Françoise Giroud
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Françoise Giroud, born Lea France Gourdji (21 September 1916 in
Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...
, Switzerland and not in Geneva as often written – 19 January 2003 in
Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; literally 'Neuilly on Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is a commune in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in France, just west of Paris. Immediately adjacent to the city, the area is composed of mostly select residentia ...
) was a French
journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
,
screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...
, writer, and politician.


Biography

Giroud was born to immigrant
Sephardi Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...
Turkish Jewish parents; her father was Salih Gourdji Al Baghdadi, Director of the Agence Télégraphique Ottomane in Geneva.Obituary
in the London ''Independent'' (published 21 January 2003)
She was educated at the Lycée Molière and the Collège de Groslay. She did not graduate from university.
''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', published 20 January 2003
She married and had two children, a son (who died before her) and a daughter.


Career

Giroud's work in cinema began with director
Marc Allégret Marc Allégret (22 December 1900 – 3 November 1973) was a French screenwriter, photographer and film director. Biography Born in Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland, he was the elder brother of Yves Allégret. Marc was educated to be a lawyer in ...
as a script-girl on his 1932 version of
Marcel Pagnol Marcel Paul Pagnol (; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionable ...
's ''Fanny''. In 1936 she worked with
Jean Renoir Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent film, silent era to the end of the 1960s. ...
on the set of ''
La Grande Illusion ''La Grande Illusion'' (also known as ''The Grand Illusion'') is a 1937 French war film directed by Jean Renoir, who co-wrote the screenplay with Charles Spaak. The story concerns class relationships among a small group of French officers who ar ...
''. She later wrote screenplays, eventually completed 30 full-length books (both fiction and non-fiction), and wrote newspaper columns. She was the editor of ''Elle'' magazine from 1946 (shortly after it was founded) until 1953, when she and
Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, often referred to as JJSS (13 February 19247 November 2006), was a French journalist and politician. He co-founded ''L'Express'' in 1953 with Françoise Giroud, and then went on to become president of the Radica ...
founded the French newsmagazine ''
L'Express ''L'Express'' () is a French weekly news magazine headquartered in Paris. The weekly stands at the political centre in the French media landscape, and has a lifestyle supplement, ''L'Express Styles'', and a job supplement, ''Réussir''. History ...
''. She edited ''L'Express'' until 1971, then was its director until 1974, when she was asked to participate in the French national government. From 1984 to 1988 Giroud was president of Action Internationale contre la Faim. From 1989 to 1991 she was president of a commission to improve cinema-ticket sales. She was a literary critic on ''
Le Journal du Dimanche ''Le Journal du dimanche'' (English: ''Sunday's newspaper'') is a French weekly newspaper published on Sundays in France. History and profile ''Le Journal du Dimanche'' was created by Pierre Lazareff in 1948. He was managing editor of ''France ...
'', and she contributed a weekly column to ''
Le Nouvel Observateur (), previously known as (1964–2014), is a weekly French news magazine. Based in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, it is the most prominent French general information magazine in terms of audience and circulation. Its current editor is Cécil ...
'' from 1983 until her death. She died at the
American Hospital of Paris The American Hospital of Paris (''Hôpital américain de Paris''), founded in 1906, is a private, not-for-profit hospital that is certified under the French healthcare system. Located in Neuilly-sur-Seine, in the western suburbs of Paris, Franc ...
while being treated for a head wound incurred in a fall.


Political career

In 1974,
French President The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is ...
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, , ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981. After serving as Minister of Finance under prime ...
nominated Giroud to the position of Secrétaire d'État à la Condition féminine, which she held from 16 July 1974 until 27 August 1976, when she was appointed to the position of
Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organizati ...
. She remained in that position until March 1977, for a total service of 32 months, serving in the cabinets of
Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...
and
Raymond Barre Raymond Octave Joseph Barre (; 12 April 192425 August 2007) was a French centre-right politician and economist. He was a Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs under three presidents (Rey, ...
. She was a member of the Radical Party, and on the election documents she listed her profession as "journaliste" (or journalist in English).


