French actor Alain Delon dies aged 88

Alain Delon, pictured at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007, has died aged 88 (Picture: PA)

Alain Delon, the internationally acclaimed French actor who embodied both the bad guy and the policeman and made hearts throb around the world, has died aged 88, local media has reported.

With his handsome looks and tender manner, the prolific actor was able to combine toughness with an appealing, vulnerable quality that made him one of France’s most memorable leading men.