Romy Schneider and Alain Delon’s journey is similar of a classic love story. The good girl fell in love with the ‘bad boy’ and escaped from controlling parents.
These relationships, however, did not suit the expression ‘they lived happily ever after.’ They barely lived together for 5 years, but it didn’t stop them from becoming the 20th century’s brightest couple.
Romy Schneider, 19, and Alain Delon, 23, first met in 1958. They were to be filmed together in the movie ‘Christina’. At the time of the meeting, the girl was already a star in Austria, thanks to a series of films about Empress Sisi. And young Delon was just taking his first steps in cinema.
Allen greeted his new partner in a suit at the Paris airport. He had a huge bouquet of red roses in his hand. When Romi saw his future partner, she decided that he was arrogant. The actress remembered. ‘It simply came to our notice then. ‘Well, the boy is just boring.’
Delon, in turn, soon confessed to Romi that he almost vomited when he saw her. ‘Inflated naive girl without a drop of charm. ‘It was necessary to get such a partner for 6 weeks of filming,’ this is how he described his first impression of Romi.
Delon danced with Schneider over and over again during a media event the same evening, repeating the German phrase ‘I love you’ that he had learnt the day before. But he didn’t understand what those words meant at the moment. Delon was delighted by such behavior.
Some colleagues tried, but failed, to bring the rivals together. Schneider and Delon feuded some more. But one day, while going to Brussels in the same coupe, they unexpectedly reconciled. The actors spoke without arguing for the first time in a long time, even flirted. ‘Romy, you look to be in love,’ Elder Schneider said as she welcomed his daughter.
While kissing Delon, Romy’s mother grabbed her daughter. According to eyewitnesses, she created a space-scale scandal, but was unable to convince Romi in any other manner!
Romin took Allen to the airport when the filming was completed. The girl began crying as soon as the young man boarded the plane. When she returned to the hotel discovered Delon’s letter.
It turned out that Delon was not indifferent to her either. The very next day, Schneider decided not to go home to Cologne but to Paris to visit her beloved.
Romin և Allen, by their example, confirmed the popular wisdom about the attractiveness of contradictions. She was a well-mannered girl with a traditional view of the family, and Delon was rebellious in nature and did not accept any conventions.
He remembered ․’I hated the social stratum that belonged to Romi. He was not guilty of his prejudices, but, nevertheless.’
Schneider’s relatives were not impressed with the girl’s choice. The actress’s mother, stepfather’s brother called her every day in Paris, trying to turn her against Delon, but her efforts were in vain. As a result, Romi’s stepfather gave in and offered to get engaged to ‘that French scoundrel.’
Until the last minute, Romi was worried that Allen would not be at the place chosen by his relatives. Didn’t he know how a young man does not like the rules accepted in society? But when Delon arrived, the couple got engaged.
Immediately after that, the young actors lived together, but they were in no hurry to get married. Under Schneider’s influence, Delon began to educate himself. Romi advised him to read books, and then he started discussing them.
Acquaintances noticed Allen’s progress. If in the past he tried to remain silent during high-class events so as not to be considered uneducated, now he could discuss the philosophy and history of the theater.
It was difficult to call the joint life of the stars cloudless. They fought regularly. Allen, whose reputation was steadily growing, could leave Romi, who was worried about unemployment, for a long time. Nobody was interested in her as an actress in Paris.
Allen soon flew to Italy. He was to star in Italian director Lucino Visconti’s ‘Rocco and His Brothers.’ The actor was so engrossed in his work that he refused to go to Romi’s birthday party, which led to another argument. Nevertheless, Delon wasted five days searching for a gift: a 13th-century antique container that he had flown to Rome.
Delon insisted that Schneider go to see him to meet Visconti, but Rom resisted for a long time. In the end, the actress obeyed or did not make a mistake. The director literally ‘re-released’ Romy’s career, confirming her role in his play.
Schneider’s election was not approved by her relatives. They did not like the fact that the girl had to play in the theater. The mother was shouting. ‘It is madness, you will be destroyed.’
Romi confessed that she did not lose faith in her only thanks to the support of Delon and Visconti. “No one believed me except them,” said the actress.
After the triumphant premiere of the play, Delon hurried to his beloved mother, despite all the disagreements, hugged her. Delon pointed to Romi and said: ‘She is my queen.’
The actress remembered that moment as one of the happiest moments of her life. After her theatrical debut, Schneider received offers from various film studios.
Due to the busy schedule, the couple often spent time apart. For example, in 1963 Romi was working in America. One day she saw a photograph of a girl sitting next to Delon.
The newspapers had reprinted that picture և wrote that the actor had a romance. Schneider tried to reassure herself that it was all gossip.
Delon was talking to Romi on the phone as if nothing had happened, and the media was spreading the latest news about him. It was written in the titles of the articles.
‘Alain Delon is marrying Natalie Barthelemy.’ Schneider continued to disbelieve in the betrayal of her chosen one.
And one day, returning home from America, she found a bouquet of roses in a former dormitory with letter. ‘I’m going to Mexico with Natalie. Good luck.’. A few days later they broke up.
Delon shared an excerpt from the draft of his future book through a journalist. He wrote: ‘We broke up not because we did not love each other. On the contrary, we loved to each other ‘too much.’ ‘Romy has been a perfect woman for me.’.
A few years after her divorce from Delon, Romy married director Harry Mayen and had a son. Delon decided to divorce Natalie։ and filed for divorce.
At some point, Schneider found out that her girlfriend had decided to show Allen a photo of Romy’s baby. Seeing the boy’s photo, Allen said: ‘My child is more beautiful.’ He meant Anthony, the common son of Natalie.
A few years later, Allen insisted that the creators of the movie ‘Swimming Pool’ invite Romi to play the role of his screen lover.
Viewers could not help but notice the chemistry between the actors. It seemed that the difficult separation that took place in the past electrified the air around them.
The reunion of the couple on screen could not but give rise to speculation, but during the filming of the movie, Allen had an affair with Mireille Dark. And Schneider wrote in her diary. ‘Delo?’ There is nothing colder than lost love. She later divorced Mayen.
In 1975, Schneider remarried and had a daughter. Her new chosen one was her secretary Daniel Byazini. The fact that the actress was unhappy in her married life is proved by the following lines.
‘The only man I can count on is Allen. He always reaches out when I need help. ‘ It suggests that the former lovers were in close contact.
Schneider and Byazini divorced in 1981. A tragedy took place in the same year. Romi’s son died in an accident. During that difficult time, she had no contact with anyone except Allen, who had come to her aid.
A year later, Romy Schneider himself passed away. Delon, saying goodbye to his beloved, said: ‘For you, I once learned a German phrase, ‘I love you.”
Alain Delon and Romy Schneider were one of the most attractive couples of their time.