When Alain Delon (b. 1935) was 4 years of age, his parents divorced and abandoned him into foster care. Later, his parents shared custody of the boy who was put into multiple boarding schools (as he was regularly expelled).

Alain Delon enlisted in the French army at the age of 17 (some sources say he did so voluntarily, some say his parents forced him to).

In 1956 and back in Paris, the good looking Alain was 'discovered' by actor Brigitte Auber and through Auber, Alain met filmmakers and photographers. After his first film role he quickly became a success, a French star of the 1960s and 1970s.