Ukraine is bestowing its top order of merit honour on the French actor Alain Delon, 88, who has been battling ill health, Kyiv’s embassy in Paris said on Friday, hailing the screen icon’s support in the face of the Russian invasion.
“Since the first day of the war, Delon has spoken a lot in support of Ukraine. For us, it is a symbol, it is important,” the Ukrainian embassy said.
It recalled that Delon had participated in an interactive exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, himself a former actor, in 2022, and that he had also read texts by Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko during a television programme.
The award was announced by Kyiv’s ambassador to Paris Vadym Omelchenko on French language global channel TV5 Monde.
“Mr Delon, dear Alain, I know that you are in a not very simple situation, and I want to tell you that you are not alone,” said the ambassador.
“You have many admirers and people who love you. Me and my people, we are always at your side,” he said.
Delon, who starred in classics such as “Swimming Pool”, “The Leopard” and “Purple Noon”, has been in poor health since he suffered a stroke in 2019.
A guardian had since January been in charge of the 88-year-old’s medical decisions and he has recently been the centre of an escalating family feud between his sons Anthony and Alain-Fabien, and his daughter Anouchka.
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