PARIS -- Alain Delon, the internationally acclaimed French actor who embodied both the bad guy and the policeman and made hearts throb around the world, died at age 88, French media reported.

Known for his striking appearance and warm demeanor, the accomplished actor seamlessly blended strength with an endearing vulnerability, solidifying his place as one of France's most memorable leading men.

Delon was also a producer, graced the stage in plays and, in later years, appeared in television films.

His children announced his passing on Sunday in a statement to Agence France-Presse, a common practice in France. Tributes to Delon immediately flooded social media platforms, and all leading French media outlets dedicated extensive coverage to his illustrious career.

During the peak of his career, in the 1960s and 1970s, Delon was sought after by some of the world’s most esteemed directors, including Luchino Visconti and Joseph Losey.

In his later years, Delon became disenchanted with the film industry, lamenting that money had extinguished the passion. “Money, commerce and television have destroyed the dream machine,” he wrote in a 2003 issue of newsweekly Le Nouvel Observateur. “My cinema is dead. And me, too.”

However, he continued to work prolifically, featuring in several television films throughout his 70s.

Delon's presence was unforgettable, whether playing morally depraved heroes or romantic leading men. He first gained acclaim in 1960 with “Plein Soleil,” directed by Réne Clément, in which he played a murderer attempting to assume the identity of his victims.

He made several Italian movies, working, most notably with Visconti in the 1961 film “Rocco and His Brothers,” in which Delon portrays a self-sacrificing brother determined to help his sibling. The movie won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

The 1963 Visconti film “Le Guepard” (The Leopard) starring Delon won the Palme d’Or, the most prestigious award at the Cannes Film Festival. His other notable films included Clément's “Is Paris Burning,” featuring a screenplay by Gore Vidal and Francis Ford Coppola among others; “La Piscine” (The Sinners), directed by Jacques Deray; and, in a departure from his usual style, Losey's “The Assassination of Trotsky” in 1972.

In 1968, Delon began producing films — a total of 26 by 1990 — a testament to the energetic and self-assured drive that defined his life.

Delon's self-confidence was evident in his statement to Femme in 1996, ‘I enjoy being loved the same way I love myself!’ This mirrored his charismatic screen presence.

Delon continued to captivate audiences for years — while also drawing criticism for comments deemed outdated. In 2010, he appeared in “Un mari de trop” (“One Husband Too Many”) and returned to the stage in 2011 with “An Ordinary Day,” alongside his daughter Anouchka.

He briefly served as the head of the Miss France jury but resigned in 2013 following a disagreement over some controversial statements, which included criticisms of women, LGBTQIA+ rights, and migrants. Despite these controversies, he received a Palme d’Honneur at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, a decision that sparked further debate.

Born on November 8, 1935, in Sceaux, just south of Paris, Delon was placed with a foster family after his parents separated when he was 4. He subsequently attended a Roman Catholic boarding school.

At the age of 17, Delon enlisted in the navy and was deployed to Indochina. Upon returning to France in 1956, he held various odd jobs, including waiter and a carrier in the Paris meat market, before pursuing a career in acting.

Delon had a son, Anthony, born in 1964, with his then-wife Nathalie Canovas, who co-starred with him in Jean-Pierre Melville's “The Samurai” in 1967. He had two more children, Anouchka and Alain-Fabien, with a later partner, Rosalie van Breemen, with whom he collaborated on a song and video clip in 1987. He was also widely believed to be the father of Ari Boulogne, the son of German model and singer Nico, although he never publicly acknowledged paternity.

“I excel at three things: my profession, being foolish, and being a father,” he stated in a 1995 L’Express interview.

Delon's life was filled with a variety of pursuits, ranging from establishing a stable of trotting horses to developing men's and women's cologne. This extended to watches, eyewear, and other accessories. He was also a collector of paintings and sculptures.

Delon announced he was ending his acting career in 1999, only to continue, appearing in Bertrand Blier’s “Les Acteurs” (The Actors) that same year. Later, he appeared in several television police shows. In 2022, in the last movie he made before retiring, he starred with Juliette Binoche in “The Empty House,” directed by Patrice Leconte.

His good looks were what sustained him. In August 2002, Delon told a weekly magazine, L’Humanite Hebdo, that he wouldn’t still be in the business if that weren’t the case.

“You'll never see me old and unattractive,” he said when he was nearing 70, “because I'll leave before that, or I'll die.”

However, it was in 2019 at the Cannes Film Festival gala honoring him, that Delon expressed his feelings about his life's purpose. “One thing I'm certain of, if there's anything I'm proud of, truly the only thing, it's my career.”