was given the role, along with a seven-year contract at the relatively low salary of $850 a week. Kelly signed the deal under two conditions: first, that one out of every two years, she had time off to work in the theatre; and second, that she be able to live in New York City at her residence in Manhattan House, at 200 E. 66th Street.(now a landmark). In November 1952, Kelly and the cast arrived in Nairobi to begin the production of the film Mogambo, replacing Gene Tierney, who dropped out at the last minute due to personal issues. Kelly later told Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper, "Mogambo had three things that interested me: John Ford, Clark Gable, and a trip to Africa, with expenses paid. If Mogambo had been made in Arizona, I wouldn't have done it." Kelly played Linda Nordley, a contemplative English wife with a romantic interest in Clark Gable's character. Filming took place over the course of three months. The costumes were designed by Helen Rose. The film was released in 1953, and had a successful run at the box office. Kelly won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, and received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. After the success of Mogambo, Kelly starred in the television play The Way of an Eagle with Jean-Pierre Aumont, before being cast in the film adaptation of Frederick Knott's Broadway hit Dial M for Murder, opposite Ray Milland and Robert Cummings. Kelly played the role of the wealthy wife of a retired professional tennis player. Director Alfred Hitchcock, who had also seen her during her Taxi screen test, would become one of Kelly's mentors during the last years of her career. She was subsequently loaned by MGM to work in several Hitchcock films, which would become some of her most critically acclaimed and recognized work. Kelly began filming scenes for her next film, The Bridges at Toko-Ri, in early 1954, with William Holden, for Paramount Pictures. The story, based on the novel by James Michener, is about American Navy jet fighters stationed to fight in Asia. Kelly plays the role of Holden's wife. Famed dress designer Edith Head did her costumes, with whom she had established a friendly relationship. Kelly unhesitatingly turned down the opportunity to star alongside Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront (1954). Eva Marie Saint, who replaced her, went on to win an Academy Award for the role. Instead, she committed to the role of Lisa Fremont in Rear Window. The role of Lisa Fremont, a wealthy Manhattan socialite and fashion model who "never wore the same dress twice", was unlike any of the previous women she had played. This marked her first performance as an independent career woman. In line with their previous collaborations, Alfred Hitchcock brought her elegance to the foreground by changing her dresses many times, including: "glamorous evening short dresses, a sheer negligee over a sleek nightgown, a full-skirted floral dress, and a casual pair of jeans". Upon the film's opening in October 1954, Kelly was again praised. Grace Kelly played the role of Bing Crosby's long-suffering wife, Georgie Elgin, in The Country Girl (1954), after a pregnant Jennifer Jones bowed out. Already familiar with the play, Kelly was highly interested in the part. MGM once again would have to lend Kelly to Paramount Pictures. Kelly also negotiated a more lucrative contract in light of her recent success. In the film, Kelly played the wife of a washed-up, alcoholic singer, played by Bing Crosby. Her character becomes torn emotionally between her two lovers, played by Crosby and William Holden. She was again dressed by Edith Head to suit her role in the film, initially appearing in fashionable dresses, shifting to ordinary-looking cardigans toward the end of the film. As a result of her performance in The Country Girl, Kelly won the Academy Award for Best Actress. After receiving the Oscar nomination, Kelly won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for best actress for her performances in her three big movie roles of 1954: Rear Window, Dial M For Murder, and The Country Girl. At the Golden Globe Awards in 1955, Kelly won the Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. In April 1954, Kelly flew to Colombia for a 10-day shoot on her next project, Green Fire, with Stewart Granger. She played Catherine Knowland, a coffee plantation owner. Then she flew to the French Riviera to work on her third, and last, film for Hitchcock, To Catch a Thief. Lent to Paramount for the fifth time, Kelly played the role of a temptress who wears "luxurious and alluring clothes", while Cary Grant played the role of a former cat burglar, then looking to catch a thief who is imitating him. Kelly and Grant developed a mutual bond and admiration for one another. Years later, when asked to name his all-time favorite actress, Cary Grant replied: "Well, with all due respect to dear Ingrid Bergman, I much preferred Grace. She had serenity." In 1956, Kelly resided in a home rented from Bill Lear in the Pacific Palisades, California for the duration of the filming of her next film The Swan, directed by Charles Vidor. She portrayed Princess Alexandra, opposite Alec Guinness and Louis Jourdan. Grace Kelly's final role was in Charles Walters's musical film High Society, a re-make of MGM's The Philadelphia Story (1940). She portrayed Tracy Lord, opposite Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. When it was released in July 1956. Kelly headed the U.S. delegation at the Cannes Film Festival in April 1955. While there, she was invited to participate in a photo session with Prince Rainier III, the sovereign of the Principality of Monaco, at the Prince's Palace of Monaco about 55 km away from Cannes. After a series of delays and complications, she met him at the palace on May 6, 1955. After a year-long courtship, Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier in April 1956. The Napoleonic Code of Monaco and the laws of the Catholic Church necessitated two ceremonies – both a civil and a religious wedding. The 16-minute civil ceremony took place in the Palace Throne Room of Monaco on April 18, 1956, and a reception later in the day was attended by 3,000 Monégasque