Other activities

Giroud received the
Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
. She managed ACF, a Nobel-winning charity, from 1984 to 1988. Giroud often voiced her goal: to get France "out of its rut". She said that Americans had the right idea; they didn't get into a rut. On her first visit to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
soon after World War II ended, she had been struck by "the degree of optimism, the exhilaration" she had found there. That view stayed with her: "There is a strength in the United States that we in Europe constantly tend to underestimate." Well into her 80s, Giroud appeared on French television, in the program ''100 Ans'' (which explores the possibility of living to be a hundred). She appeared with face and hands bandaged from a fall just before the filming began. She was asked to recommend the diet that would provide for longevity; she replied "chopped steak and salads". She tried (and failed) to peel an apple with her bandaged hands; when she was unable, she burst out laughing. Several laudatory newspaper articles about her death mentioned her sparkling sense of humor. A special issue of ''L'Express'' covered Giroud's death. It stated: :Women everywhere have lost something. Ms. Giroud defended them so intelligently and so strongly.The Honorable Lucie Pépin, Senator
Ms. Giroud gave the commencement address at The University of Michigan on May 1, 1976


Published works

*Françoise Giroud vous présente le Tout-Paris (1953) *Nouveaux portraits (1954) *La Nouvelle vague: portraits de la jeunesse (1958) *I give you my word (1973) *La comédie du pouvoir (1977) *Ce que je crois (1978) *Le Bon Plaisir (1983) *Une Femme honorable (1981) (published in English as Marie Curie: A Life (1986)) *Le Bon Plaisir (screenplay) (1984) *Dior (1987) *Alma Mahler, ou l'art d'être aimée (1988) *Leçons particulières (, 1990) *Marie Curie, une Femme honorable (television series)(1991) *Jenny Marx ou le femme du diable (1992) *Les Hommes et les femmes (with
Bernard-Henri Lévy Bernard-Henri Lévy (; ; born 5 November 1948) is a French public intellectual. Often referred to in France simply as BHL, he was one of the leaders of the " Nouveaux Philosophes" (New Philosophers) movement in 1976. His opinions, political acti ...
, 1993). *Journal d'une Parisienne (1994) *La rumeur du monde: journal, 1997 et 1998 (1999) *On ne peut pas être heureux tout le temps: récit (2000) *C'est arrivé hier: journal 1999 (2000) *Profession journaliste: conversations avec Martine de Rabaudy (2001) *Demain, déjà: journal, 2000-2003 (2003)


Filmography

* ''
Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appear ...
'' (1946) * '' Last Love'' (1949)


See also

* ''
L'Amour, Madame ''L'Amour, Madame'' ( en, Love, Madame) is a French comedy film from 1952, directed by Gilles Grangier, written by Félix Gandéra, starring Arletty and Jean Marais. The film was known under the title "Coups de soleil" or "Les jeux de la plage e ...
'' (1952, film) * ''
Julietta ''Juliette'' is an opera by Bohuslav Martinů, who also wrote the libretto, in French, based on the play ''Juliette, ou La clé des songes'' (''Juliette, or The Key of Dreams)'' by the French author Georges Neveux. A libretto in Czech was later pre ...
'' (1953, film)


References

;Citations ;Bibliography *''Françoise Giroud, une ambition française'', an authorized biography by Christine Ockrent (2003) {{DEFAULTSORT:Giroud, Francoise 1916 births 2003 deaths Accidental deaths from falls People from Lausanne 20th-century French Sephardi Jews Radical Party (France) politicians Union for French Democracy politicians French women journalists French magazine founders French Ministers of Culture Analysands of Jacques Lacan French women company founders French women screenwriters French screenwriters 20th-century French women writers Elle (magazine) writers Women government ministers of France Jewish women writers 20th-century French screenwriters French people of Turkish-Jewish descent