Alain Delon died on August 18 at the ripe old age of 88. He was the most famous French actor of his generation.

It is said his life mirrored some of his more famous gangster roles in that he came to the attention of the French authorities on more than one occasion, not least when it was suggested he could have been involved in the murder of his minder, Stefan Markovic, whose body was found in a dump outside Paris in 1968.

Shortly before his death, Delon wrote the following: “I will leave this world without hearing it. Life has nothing else to offer me, I have seen it all, I have experienced it all. Above all I hate the current era, it hurts me. Everything is fake, everything has been replaced, no respect for the word given. Now all that matters is money and wealth. I know I leave this world with no regrets.”

While Delon might not have been a particularly appropriate role model, he had a point about this era.

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Two obvious examples came to mind.

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