citizens. To cap the ceremony, the 142 official titles that she acquired in the union (counterparts of her husband's) were formally recited. The church ceremony took place the following day at Monaco's Saint Nicholas Cathedral, presided over by Bishop Gilles Barthe. The wedding was estimated to have been watched by over 30 million viewers on TV. Her wedding dress, designed by MGM's Academy Award-winning Helen Rose, was worked on for 6 weeks by three dozen dress makers.The Prince and Princess left that night for their seven-week Mediterranean honeymoon cruise on his yacht, Deo Juvante II. Princess Grace gave birth to the couple's first child, Princess Caroline, on January 23, 1957. Their next child and the heir to the throne, Prince Albert, was born on March 14, 1958. Their youngest, Princess Stéphanie, was born on February 1, 1965. During her marriage, Grace demurred from continuing her acting career. Instead, she performed her daily duties as princess and became involved in philanthropic work. As princess consort, she became the patron of the Red Cross of Monaco and Rainbow Coalition Children, an orphanage which was run by former dancer Josephine Baker. The Princess also served as president of the Garden Club of Monaco, and president of the organizing committee of the International Arts Foundation. Grace founded AMADE Mondiale, a Monaco-based, non-profit organization which is recognized by the UN, after she witnessed the plight of Vietnamese children in 1963. Princess Grace was active in improving the arts institutions of Monaco, forming the Princess Grace Foundation in 1964 to support local artisans. In 1975, Grace helped found the Princess Grace Academy, the resident school of the Monte Carlo Ballet. She later advocated to preserve the Belle Époque-era architecture of the principality. Alfred Hitchcock offered Princess Grace the lead in his film Marnie in 1962. She was eager, but public outcry in Monaco against her involvement in a film where she would play a kleptomaniac made her reconsider and ultimately reject the project. Director Herbert Ross also tried to interest her in a part in his film The Turning Point (1977), but Rainier dismissed the idea. Later that year, she returned to the arts in a series of poetry readings on stage and narration of the documentary The Children of Theatre Street. She also narrated ABC's made-for-television film The Poppy Is Also a Flower (1966). Grace joined the board of the 20th C.-Fox Film Corporation in 1976, becoming one of its first female members. In 1980, she published "My Book of Flowers" with Gwen Robyns, detailing her sense of floral aesthetics, symbolism, and flower pressing. Grace and Rainier worked together on a 33-minute independent film titled Rearranged in 1979, which received interest from ABC TV executives in 1982 after its premiere in Monaco, on the condition that it be extended to an hour. Before more scenes could be shot, Grace died and the film was never released, nor was it publicly shown again. In the early 1980s, Grace collaborated with Springmaid Company, the now-defunct bed linen brand, after a newly hired Springmaid stylist Neil Mandell, found the designs Grace made in a People magazine article on the exhibition in a Paris Gallery. The collaboration was titled GPK after the initials of her maiden name and features bed linens, tablecloths, napkins, placemats, and others. Princess Grace received more than $1 million in royalties, which she donated to her favorite charities. On September 13, 1982, Grace Kelly suffered a small stroke while driving back to Monaco from her country home in Roc Agel. As a result, she lost control of her 1971 Rover P6 3500 and drove off the steep, winding road and down the 120-foot (37 m) mountainside. Her teenage daughter Stéphanie, who was in the passenger seat, tried but failed to regain control of the car. The Princess was taken to the Monaco Hospital (later named the Princess Grace Hospital Centre) with injuries to the brain and thorax and a fractured femur. She died the following night at 10:55 p.m. after Rainier decided to turn off her life support.
Princess Grace's funeral was held at the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate in Monaco-Ville, on September 18, 1982. After a Requiem Mass, she was buried in the Grimaldi family vault. Over 400 people attended, including Cary Grant, Nancy Reagan, Danielle Mitterrand, Empress Farah of Iran, and Diana, Princess of Wales. Prince Rainier, who did not remarry, was buried alongside her after his death in 2005.
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Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (born 8 November 1935) is a French actor and filmmaker. He is known as one of Europe's most prominent actors and screen sex symbols from the 1960s and 1970s. He achieved critical acclaim for roles in films such as Purple Noon (1960), Rocco and His Brothers (1960), L'Eclisse (1962), The Leopard (1963), Le Samouraï (1967), La Piscine (1969), Le Cercle Rouge (1970), Un flic (1972), and Monsieur Klein (1976). 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. As a singer, Delon recorded the popular duet "Paroles, paroles" (1973) with Dalida. In 1985, he won the César Award for Best Actor for his performance in Notre histoire (1984). In 1991, he received France's Legion of Honour. In 1995, at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival, he won the Honorary Golden Bear. At the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, he received the Honorary Palme d'Or. He acquired Swiss citizenship in 1999. Alain Delon, né le 8 novembre 1935 à Sceaux, est un acteur franco-suisse. Il est aussi producteur à travers sa société Adel Productions, et a également réalisé deux films. Sa carrière commence en 1957. Acteur parmi les plus populaires du cinéma français, il joue dans des films qui attirent en salles un total de quelque 134 millions de spectateurs, ce qui fait de lui un champion du box-office au même titre que Louis de Funès et Jean-Paul Belmondo à la même époque. Ayant partagé l'affiche avec de grands acteurs tels que Jean Gabin, Simone Signoret, Romy Schneider ou Lino Ventura, un grand nombre de films dans lesquels il a joué sont devenus des classiques du cinéma, parmi