Since the death of 1960/70s French cinema icon Alain Delon in August 2024, his three children have become embroiled in one of the most public succession battles France has seen in decades.
The three children, Anthony, Anouchka and Alain-Fabien Delon, have waged a bitter conflict, involving court actions and a stream of accusations aired through social media.
Public disagreements over the actor’s care, place of residence and financial affairs emerged during the final years of his life following a stroke in 2019 and increasing concerns about his cognitive capacity.
According to reports, a medical assessment in early 2024 concluded that Delon’s judgment had become severely impaired, leading to a legal protection order during the final months of his life.
At the heart of the dispute are two wills and a gift.
The First Will
A 2015 will reportedly allocated 50% of Delon’s estate to his daughter Anouchka and 25% each to Anthony and Alain-Fabien. None of the children initially challenged this arrangement.
Unlike common-law jurisdictions such as England and Wales, where a person may generally leave assets to whomever they choose, French law protects children through the principle of réserve héréditaire (forced heirship). Children cannot be completely disinherited; the law reserves a portion of the estate for them regardless of the deceased’s wishes. Certain mechanisms, notably marriage contracts and assurance-vie policies, can alter how wealth passes on death, although both have their limitations.
When a deceased person leaves three or more children, three-quarters of the estate must be reserved for those children collectively. The remaining quarter, known as the quotité disponible, may be allocated freely through gifts or a will.
Delon's arrangements complied with French succession law because each child still received his or her reserved share. With three children, each was entitled to a minimum reserved share of 25 percent. The additional 25 percent available under the quotité disponible could be granted to one child, in this case Anouchka.
Delon was unmarried at the time of his death, although he had a long-term partner and carer, Hiromi Rollin, for over 20 years. She was not included in Delon’s will and under French law had no automatic inheritance rights. The children filed unsuccessful complaints against her in 2023–2024. She was expelled by them from his French property in 2023.
Delon was notoriously private about his finances. The estate has generally been estimated at between €50 million and €80 million, although no definitive valuation has been made public.
The Second Will + Gift
The real controversy concerns a second will made in November 2022.
Unlike the 2015 will, this document did not redistribute Delon's financial assets. Instead, it designated Anouchka as the sole heir to the moral rights attached to her father's artistic work, effectively making her the sole guardian of his artistic and personal legacy.
Last year, one of Delon’s sons (Alain-Fabien) launched proceedings to annul the 2022 will, arguing that Delon lacked the mental capacity to make these changes due to health issues. French law is clear on this point; the Civil Code provides that a person must be of sound mind in order to make a gift or will.
French courts regularly hear cases in which family members argue that a will, gift or donation was made when the deceased no longer had the mental capacity required to make informed decisions.
Alain-Fabien claimed he only discovered the 2022 will after Delon’s death, raising suspicions of undue influence or concealment.
He also contested a 2023 gift of control of the company managing the actor’s commercial brand and licensing activities. Anthony, the other son, also later joined his brother to contest the 2022 will and the gift.
The grant of exclusive moral rights over Delon’s artistic work to Anouchka, gives her control over her father’s image, archives and licensing rights and therefore exhibitions, publications, documentaries, merchandise and commercial partnerships and the income arising from such rights.
Many French family disputes involve similar issues, particularly where a family business, vineyard, luxury brand or artistic estate is involved.
Cross-Border Issue
Aside from the family conflict, Delon’s estate has also been in dispute with the tax authority.
Although Delon maintained significant ties to Switzerland (property in Geneva, will signed in Geneva, dual Swiss national) French tax authorities treated him as a French resident for inheritance tax purposes, resulting in a substantial tax assessment.
Delon appears to have lived most of his remaining years in France, he had many business ties to France, and he was registered in the French health system, with a social security number.
As a result, the estate faced succession taxes reportedly exceeding €20 million.
Recently the dispute has spread to Switzerland, where further proceedings concerning the succession remain ongoing.
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