On November 8th, 1935, a boy named Alain was born in a suburb of Paris, about 80 kilometers from Notre Dame Cathedral. His mother was a pharmacist, but when his father opened a cinema, she took a job as a cashier there.

By the time Alain was three, his parents separated, and both remarried, giving him half-siblings. His stepfather worked at a butcher’s shop, where his mother later joined him. With little time for Alain, they hired a nanny to care for him, leaving Alain caught between two families.

Though he initially enjoyed this, Alain later said he felt like nobody truly cared for him. School was a struggle—he was often mischievous, expelled multiple times, and changed schools frequently.

Eventually, Alain trained as a butcher, but after three months, he left for a store job. Then came military service, which he credited with shaping his character positively. After the Army, he worked as a waiter, gradually moving toward the life that would make him famously handsome and beloved.