lesquels : Plein Soleil, Rocco et ses frères, Le Guépard, L'Insoumis, Le Samouraï, La Piscine, Le Clan des Siciliens, Le Cercle rouge, Borsalino, Monsieur Klein ou Notre histoire. Bien que n'ayant pas souhaité persister à Hollywood, il dispose d'une renommée mondiale, aux États-Unis aussi bien qu'en Europe — en particulier en Italie —, ainsi qu'en Asie, où il a développé des activités entrepreneuriales. Il obtient en 1985 le César du meilleur acteur pour Notre histoire, et une Palme d'honneur lors du festival de Cannes 2019 pour l'ensemble de sa carrière. BiographyAlain Delon was born in Sceaux, Seine (now Hauts-de-Seine), Île-de-France, a wealthy suburb of Paris. His parents, Édith (née Arnold; 1911–1995) and Fabien Delon (1904–1977), divorced when Delon was four. Both remarried and, as a result, Delon has a half-sister and two half-brothers. His paternal grandmother was Corsican, from Prunelli-di-Fiumorbo. When his parents divorced, Delon was sent to live with foster parents; after the foster parents died, Delon's parents took shared custody of him, but the arrangement proved unsatisfactory. He attended a Catholic boarding school, the first of several schools from which he was expelled because of unruly behavior. Delon left school at 14, and worked for a brief time at his stepfather's butcher shop. He enlisted in the French Navy three years later, aged 17, and during 1953–1954 he served as a fusilier marin in the First Indochina War. In 1956, after being dishonorably discharged from the navy, Delon returned to France. He had little money, and got by on whatever employment he could find. He spent time working as a waiter, a porter, a secretary and a sales assistant. During this time he became friends with the actress Brigitte Auber, and joined her on a trip to the Cannes Film Festival, where his film career would begin. At Cannes, Delon was seen by a talent scout for David O. Selznick. After a screen test Selznick offered him a contract, provided he learn English. Delon returned to Paris to study the language, but when he met French director Yves Allégret, he was convinced that he should stay in France to begin his career. Selznick allowed Delon to cancel his contract, and Allégret gave him his debut in the film with Edwige Feuillère, Quand la femme s'en mêle (1957) (Send a Woman When the Devil Fails). Marc Allégret cast him in Be Beautiful But Shut Up (1958), which featured a young Jean-Paul Belmondo. Delon was then given his first lead, supporting Romy Schneider in the period romance Christine (1958), based on a novel by Arthur Schnitzler. The film was the seventeenth most popular movie at the French box office that year. Even before the filming began, Delon and Schneider fell in love, and began a highly publicised romance. On 20 March 1959, the couple was engaged. During their relationship, he had an affair with German actress, singer and model Nico. In 1962, Nico gave birth to a son, Christian Aaron Boulogne (Ari Päffgen) "Ari", but Delon never recognized the child as his; Ari was raised mostly by Delon's parents. Delon was given the lead in the comedy Women Are Weak (1959). This was a big hit in France and was the first of Delon's films to be seen in America. Delon made some personal appearances in New York to promote the movie. He was a known friend of Serbian-born gangster Vojislav Stanimirovic. Delon next made two films that ensured his international reputation. In 1960, he appeared in René Clément's Plein Soleil, released in the US as Purple Noon, which was based on the Patricia Highsmith novel The Talented Mr. Ripley. Delon played protagonist Tom Ripley to critical acclaim; Highsmith was a fan of his portrayal. The movie was a hit in France and on the art house circuit in English-speaking countries. He then played the title role in Luchino Visconti's Rocco and His Brothers (1960). Delon made his stage debut in 1961 in the John Ford play 'Tis Pity She's a Whore alongside Romy Schneider in Paris. Visconti directed the production which broke box office records. Around this time Delon was mentioned as a possibility for the lead in Lawrence of Arabia. Peter O'Toole was cast instead, but then Delon was cast by Michelangelo Antonioni opposite Monica Vitti in L'Eclisse (1962), a major critical success, although audiences were small. Producer Jacques Bar was making a heist film with Jean Gabin with backing from MGM, titled Any Number Can Win (1963). Gabin's co-star was meant to be Jean-Louis Trintignant until Delon lobbied Bar for the role. He took the film's distribution rights in certain countries instead of a straight salary. Because this had never been done before in France, this was known as "Delon's method." The gamble paid off well, with Jean Gabin later claiming that Delon earned 10 times more money than he did as a result. The experience gave Delon a taste for producing. He also signed a five-picture deal with MGM, of which Any Number Can Win was the first. His reputation was further enhanced when he worked with Visconti again for Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) with Burt Lancaster and Claudia Cardinale. This was the seventh biggest hit of the year in France; Any Number Can Win was the sixth. The Leopard was also widely screened in the U.S. through 20th Century Fox. Delon was now one of the most popular stars in France. In 1963, Alain Delon was involved with French actress Nathalie Barthélémy while still engaged to Romy Schneider. When Nathalie Barthélémy became pregnant with Alain Delon's son Anthony, Schneider and Delon decided to break up. In 1964, the Cinémathèque Française held a showcase of Delon's films and Delon started a production company, Delbeau Production, with Georges Beaume. They produced a film called The Unvanquished (L'insoumis) (1964), where Delon played an OAS assassin. It had to be re-edited because of legal issues. Despite being distributed by MGM, audiences were small. On 13 August 1964, Delon married Nathalie Barthélémy. Their son, Anthony Delon, was born. Typecast as a "Latin Lover", Delon spent the next few years focused on making it in Hollywood, and said in 1965 that he wanted to make a picture in America and one in Europe each year. He said also that his accent prevented him