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Police seize 72 guns and 3,000 rounds of ammunition from movie legend's French home
28 February 2024, 11:23
French police have seized 72 firearms and more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition from the home of screen legend Alain Delon.
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A shooting range was also found at the actor's home in Douchy-Montcorbon, about 135km (84 miles) south of Paris.
Delon, 88, 'has no authorisation that would allow him to own a firearm', said local prosecutor Jean-Cedrix Gaux.
The star played gun-toting gangsters in several of his most famous films, including 'Borsalino' and is credited with creating the Hollywood trope of the mysterious cerebral hitman in the 1967 film 'The Samurai'.
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Delon has been in poor health since he suffered a stroke in 2019 and has recently been the centre of an escalating family feud.
His three children have laid their mutual grievances before the media in a series of insults, accusations, lawsuits and secret recordings.
Last month, Delon's youngest son Anthony Delon, 59, reported his sister Anouchka Delon, 33, to French police for not telling him or his brother Alain-Fabien, 29, that their father had failed five cognitive tests at a private clinic in Switzerland.
Those tests were particularly significant because Delon is currently in the middle of a family dispute over his £250million fortune.
The disputes became even more poisonous after the veteran actor told his family that the Christmas just gone could be his last.
Delon's family have complained about him being exploited for his 'psychological weakness', saying that those close to him are after his financial assets and property.
In July, the three children evicted Delon's 60-year-old live-in partner, Hiromi Rollin, from the countryside estate they shared.
Delon had a stroke in 2019 and – according to his daughter and sons' depositions – Ms Rollin was cruel to him, and his Belgian Shepherd dog, Loubo, while also stealing money.
They feared the ultimate aim of Ms Rollin, who denies any wrongdoing, was to get her hands on Delon's entire fortune.
Delon is estimated to be worth millions. He sold some 80 works of art at auction in June for more than eight million euros.
His last major public appearance was to receive an honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019. He did, however, attend the Paris funeral of his friend and fellow star Jean-Paul Belmondo in September 2021.