Alain Delon : Was he so big in Europe he was more famous than many nation's local A Listers?

Was he so big in Europe he was more famous than many nation's local A Listers?

I am Portuguese and am a recent immigrant from a family thats been in the USA for 3 generations. I cannot for God's sake name any Portuguese movie stars let alone famous celebrities like artists and musician. Despite Portuguese being the first tongue in the house. The only famous Portuguese people know are those mentioned in history classes

The only person in my family who knows any Portuguese celebs are my grandparents who were the first gen immigrants to America…….

However everyone in my family knows who Alain Delon is because even my dad (who grew up in Portugal before moving at 10) ould often see movies of him on local TV in Libson. My grandparents would often play Alain Delon movie because they were big fans esp my grandma who still crushes on him tdoay (and has been since she was a teen).

Even my ma who isn't Portuguese but British had caught Alain Delon exposure because her mom also lusted after Alain despite living in the UK of Scottish ancestry and brought over posters autographed pictures, VHS movies, etc.

Someone else on reddit who lives in Croatia says their family put an Alain Delon poster in the living room so this is why I am curious.

Was Alain Delon that huge that he's not only famous in Europe at hi peak but even as more popular than many local A list actors of various countries? Excepting obviously UK which had its own separate ecosystem-and even here Alain Delon as perhaps the only French actor who managed to get a hardcore following from the French hating populace as seen in my Grandma who even often throws insults at the French like calling them frogs but exempts Delon because he's soooooo suppppppeeeeerrr hottttt (her words despite being a 60 year old grandma)-I notice so much cross Europe from Spain to Germany all the way to Russia and Seen and even as far outside of Europee proper like TUrkey and Israel………

Alain Delon has a following esp among women! Even French bashers have anti-Frenchy girls who swoon after Delon as seen by my Scottish Grandma who lived in England most of her life (enough that she has an English accent instead of a Scottish one).

Was he just that much of a super star at his peak? What at a similar level of fame in Europe to Sophia Loren and British Triple A stars like Peter O'Toole and Sean Connery?
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