from playing certain roles: "Because of my accent I would not attempt to play Americans. I am working on removing the distinctly French inflections from my speech so that I can play all continental nationalities. Delon had his first English-language lead in Once a Thief, based on a novel by Zekial Marko who had written Any Number Can Win, but it was not as successful. Delon signed a three-picture deal with Columbia, for whom he appeared in the big budget action film Lost Command (1966), playing a member of the French Foreign Legion, alongside Anthony Quinn and Claudia Cardinale. Universal Studios used Delon in a Western, Texas Across the River, opposite Dean Martin. All of Delon's Hollywood-financed films did not do well in USA. But Delon remained a massive star in France. Along with Steve McQueen and Sean Connery he was one of the biggest stars in Japan. Although married to Nathalie Barthélémy Delon, Delon had several affairs with a few different actresses. In 1966, Delon filed for divorce. The couple divorced on 14 February 1969. After six Hollywood movies Delon returned to France to make The Last Adventure opposite Lino Ventura. It was one of Delon's most popular films of the 1960s but was not popular in North America. Next he made Le Samouraï with Jean-Pierre Melville, which became another classic. Delon had another attempt at English-language cinema with The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968) with Marianne Faithfull. It was a surprise hit in Britain. Far more popular at the French box office was Farewell Friend (Adieu l'ami), where Delon and Charles Bronson played former legionnaires who get involved in a heist. The film helped turn Charles Bronson into a genuine star in Europe. In August 1968, during the shooting of the film La piscine(The Swimming Pool) with Romy Schneider, Delon met French actress Mireille Darc and asked her to shoot a movie together. So they started a relationship that lasted until 1982. While making La Piscine, Delon's friend and bodyguard Stevan Marković was found murdered in a rubbish dump near Paris. The police investigation went on to reveal allegations of sex parties involving celebrities such as Delon and members of government including future French Prime Minister Georges Pompidou, whose wife, Claude Pompidou, was allegedly the focus of a series of compromising photos at one such party. Corsican crime boss François Marcantoni, a friend of Delon, was suspected of involvement. The affair gained notoriety throughout France and in the French press as the "Marković affair". In a 1969 BBC interview, Delon was questioned about his alleged involvement in the death of Marković, rumours of his involvement in sex parties, and Delon's own sexual tastes. Delon then starred in a series of gangster films with the most popular being Borsalino (1970), which Delon produced and in which he co-starred opposite Jean-Paul Belmondo. Neither of these broke through in the US the way Delon hoped. Neither did The Red Circle, despite Delon appearing with Yves Montand. For a change of pace, he produced a romantic drama, The Love Mates (1971), which was not a success. Neither was the comedy Easy, Down There! (1971). In the early 1970s, Delon made another attempt at the English speaking market. The Assassination of Trotsky (1972) for Joseph Losey was poorly received but Red Sun (1972), with Charles Bronson and Toshiro Mifune, did well. In France, he made his third film with Melville, Un flic (1972). In 1973, he recorded a duet with Dalida, "Paroles, paroles", that went on to become one of the most recognizable French songs. The two had been friends since first meeting in Paris in 1955, where they were neighbors in a building located in the Champs-Élysées and had a short relationship in the 1950s. Delon tried again for Hollywood stardom with Scorpio (1973), which was only a minor hit. In France, Delon returned to his first swashbuckler since The Black Tulip, playing the title character in the 1975 Italian-French film Zorro. In 1976, Delon starred in Monsieur Klein, for which he was nominated for the César Award. In the 1970s, Delon expanded his interests. He bought trotters (harness racing) and promoted fights. Since the formation of a perfume label in his name, Delon has had a variety of products sold under his name including wristwatches, clothing, eyewear, stationery and cigarettes. Delon's sunglasses brand became particularly popular in Hong Kong after actor Chow Yun-fat wore them in the 1986 crime film A Better Tomorrow (as well as two sequels). Delon reportedly wrote a letter thanking Chow for helping the sunglasses sell out in the region. The film's director John Woo has acknowledged Delon as one of his idols and wrote a short essay on Le Samourai as well as Le Cercle Rouge for the Criterion Collection DVD releases. In 1979, Delon stated only a quarter of his business activities involve films, that he also has "a helicopter business, build furniture, promote prize fights, and race horses", and that he was still interested in becoming a star in America. That same year he made a final attempt at Hollywood stardom, starring in The Concorde ... Airport '79 (1979). The film was not a big success. Delon returned to produce and make French films. In 1985, He was awarded the Best Actor César Award for his role in Bertrand Blier's Notre histoire (1984), and portrayed the aristocratic dandy Baron de Charlus in a film adaptation of Marcel Proust's novel Swann in Love in the same year. In 1987, Delon met Dutch model Rosalie van Breemen on the set of the music video for his song "Comme au cinéma" and started a relationship. They had two children: Anouchka Delon (25 November 1990) and Alain-Fabien Delon (18 March 1994). The relationship ended in 2001. In 1997, Delon announced his decision to give up acting, although he still occasionally accepts roles. Delon's last major role was in Patrice Leconte's Une chance sur deux in 1998, another box office disappointment. Delon acquired Swiss citizenship on 23 September 1999, and the company managing products sold under his name is based in Geneva. He resides in Chêne-Bougeries in the canton of Geneva and Douchy, Loiret, France. In 2001, Delon starred in the French television drama