Max Delys (July 11, 1951 – May 31, 1993) was a French actor and model. Born in Cannes, Delys was a competitive swimmer before he moved to Rome as a teenager where he soon began acting and modeling. He became a Warhol superstar and later appeared in numerous Italian fotoromanzi.
Max Delys was born in Cannes, France on July 11, 1951.[1]
Delys was a competitive swimmer in his youth. He was the national runner-up in the 100-meter freestyle in 1976.
At the age of 17, moved to the Trastevere neighborhood in Rome with his girlfriend Dominique Darel in 1968.[1] He landed his first acting role as Renato in the film Gangster's Law (1968) directed by Siro Marcellini.[2]
Delys met pop artist Andy Warhol through filmmaker Paul Morrissey. As a Warhol superstar, Delys starred in the film L'Amour (1972), which was filmed in Paris in 1970.[3][4]
In 1971, Delys appeared in the Coca-Cola "Hilltop" TV commercial. In addition to his acting career, he modeled for fashion designers Karl Lagerfeld and Pierre Cardin.[1] He also posed for photographer Jack Mitchell.[1]
Delys played a young daredevil in several Italian genre films. He studied at the Actors Studio in New York and then returned to Rome.
In addition to his acting career, Delys appeared in Italian fotoromanzi, magazine photo comics illustrated with photographs, published by Lancio from 1973 to 1983. This made him popular not only in Italy, but in Spanish-speaking countries, as well as Portugal and Brazil.
Delys was reunited with original cast members from the 1971 Coca-Cola "Hilltop" commercial to participate in a remake that aired during Super Bowl XXIV in 1990.[5]
Delys died of an illness at the age of 41 on May 31, 1993.[1]
