French people of note include:

Actors

A–C

* Isabelle Adjani * Renée Adorée * Anouk Aimée *

Flo Ankah Flo Ankah is a French and naturalized American actress, director, and singer residing in New York City. She founded Simple Production in 2006. Career Vocalist Known in the nightclub scene performing with jazz improvisers, she is the bandl ...

* Arletty *

Antonin Artaud Antoine Marie Joseph Paul Artaud, better known as Antonin Artaud (; 4 September 1896 – 4 March 1948), was a French writer, poet, dramatist, visual artist, essayist, actor and theatre director. He is widely recognized as a major figure of the E ...

Fanny Ardant Fanny Marguerite Judith Ardant (born 22 March 1949) is a French actress and film director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two César Awards and a Lumières Award. Early life Ardant was born in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, Fr ...

* Jeanne Aubert * Jean-Louis Aubert * Jean-Pierre Aumont * Claude Autant-Lara * Daniel Auteuil * Charles Aznavour * Brigitte Bardot * Emmanuelle Béart * Loleh Bellon *

Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor and producer. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward. His best known credits ...

François Berléand François Berléand (; born 22 April 1952) is a French actor. He plays Gilles Triquet, the officer manager and equivalent of David Brent in ''Le Bureau'', the French version of ''The Office'', produced by Canal+. He also appeared in the 2002 fil ...

Charles Berling Charles Berling (born 30 April 1958) is a French actor, director and screenwriter. Life and career Charles Berling, son of a navy doctor, is also the nephew of the literary critic Raymond Picard. His mother, Nadia, "only daughter of (French) se ...

* Adam Bessa * Suzanne Bianchetti * Juliette Binoche * Bernard Blier * Sandrine Bonnaire * Élodie Bouchez * Bourvil * Dany Boon * Angelique Boyer * Charles Boyer * Guillaume Canet *

Capucine Capucine (, born Germaine Hélène Irène Lefebvre , 6 January 1928 – 17 March 1990) was a French fashion model and actress known for her comedic roles in ''The Pink Panther'' (1963) and ''What's New Pussycat?'' (1965). She appeared in 36 film ...

Martine Carol Martine Carol (born Marie-Louise Jeanne Nicolle Mourer; 16 May 1920 – 6 February 1967) was a French film actress. Career Born Maryse Mourer (or Marie-Louise Jeanne Nicolle Mourer) in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, (France), she studied acting und ...

* Leslie Caron *

Isabelle Carré Isabelle Carré (born 28 May 1971) is a French actress. She has appeared in more than 70 films since 1989. She won a César Award for Best Actress for her role in '' Se souvenir des belles choses'' (2001), and has been nominated a further six ti ...

* Vincent Cassel * Jean-Pierre Cassel * Laetitia Casta * Robert Clary *

Grégoire Colin Grégoire Colin (born 25 July 1975) is a French actor. Career Grégoire started acting on the French stage at age 12. He first caught the eye of critics in the 1992 Agnieszka Holland's psychological family drama ''Olivier, Olivier'' when he was ...

* Marion Cotillard * Clotilde Courau * Darry Cowl

D–L

Béatrice Dalle Béatrice Dalle (née Cabarrou; December 19, 1964) is a French actress. Biography Dalle was born in Brest, Finistère, France, as Béatrice Cabarrou. In 1985, she married the painter Jean-François Dalle, whom she divorced in 1988. Working as ...

* Lili Damita * Danielle Darrieux *

Alain Delon Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (; born 8 November 1935) is a French actor and filmmaker. He was one of Europe's most prominent actors and screen sex symbols in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In 1985, he won the César Award for Best Actor for h ...

Danièle Delorme Gabrielle Danièle Marguerite Andrée Girard (9 October 1926 – 17 October 2015), known by her stage name Danièle Delorme, was a French actress and film producer, famous for her roles in films directed by Marc Allégret, Julien Duvivier or Y ...

Julie Delpy Julie Delpy (; born 21 December 1969) is a French-American actress, film director, screenwriter, and singer-songwriter. She studied filmmaking at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and has directed, written, and acted in more than 30 films, includi ...

* Catherine Deneuve *

Élisabeth Depardieu Élisabeth Depardieu (née Élisabeth Dominique Lucie Guignot; born 5 August 1941) is a French actress, writer, co-producer, ex-wife of actor Gérard Depardieu and mother of actors Guillaume Depardieu and Julie Depardieu. Personal life Él ...