Fabio Montale. He played an ageing policeman dressed in stylish clothes, a "signature Delon" role for audiences. The show was a big hit. In 2003, Delon tried to recreate the success of Fabio Montale and produced and starred in another French television police drama, Frank Riva. It did well but less so than Fabio Montale. He starred, in 2008, as Jules Cesar in the box-office hit Asterix aux jeux Olympiques which co-starred Gérard Depardieu. Around this time he mostly took roles in TV movies and also played some roles on the French stage. He directed a TV movie himself in 2008 co-starring Anouk Aimee, titled Love Letters based on a play by A.R. Gurney. In 2018, after a seven-year hiatus from cinema, Delon was planning to star in a new movie, titled La Maison Vide, co-starring Juliette Binoche and directed by Patrice Leconte. However, in November 2018 the French media announced that the project was canceled. Delon's last roles to date have been in the 2011 television movie Une journée ordinaire, in the 2019 movie Toute Ressemblance as a guest in a talkshow. In April 2019, at 83, Delon released a new single. The track, titled Je n'aime que toi, was composed by Rick Allison and Julia Paris. At the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, which was held from 14 to 25 May, Delon was the recipient of an honorary Palme d'Or for his long standing career in the movies. A retrospective of some of his films played at the festival. There was much controversy surrounding Delon receiving this award because of the presumed remarks he had made concerning the treatment of women during his career and in his private life. Thierry Fremaux, the artistic director of the festival, told the Cannes audience during a homage at the ceremony, "We know that intolerance is back, we're being asked to believe that if we all think the same it will protect us from the risk of being disliked or being wrong, but Alain Delon is not afraid of being wrong, being disliked, and he doesn't think like others, and he's not afraid of being alone". He received the award from his daughter Anouchka Delon. Delon suffered a stroke in June 2019. He was admitted to hospital after experiencing dizziness and headaches. In August 2019, he was recovering in a Swiss hospital. BiographieAlain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon naît le 8 novembre 1935 à Sceaux, dans le département de la Seine (actuellement les Hauts-de-Seine). Fils de Fabien Delon (1904-1977), directeur du cinéma de Bourg-la-Reine, Le Régina, et d'Édith Arnold (1911-1995), employée dans une pharmacie, il est né dans une famille de la petite bourgeoisie. Les Delon sont originaires de Saint-Vincent-Lespinasse, en Tarn-et-Garonne. En 1939, Alain Delon a quatre ans lorsque ses parents divorcent. Il est alors confié à une famille d’accueil, ce qui restera pour lui une blessure d'enfance jamais cicatrisée. Il est placé ensuite dans la pension catholique de Saint-Nicolas d'Igny, dans l'Essonne, où il passe toute sa jeunesse avec un de ses meilleurs amis, Gérard Salomé. Il se fait renvoyer six fois des écoles qu'il fréquente. Sa mère qui a épousé en secondes noces Paul Boulogne, un commerçant boucher-charcutier de Bourg-la-Reine, lui ménage une place dans le domicile familial. Alain passe un CAP de charcuterie et travaille à la charcuterie de son beau-père qui compte seize employés. À 14 ans, il a l'occasion de tourner le rôle d'un voyou dans Le Rapt, un court-métrage muet de 22 secondes réalisé par Olivier Bourguignon, le père de l'un de ses amis. Au même âge, il fait une fugue dans le but d'aller vivre à Chicago, mais il est arrêté à Bordeaux. Devançant l'appel sous les drapeaux, il effectue à 17 ans son service militaire dans la Marine nationale. Après un passage au Centre de formation maritime de Pont-Réan, il poursuit son service militaire en 1953 à l'École des transmissions des Bormettes. Après qu'il a été pris pour un vol de matériel, la Marine nationale lui laisse le choix entre quitter la Marine ou prolonger son engagement de trois à cinq ans. Matelot de 1re classe, il est alors affecté à la compagnie de protection de l'arsenal de Saïgon. Vers la fin de la guerre d'Indochine, il est mis aux arrêts pour avoir volé une jeep et fait une virée au cours de laquelle le véhicule est tombé dans un arroyo. Son brevet de radio lui est retiré et il est exclu de la Marine. Cette période le marque profondément : il découvre la discipline militaire, le sens de l'honneur et du drapeau de la France. Il se prend de passion pour les armes, et est subjugué par Jean Gabin dans Touchez pas au grisbi, film qu'il voit dans la capitale indochinoise. De retour en 1956 à Paris, où il fait la connaissance de la future Dalida, avec qui il a ensuite une liaison, il enchaîne les petits métiers, notamment comme débardeur aux Halles et serveur dans un café près des Champs Élyséesd. À Montmartre, il côtoie le monde de la pègre et des gigolos. Sa rencontre amoureuse avec Brigitte Auber au Club Saint-Germain l'éloigne de cet univers et change son parcours. Dans le quartier de Saint-Germain-des-Prés, il se fait remarquer par Jean-Claude Brialy qui l'invite au Festival de Cannes, où son physique et sa « gueule d'ange » ne passent pas inaperçus. Il fait un bout d'essai concluant et aborde ainsi le milieu du cinéma, sans formation particulière d’acteur. À Rome, où Alain Delon vit avec Gian Paolo Barbieri, qui deviendra un photographe célèbre, il est remarqué par le célèbre producteur de films et découvreur de talents américain David O. Selznick, qui lui propose un contrat de sept ans aux États-Unis à la condition qu'il apprenne l'anglais. De retour en France, Delon se met donc à l'étude de cette langue, mais il rencontre Yves Allégret, qui le convainc de rester en France. En 1957, Michèle Cordoue, dont il est l'amant, convainc son mari, le réalisateur Yves Allégret, de l'engager pour tourner son premier film Quand la femme s'en mêle. Il y joue un petit rôle aux côtés de la star Edwige Feuillère. Alain Delon raconte : « Je ne savais rien faire. Allégret m'a regardé comme ça et il m'a dit : « Écoute-moi bien, Alain. Parle comme tu me parles. Regarde comme tu me regardes. Écoute comme tu m'écoutes. Ne joue pas, vis ». Ça a tout changé. Si