Nathalie Delon (born Francine Canovas, August 1, 1941 – January 21, 2021) was a striking French model and emerging actress in the 1960s, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful women of the era. She became especially prominent through her high-profile, glamorous (and turbulent) marriage to actor Alain Delon.
Born in Oujda, Morocco (then a French protectorate), to a family of Spanish origin, she had a difficult childhood. She married young (around 1957–1959) to Guy Barthélémy, had a daughter also named Nathalie, and the marriage ended in divorce (finalized around 1964), with custody of the child going to her ex-husband. She moved to Paris around 1961–1962, working as a model (and briefly aspiring toward photojournalism). She was photographed for major magazines such as Vogue by leading photographers and was known for her green eyes, elegant features, and poised beauty.
In August 1962, at age 21, she met rising star Alain Delon (then engaged to Romy Schneider) at the New Jimmy’s nightclub in Paris. Accounts of the first encounter vary but often describe it as abrupt or unromantic (one version has him sitting on her handbag and reacting rudely). They began a secret affair. By 1963 she accompanied him on the set of La Tulipe noire. They became engaged in spring 1964 and married secretly on August 13, 1964 in Loir-et-Cher (small ceremony with few witnesses, bans waived for privacy). The next day they sailed on the SS France for a honeymoon in the U.S. Their son, Anthony Delon, was born on September 30, 1964 in Los Angeles. The couple was one of the most glamorous and media-followed pairs of the decade; they were often noted for their physical resemblance.
They lived for a time in Hollywood (Alain had an MGM contract that was soon cancelled) before returning to France. The relationship was passionate but stormy, marked by strong temperaments on both sides.
She transitioned into acting in 1967 with her film debut as Jane Lagrange opposite her husband in Jean-Pierre Melville’s classic neo-noir Le Samouraï. The film was a major success and remains her best-known role; their on-screen chemistry was noted even as personal tensions reportedly ran high during production. She continued with roles such as La Leçon particulière (The Private Lesson, 1968), which boosted her popularity (especially in Japan), and a small/uncredited part in Melville’s L’Armée des ombres (Army of Shadows, 1969).
The marriage deteriorated. They separated around June 1968 and divorced on February 14, 1969. Contributing factors included mutual volatility, Alain’s infidelities, differing views, and the broader high-pressure celebrity environment. She later described herself as somewhat naïve at the time and noted the intensity of their shared temperament.
The 1960s transformed Nathalie Delon from a young woman leaving a brief early marriage and modeling in Paris into a celebrated beauty, wife of one of France’s biggest stars, mother of Anthony, and screen actress launched by one of the decade’s defining crime films. She remained linked to Alain through their son even after the divorce and later pursued further acting, directing, and writing.
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