Alain Delon's hidden fortune: Heirs battle over actor's legacy
The late Alain Delon, who passed away on Sunday, was an actor and a businessman who expertly leveraged his image to amass wealth. The media speculates that the legendary actor's fortune is substantial. However, the exact amount of the inheritance remains a closely guarded secret.
In the star's final year, a "positional war"—as AFP described it—was fought between his heirs. The actor's children were embroiled in a legal dispute over their father's medical care. The media widely reported on the matter.
The actor capitalised on the "Delon" brand and his image for years. Producing luxury items proved lucrative. In Asia, cigarettes, alcohol, and perfumes bearing his name sold exceptionally well. A luxury perfume brand used photos of Delon from the 1960s in its advertisements.
It is known that throughout his career, coupled with his acting successes, Delon accumulated a significant fortune because he produced around 30 films. However, the exact amount of Delon's inheritance is not known.
For the past 15 years, the actor has been auctioning off his cars, art collections, and wine collections. "I prefer to leave the money to my children," he told AFP in 2017, adding that he despised "posthumous sales."
Delon had a passion for art. As early as the 1960s, he began purchasing graphics. He collected sculptures, elite brands of wine, and expensive watches. The scale of his wealth can be gleaned from these works of art, which he put up for sale before his death. One of the paintings by Eugene Delacroix is the most distinguished representation of Romanticism in European art. Another painting that Delon owned, by Raoul Dufy, was valued at over £860,000.
Several years earlier, when Delon first auctioned his art collection, it included around 40 paintings from the 1950s. The auction broke several world records and fetched nearly £7,740,000.
Valuable weapon collection
In 2000, the actor took Swiss citizenship, which was noted for its favourable taxation. He also owned property near Geneva. Besides the estate in Douchy (Loiret region), where he settled several decades ago with his then-partner Mireille Darc and lived until the end of his life, the existence of other possible real estate remains a mystery.
Delon also collected weapons. Part of this arsenal—72 pieces, including sports weapons—was confiscated in Douchy in February 2024. The property had a shooting range, but the actor did not have permission for these weapons and failed to declare them.