Yves Allégret ne m'avait pas dit ça, je n'aurais pas eu cette carrière ». En 1958, il rencontre Romy Schneider sur le tournage du film Christine, réalisé par Pierre Gaspard-Huit, avec son ami Jean-Claude Brialy et Micheline Presle. Le coup de foudre est réciproque. Il a vingt-deux ans, elle en a dix-neuf ; Ils sont surnommés « les fiancés de l’Europe ». Ils incarnent la beauté, la jeunesse, le succès et deviennent un couple célébré par le show-business et le public. Ils se fiancent le 22 mars 1959, sur le lac de Lugano dans la maison des parents Schneider, sous les feux de la presse. Après Christine, où il tenait son premier rôle important, Delon rencontre son premier succès dans Faibles Femmes de Michel Boisrond. En 1960, Alain Delon accède au rang de star sous la direction de René Clément avec Plein Soleil, adapté du roman Monsieur Ripley de Patricia Highsmith, qui est suivi, en 1961, par Rocco et ses frères de Luchino Visconti, qui remporte le Prix Spécial du Jury au Festival de Venise et consacre Delon et Annie Girardot. La jeune star joue ensuite dans un sketch romantique face à Brigitte Bardot dans Les Amours célèbres, un film en costumes inspiré des bandes dessinées de Paul Gordeaux, tourné par Michel Boisrond. La même année, Alain Delon commence une carrière d'homme d'affaires en achetant dans le Vieux-Nice, le restaurant La Camargue. En 1962, il joue aux côtés de Monica Vitti dans L'Éclipse de Michelangelo Antonioni, film qui obtient le Prix Spécial du Jury du Festival de Cannes. En 1963, il joue le rôle de Tancrède dans Le Guépard de Luchino Visconti, en compagnie de Claudia Cardinale et de Burt Lancaster ; le film obtient la Palme d'or au festival de Cannes, et restera comme un de ses plus grands rôles, achevant de faire d'Alain Delon un acteur majeur du grand cinéma européen. La même année, il tourne, sous la direction de Henri Verneuil, Mélodie en sous-sol, récompensé par le Golden Globe du meilleur film en langue étrangère. C'est lors du tournage de ce classique du genre policier que Delon rencontre Jean Gabin. Cette série de films est considérée comme une suite de chefs-d'œuvre. Alain Delon s'impose également en héros de film d'aventures dans La Tulipe noire, de Christian-Jaque, avec Virna Lisi. De 1959 à 1963, Alain Delon et Romy Schneider ont une histoire d'amour. La chanteuse allemande, Nico, avec qui il a eu une relation, met au monde un fils, Christian Aaron Boulogne dit Ari Boulogne, le 11 août 1962. Même si l'enfant a été élevé par la mère d'Alain Delon et adopté par son beau-père, Alain Delon a toujours nié être son père. Le 13 août 1964, un an après sa rupture avec Romy Schneider, il épouse Francine Canovas (Francine débutera au cinéma en 1967, sous le nom de Nathalie Delon dans le film de Melville Le Samouraï) à La Ville-aux-Clercs. Leur fils Anthony naît le 30 septembre 1964, à Hollywood, où l'acteur a signé un contrat de longue durée, car il veut y faire carrière. Déçu par la qualité des films, il résilie son contrat. En 1967, Alain et Nathalie tournent ensemble dans Le Samouraï, le classique de Jean-Pierre Melville. En résidence séparée à partir du 19 octobre 1967, le couple divorce le 14 février 1969. Entre 1968 et 1983, Alain Delon partage la vie de l'actrice Mireille Darc. En 1970, Delon tourne avec Jean-Paul Belmondo, son unique rival dans le cinéma français, Borsalino, classique du film de gangsters signé Jacques Deray. En 1970 et 1972, Delon tourne de nouveau avec un de ses maîtres, Jean-Pierre Melville, Le Cercle rouge, et Un flic qui marque sa rencontre professionnelle avec Catherine Deneuve. Durant la décennie, il développe et pousse à l'extrême deux aspects essentiels de son personnage cinématographique : le fétichisme du vêtement (chapeau et imperméable) et le professionnalisme. On retrouve cet aspect dans Le Cercle rouge, Un flic et Borsalino and Co.… En 1974, Delon accepte le rôle principal de Zorro. Dans les années 1970 et au début des années 1980, Alain Delon apparaît dans un grand nombre de films d'action, en majorité des polars, où il interprète des personnages de héros, ou parfois d'anti-héros tragiques. Il tentera de nouvelles incursions dans le cinéma américain en tenant l'un des rôles principaux du thriller Scorpio et du film catastrophe Airport 80 Concorde qui ne remporte pas un grand succès commercial. En 1973, il connaît un succès international dans le monde musical aux côtés de son amie Dalida avec le duo Paroles... Paroles.... .Au milieu des années 1960, Alain Delon vit une idylle avec Dalida, bien que les deux soient amis depuis leur première rencontre à Paris, en 1955, alors qu'ils étaient voisins de palier dans un immeuble situé avenue des Champs-Élysées. En 1968, Delon monte sa propre société de production, Adel Productions. Son premier film produit est Jeff. Il propose à Mireille Darc de jouer avec lui dans Jeff. Alain Delon clôt la décennie avec deux classiques du film noir : La Piscine, qui est l'occasion de retrouvailles spectaculaires avec Romy Schneider devant la caméra de Jacques Deray, et Le Clan des Siciliens. Pendant ce temps, éclate l'affaire Marković, du nom de son garde du corps, Stevan Marković, retrouvé mort dans une décharge à Élancourt dans les Yvelines. François Marcantoni, un ami de Delon, est accusé de l'assassinat. Alain Delon est interrogé par la police, bien que l'assassinat ait vraisemblablement eu lieu en Île-de-France, alors qu'il était à Ramatuelle, lieu de tournage de la Piscine. En 1978, il crée à Genève sa société de diffusion de produits de luxe, Alain Delon Diffusion SA ; sous son nom, on trouve des parfums comme AD, suivi en 1981 d'une fragrance pour femme, « Le Temps d'Aimer ». Ces deux lignes ont été remplacées par d'autres fragrances, telles que « Samouraï », « Samouraï Woman », « Shogun » ou encore « Samouraï Woman Pinkberry ». La société de l'acteur vend aussi du champagne, du cognac, des montres, des lunettes, des cigarettes, ainsi que des vêtements et des accessoires à son nom. Les concepteurs de ces différents produits ne sont pas connus. L'acteur Chow Yun-fat porte des lunettes de soleil de la marque « Alain Delon » dans le film Le Syndicat du crime et ses deux suites ; John Woo, le réalisateur, a déclaré par ailleurs être un admirateur de