French film legend Alain Delon to be honoured at Cannes Festival

French actor Alain Delon is to be honoured at the Cannes film festival later this month with a screening of Plein Soleil, René Clement's 1960 adaptation of "The Talented Mr Ripley", in which he starred.

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The tribute will be paid to the 77-year-old Delon, who now lives in Switzerland, as part of the Cannes Classics series, festival organisers said on Tuesday, confirming a newspaper report.

Plein Soleil (Purple Noon) marked a turning point in Delon's career and led to the critically acclaimed Rocco et ses Frères (Rocco and his Brothers).

Delon, who still has a huge fan club, especially among women, has made some 100 films
in a career lasting over half a century.

In his heydey in the 1960s and 70s he made some of his most famous films and became a household name, along with fellow actor Jean-Paul Belmondo.

He also starred alongside Jane Fonda, Gérard Depardieu, Catherine Deneuve and in 1997 Vanessa Paradis 

The original version of Plein Soleil has been restored by the Immagine Ritrovata laboratory in Italy with financing by the France-based film production and distribution company StudioCanal.