Gérard Depardieu Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 alm ...

* Guillaume Depardieu *

Patrick Dewaere Patrick Dewaere (26 January 1947 – 16 July 1982) was a French film actor. Born in Saint-Brieuc, Côtes-d'Armor, he was the son of French actress Mado Maurin. Actor from a young age, his career lasted more than 21 years, until his suicide in P ...

Arielle Dombasle Arielle Dombasle (born April 27, 1953)Dombasle's year of birth has been a subject of much debate, and various sources have given dates ranging from 1953 to 1958. is an American-born French singer, actress, director and model. Her breakthrough ro ...

* Michel Drucker *

Morgane Dubled Morgane Dubled (born 1 July 1984) is a French model. Early life Dubled was first scouted at the age of 16 by top scout G. Simon Chafik for Elite Model Management in her hometown of Nice, France, in 2001. After getting her Baccalauréat (scient ...

Jean Dujardin Jean Edmond Dujardin (; born 19 June 1972) is a French actor and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in Paris before guest starring in comedic television programmes and films. He first came to prominence with the cult TV series ...

Anny Dupérey Anny Duperey (born Annie Legras; 28 June 1947) is a French actress, published photographer and best-selling author with a career spanning almost six decades as of 2021 and more than eighty cinema or television credits, around thirty theatre prod ...

* Romain Duris *

Nicolas Duvauchelle Nicolas Duvauchelle (born 27 March 1980) is a French actor, perhaps best known for his role as Theo in three seasons of the crime drama ''Braquo''. Career Duvauchelle starred in numerous films including ''Lightweight'', '' À tout de suite'' ...

* Fernandel * Brigitte Fossey * Louis de Funès *

Félicité Du Jeu Félicité du Jeu is a French actress. She is best known for her role as DC Stella Goodman in the BBC drama '' Waking the Dead''. Early life Du Jeu studied at the Conservatoire d'Art Dramatique de Saint-Germain-en-Laye from 1992 to 1996, and took ...

* Jean Gabin * Julie Gayet * Annie Girardot * Judith Godrèche * Eva Green *

Sacha Guitry Alexandre-Pierre Georges "Sacha" Guitry (; 21 February 188524 July 1957) was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French actor, Lucien Guitry, and follow ...

* Isabelle Huppert * Irène Jacob * Claude Jade * Marlène Jobert *

Valérie Kaprisky Valérie Kaprisky ( Chérès; born 19 August 1962) is a French actress. Life and career She was born Valerie Chérès on 19 August 1962 in Neuilly-sur-Seine. Kaprisky is her Polish mother's maiden name. She is of Greek-Ottoman and Argentine de ...

Louise Labèque Louise Labèque is a French actress. She made her breakthrough in Bertrand Bonello's fantasy film ''Zombi Child'' (2019). Biography Labèque studied at the French drama school Cours Florent for three years. One day some agents came by during th ...

* Mélanie Laurent * Jean-Pierre Léaud *

Virginie Ledoyen Virginie Fernández (born 15 November 1976), known by her stage name Virginie Ledoyen (), is a French actress who has appeared in French, British and American films. Life and career Ledoyen was born in Aubervilliers, the daughter of Olga, a res ...

* Noémie Lenoir * Max Linder *

Sheryfa Luna Sheryfa Luna (born Chérifa Babouche; 25 January 1989) is a French R&B singer born to an Algerian- Kabyle father and a French mother. She won the fourth series of the French edition of popular ''Popstars ''Popstars'' is an international rea ...

M–Z

* Marcel Marceau *

Sophie Marceau Sophie Marceau (; born Sophie Danièle Sylvie Maupu, 17 November 1966) is a French actress. As a teenager, she achieved popularity with her debut films ''La Boum'' (1980) and ''La Boum 2'' (1982), receiving a César Award for Most Promising Act ...

Jean Marais Jean-Alfred Villain-Marais (11 December 1913 – 8 November 1998), known professionally as Jean Marais (), was a French actor, film director, theatre director, painter, sculptor, visual artist, writer and photographer. He performed in over 100 f ...

Jean-Pierre Marielle Jean-Pierre Marielle (12 April 1932 – 24 April 2019) was a French actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films in which he played very diverse roles, from a banal citizen ('' Les Galettes de Pont-Aven''), to a World War II hero (''Les Milles ...