Delon et de son jeu d'acteur. En 1981, Delon réalise son premier film, un polar, Pour la peau d'un flic, d'après Jean-Patrick Manchette, qui révèle Anne Parillaud. Il joue dans Trois Hommes à abattre, où il rencontre Dalila Di Lazzaro. Étant producteur, Delon avoue que tous les films incluant dans leur titre le terme « Flic », qu'il choisit lui-même, s'avérent être des succès commerciaux. Il revient à la réalisation en 1983 pour Le Battant, avec de nouveau Anne Parillaud et Richard Anconina dans un second rôle. En 1984, il incarne le baron de Charlus dans Un amour de Swann, adapté de Marcel Proust par Volker Schlöndorff ; le film recueille des critiques mitigées. Après le film Ne réveillez pas un flic qui dort, Alain Delon cesse d'apparaître en héros de polar. Il s'installe en 1985 en Suisse, à Chêne-Bougeries, une commune du canton de Genève. Le 23 septembre 1999, le conseil communal de Chêne-Bougeries vote la naturalisation suisse d'Alain Delon, ainsi que de ses deux enfants, Anoucka et Alain-Fabien. Il rencontre en 1987 Rosalie van Breemen, un mannequin néerlandais, sur le tournage du vidéo-clip de sa chanson Comme au cinéma. Il a avec elle deux enfants : Anouchka, née le 25 novembre 1990, et Alain-Fabien, né le 18 mars 1994. En 1998, Delon déclare mettre fin à sa carrière au cinéma. Bien qu'il ait annoncé mettre un terme à sa carrière cinématographique, Alain Delon accepte, en 1999, de participer au film de Bertrand Blier Les Acteurs, dans lequel il rend hommage à Jean Gabin et Lino Ventura, Louis de Funès, Yves Montand et Simone Signoret. En 2001, Alain Delon incarne le commissaire de police Fabio Montale de Marseille, dans une série policière d'après l'œuvre de Jean-Claude Izzo pour TF1, qui s'avère être un des scores historiques pour la télévision française en termes d'audience avec 12,4 millions de téléspectateurs. En 2001, dans son livre de souvenirs, L'amour n'oublie jamais, paru chez Jean-Jacques Pauvert, le photographe Christian Aaron Boulogne, fils de Nico, mannequin, actrice et chanteuse allemande, affirme être le fils caché et non reconnu d'Alain Delon. En octobre 2002, Alain Delon et Rosalie van Breemen se séparent après quinze ans de vie commune. Dépressif, âgé de soixante-sept ans, Delon avoue souvent à la presse son manque d'envie de vivre. Il est fait commandeur de la Légion d'honneur en 2005 par le président de la République française Jacques Chirac pour « sa contribution à l'art du cinéma mondial ». Alain Delon est devenu collectionneur d'œuvres d'art, dont des bronzes anciens, en particulier des sujets animaliers de Rembrandt Bugatti et de peintures. À la suite d'une exposition organisée par le galeriste Franck Prazan, il vend 40 toiles d'artistes de l'École de Paris et du mouvement CoBrA lors d'une vente aux enchères à Drouot-Montaigne en octobre 2007. La vente totalise un peu plus de 8 millions d'euros. En 2008, il tient le rôle de Jules César dans Astérix aux Jeux olympiques, mais ce film à très gros budget, malgré plus de six millions de spectateurs, est très mal accueilli par la critique et ne reçoit pas le succès escompté.
Il reprend le théâtre en 2011 avec la pièce Une journée ordinaire sur les relations père-fille qu'il interprète aux côtés de sa fille, Anouchka. Le Festival de Cannes 2013 lui rend hommage ; à cette occasion, lors de la sélection Cannes Classics, le film Plein Soleil est présenté en version remastérisée. En octobre, Alain Delon joue de nouveau dans la pièce de théâtre Une journée ordinaire, mais cette fois en tournée à travers la France, accompagné de nouveau de sa fille Anouchka. Le 19 mai 2019, lors du festival de Cannes, il reçoit une Palme d'honneur pour l'ensemble de sa carrière. Il prononce alors une allocution lors de laquelle il apparaît en larmes. En août 2019, fils d'Alain Delon, Anthony Delon confirme que son père a été victime deux mois auparavant d'un accident vasculaire cérébral et d’une hémorragie cérébrale, ce qui a conduit à son hospitalisation à l'hôpital de la Salpêtrière puis dans une clinique suisse Alain Delon confie en juin 2021 vouloir tourner une dernière fois avant sa mort : « [J'ai] envie de faire un film et surtout de faire mon dernier film. Celui qui restera pour toujours. Et après, je pourrai partir, je n’aurai plus rien d’autre à faire ». Pour ce tournage, il souhaite une équipe « exceptionnelle » avec un « metteur en scène exceptionnel », sûrement « une femme », citant Lisa Azuelos. Agustina del Carmen Otero Iglesias (4 November 1868 – 10 April 1965), better known as Carolina Otero or La Belle Otero, was a Spanish actress, dancer and courtesan. She had a reputation for great beauty and was famous for her numerous lovers. Agustina Carolina del Carmen Otero Iglesias, más conocida como Carolina Otero o La Bella Otero (Valga, 4 de noviembre de 1868-Niza, 12 de abril de 1965), fue una bailarina, cantante, actriz y cortesana española afincada en Francia y uno de los personajes más destacados de la Belle Époque francesa en los círculos artísticos y la vida galante de París. BiographyAgustina del Carmen Otero Iglesias was born in Valga (Pontevedra), Galicia, Spain, daughter of a Spanish single mother, Carmen Otero Iglesias (1844–1903), and a Greek army officer, named Carasson. Her family was impoverished, and as a child she moved to Santiago de Compostela working as a maid. At ten she was raped, and at fourteen she left home with her boyfriend and dancing partner, Paco, and began working as a singer/dancer in Lisbon. In 1888 Otero found a sponsor named Ernest Jurgens in Barcelona who moved with her to Marseilles in order to promote her dancing career in France. She soon left him and created the character of La Belle Otero, portraying herself as an Andalusian gypsy. She was pretty, confident, intelligent, with an attractive figure. It was once said of her that her extraordinarily dark black eyes were so captivating that they were "of such intensity that it was impossible not to be detained before them". She wound up as the star of Folies Bèrgere productions in Paris.One of her most famous costumes featured her voluptuous bosom partially covered with glued-on precious gems, and the twin cupolas of the Carlton Hotel built in 1912 in Cannes are popularly said to have been