Fading star Mireille Dark: What ruined the marriage with Delon and the film career of the famous actress

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The famous French actress Mireille Dark was known in our country primarily as the star of the film "Tall blond in a black boot" and the woman with whom the famous heartthrob Alain Delon had the longest relationship - for 15 years. In the 1970s. she was one of the most popular French actresses, and then suddenly disappeared from the screens at the peak of her popularity. What happened to Mireille Dark after breaking up with Delon, and what sad events made her leave the cinema - further in the review.

The real name of the actress is Mireille Egroz. She was born in 1938 in Toulon to the family of a gardener and a grocer. After graduating from the Conservatory of Dramatic Art, Mireille moved to Paris, where she began her career as a model. At 22, she first appeared on television in small roles, and popularity came to her in the mid-1960s, after the dark-haired girl dyed her platinum blonde. Later she said: "".

In France, she was named The Big Grasshopper, after the 1967 film that made her famous. After 2 years on the set, Mireille Dark met Alain Delon, which was a turning point in both her personal and professional life. For the next 15 years, she remained the common-law wife and business partner of the famous French actor.

In the early 1970s. after the release of the films "The Tall Blonde in a Yellow Boot" and "The Return of the Tall Blonde" with Pierre Richard and Mireille Dark in the lead roles, the actress found herself at the peak of her popularity. She admitted: "". It was in the image of the “tall blonde” friend that Mireille Dark was recognized and loved in the USSR, where films with Pierre Richard were very popular.

In her personal life, the actress during this period also experienced a period of absolute happiness and euphoria. Later she said: "".

For a long time, no one took Mireille Dark seriously - both viewers and film critics, accustomed to seeing her in a comedy role, perceived her exclusively as a charming dummy, a flirty beauty, a typical blonde, which she most often looked on the screens. No one expected from her the depth that unexpectedly revealed when, in the 2000s. the actress published her memoir titled "As long as my heart beats." And then admiring comments poured in: "" How did the actress amaze her fans so much?

In her memoirs, Mireille Dark for the first time openly spoke about what destroyed both her film career and her long-term relationship with Alain Delon. In the late 1970s. a black streak began in the life of the actress. She had heart problems for a long time, but during this period the attacks became so frequent and acute that it was no longer possible to postpone the operation. She and Delon really wanted children, but the doctors categorically forbade Mireille to give birth. They warned her that she not only will not be able to bear the child, but she herself may not live up to his birth. The actress wrote: "".

In 1982, one of the most beautiful couples in French cinema broke up. Parting with Alain Delon broke the actress. She could not overcome depression, which was aggravated by the creative crisis. Apparently, Mireille Dark's severe emotional state caused a car accident, after which she spent several months in the hospital. Delon supported her until she recovered, but later they parted completely - the actor had another woman.

Due to health problems and the film career of the actress went to pieces. In 1980, she underwent heart surgery and was forced to take a long break from filming. After 3 years, Mireille Dark starred in several films, but after 1984 she practically stopped appearing on screens. In the 1990s. Mireille Dark returned to television. She starred in several TV series, and also tried her hand as a documentary filmmaker, filming a series of reports on acute social topics - about the problem of donation, organ transplants, cancer, etc.

In 1983 Mireille Dark got married, but this marriage lasted only 5 years. Her husband, director of the radio station Pierre Barre, died in 1988 after a serious illness. 7 years later, the actress met the architect Pascal Despres, who became her husband in 2002. About this marriage, she said: "".

In 2013, Mireille Dark underwent a second heart operation. In the fall of 2016, the actress suffered 3 strokes, after which she was bedridden and lost the ability to speak. On August 28, 2017, Mireille Dark was gone. Until the end of her days, her husband remained with her, as well as Alain Delon, with whom in 2007 they again began performing together on the theater stage and communicating. At that time, each of them already had families - Delon met the fashion model Rosalie van Bremen, who bore him two children and became, in his words, "the woman of his life." But 10 years later, she left him, and the famous actor remained in the eyes of the French "a sacred monster": Why Alain Delon has earned the fame of a selfish heartthrob.