modeled upon her breasts. Within a short number of years, La Bella Otero was said to be the most sought-after woman in Europe. She was serving, by this time, as a courtesan to wealthy and powerful men of the day, and she chose her lovers carefully. She associated herself with Kaiser Wilhelm II, Prince Albert I of Monaco, King Edward VII, Kings of Serbia, and Kings of Spain as well as Russian Grand Dukes Peter and Nicholas, the Duke of Westminster and writer Gabriele D'Annunzio. Her love affairs made her notorious, and the envy of many other notable female personalities of the day. Six men reportedly committed suicide after their love affairs with Otero ended, although this has never been substantiated beyond a doubt. It is a fact, however, that two men did fight a duel over her. In August 1898, in St-Petersburg, the French film operator Félix Mesguich (an employee of the Lumière company) shot a one-minute reel of Otero performing the famous "Valse Brillante." The screening of the film at the Aquarium music-hall provoked such a scandal (because an officer of the Tsar's army appeared in this frivolous scene) that Mesguich was expelled from Russia. La Bella Otero retired after World War I, purchasing a mansion and property at a cost of the equivalent of US$15 million. She had accumulated a massive fortune over the years, about US$25 million, but she gambled much of it away over the remainder of her lifetime, enjoying a lavish lifestyle, and visiting the casinos of Monte Carlo often. She lived out her life in a more and more pronounced state of poverty until she died of a heart attack in 1965 in her one-room apartment at the Hotel Novelty in Nice, France. Of her heyday and career, Otero once said, "Women have one mission in life: to be beautiful. When one gets old, one must learn how to break mirrors. I am very gently expecting to die." BiografiaHija de una madre soltera y muy pobre (Carmen Otero Iglesias, 1844-1903) y de un oficial de la armada griega llamado Carasson, apenas tuvo acceso a una educación académica. Tuvo cinco hermanos: Gumersindo, Valentín, Adolfo y Francisco, y una hermana gemela, Francisca. En julio de 1879, a los diez años, fue violada por Venancio Romero "Conainas", zapatero del pueblo, a causa de lo cual quedó estéril y huyó de casa unos meses después para no volver nunca más a su pueblo natal, Valga. Tras la fuga decidió usar su segundo nombre: Carolina, en lugar del primero Agustina. A los trece años conoció a su primer amante, Paco, un joven tres años mayor que ella, quien le enseñó a bailar flamenco, a cantar y a ejercer de comediante en los salones de cantantes. Sin embargo, también fue quien la indujo a la prostitución. Cuando ella enfermó, el médico denuncia la situación de la entonces menor de edad y la llevan a casa, pero su madre la rechaza, tras lo que se une a Paco en Lisboa. Trabajó en una compañía de cómicos ambulantes portugueses. Al dejar la compañía se vio obligada a ejercer oficios muy humildes para salir adelante, como trabajar de criada doméstica, bailar en locales de la más diversa índole, e incluso llegar a ejercer la prostitución. En 1888 conoció en Barcelona a un banquero llamado Ernest Jurgens que la quiso promocionar como bailarina por Francia y la llevó a Marsella, aunque enseguida empezó a promocionarse a sí misma hasta llegar a ser una bailarina conocida en toda Francia como La Bella Otero. En la promoción enfatizaba su origen español (muy exótico en Francia por entonces) y se presentaba artísticamente como andaluza y de origen gitano. La construcción del personaje artístico de Otero está tan llena de mitos que incluso han perdurado hasta nuestros días, habiendo biógrafos que sitúan su nacimiento en Cádiz, hija de una gitana, tal y como ella afirmaba en su autobiografía. Realizó giras por todo el mundo como bailarina exótica y actriz, consiguiendo fama internacional. Se sabe que actuó en Nueva York en 1890, además de visitar otros países como Argentina, Cuba y Rusia, coincidiendo en este último con Rasputín. Otero actuó durante muchos años en París en el Folies Bergère, donde era la estrella y en el Cirque d'été, convirtiéndose en una de las primeras artistas españolas conocida internacionalmente. Otero no era una bailarina profesional y su arte era más instintivo que técnico. Sus danzas eran una mezcla de estilos flamenco, fandangos o danzas exóticas. También era una cantante competente y tenía calidad como actriz. Representó Carmen de Bizet y piezas teatrales como Nuit de Nöel. A pesar de sus éxitos profesionales, Otero había conseguido ascender en el mundo artístico prostituyéndose y haciéndose amante de hombres influyentes. No era una práctica extraña que las artistas ejercieran de cortesanas para aumentar sus ingresos. En la Belle Époque era habitual y los hombres que podían pagar las astronómicas sumas que cobraban estas cortesanas conseguían prestigio. Otero era una de las más famosas y cotizadas de la alta sociedad parisina. Fue amante de Guillermo II de Alemania, Nicolás II de Rusia, Leopoldo II de Bélgica, Alfonso XIII de España, Eduardo VII del Reino Unido y Aristide Briand —con quien tuvo una relación entrañable hasta la muerte del político—, entre otros. Otero llegó a reunir una fabulosa fortuna que, debido a la ludopatía que padecía, fue dilapidando en los casinos de Montecarlo y Niza. Retirada de los escenarios en 1910, se estableció en Niza, Francia, donde vivió hasta su muerte en 1965 totalmente arruinada y sola. Vivía de una pensión que le pasaba el Casino de Montecarlo en agradecimiento por los millones de francos que en él dejara. Nunca se casó. Falleció de un infarto fulminante en su humilde departamento el 12 de abril de 1965, con noventa y seis años. A su entierro solo asistieron varios crupieres y el gerente del Casino de Montecarlo para despedirla. De su vida se han escrito varias biografías y se han hecho películas y series para la televisión. Debido a que Otero inventó parte de su pasado para ocultar hechos como su violación o sus orígenes extremadamente humildes, muchas biografías, películas u otros trabajos en torno a su persona tienen datos inexactos y hechos que nunca sucedieron de verdad. Further interest |
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