Olivier Martinez Olivier Martinez (born 12 January 1966) is a French actor. He became well known after roles in several French films such as '' Un, deux, trois, soleil'' (1993), which garnered him the César Award for "Most Promising Actor", '' The Horseman on ...

Jean-Baptiste Maunier Jean-Baptiste Maunier (, born 22 December 1990) is a French actor and singer. He is best known for his role in the 2004 French film ''Les Choristes''. Early life Jean-Baptiste Maunier was born to Thierry Maunier, a cameraman, and Muriel Maunier. ...

Bernard Minet Bernard Minet (born 28 December 1953 in Hénin-Beaumont as ''Bernard Wantier'') is a French singer and actor. He started his career in Pas-de-Calais in 1969 and arrived in Paris in 1970, where he was part of several bands during his studies: ...

* Miou-Miou * Mistinguett * Yves Montand *

Jeanne Moreau Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. Mo ...

Michèle Morgan Michèle Morgan (; née Simone Renée Roussel; 29 February 1920 – 20 December 2016) was a French film actress, who was a leading lady for three decades in both French cinema and Hollywood features. She is considered to have been one of the g ...

* Musidora *

Pierre Niney Pierre Niney (; born 13 March 1989) is a French actor. He made his acting debut in the two-part television miniseries ''La dame d'Izieu'' in 2007, followed by films such as ''LOL (Laughing Out Loud)'', ''The Army of Crime'', ''Romantics Anonymous ...

Gérard Philipe Gérard Philipe (born Gérard Albert Philip, 4 December 1922 – 25 November 1959) was a prominent French actor who appeared in 32 films between 1944 and 1959. Active in both theatre and cinema, he was, until his early death, one of the main ...

* Michel Piccoli * Clémence Poésy *

Alexia Portal Alexia Portal is a French actress best known for her role as Béatrice Romand's son's girlfriend in the 1998 film ''Autumn Tale''. Filmography *"Navarro" **Jour de colère (2006) TV Episode .... Sonya **Manipulation (2005) TV Episode .... Sophie ...

Yvonne Printemps Yvonne Printemps (; born Yvonne Wigniolle; 25 July 1894 – 19 January 1977) was a French singer and actress who achieved stardom on stage and screen in France and internationally. Printemps went on the stage in Paris at the age of 12, and ...

Marguerite Priola Marguerite-Marie-Sophie Polliart or Poliart, generally known by her stage name Priola (1849–1876), was a French operatic soprano. She made her début on 6 April 1869 in Paris as The Messenger of Peace in the first French production of Wagner's ' ...

, stage name of Marguerite–Marie–Sophie Polliart * Pérette Pradier *

Jérôme Pradon Jérôme Pradon (born 3 June 1964) is a French actor and singer who has performed in the West End, in Paris and in various other places around the world. He was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France. Theatre In 1991, Pradon ...

* Rachel ''pseudonym for Elisa-Rachel Félix *

Gabrielle Réjane Gabrielle Réjane (), ''née'' Gabrielle Charlotte Réju (6 June 1856 – 14 June 1920), was a French actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The daughter of a former actor, Réjane studied at the Conservatoire national supérieur d'ar ...

* Jean Reno * Marine Renoir * Pierre Richard *

Sebastian Roché Sebastian Roché (born 4 August 1964) is a French-American actor. He is known for his roles as Kurt Mendel in ''Odyssey 5'', Jerry Jacks in '' General Hospital'', Thomas Jerome Newton in ''Fringe'', Balthazar in '' Supernatural'', Mikael in bot ...

Jean Rochefort Jean Raoul Robert Rochefort (; 29 April 1930 – 9 October 2017) was a French actor. He received many accolades during his career, including an Honorary César in 1999. Life and career Rochefort was born on 29 April 1930 in Paris, France, to ...

* Béatrice Romand * Philippine de Rothschild * Nathalie Roussel * Michel Roux * Emmanuelle Seigner * David Serero * Léa Seydoux *

Delphine Seyrig Delphine Claire Beltiane Seyrig (; 10 April 1932 – 15 October 1990) was a Lebanese-born French actress and film director. She came to prominence in Alain Resnais's 1961 film ''Last Year at Marienbad'', and later acted in films by Francois ...

Simone Signoret Simone Signoret (; born Simone Henriette Charlotte Kaminker; 25 March 1921 – 30 September 1985) was a French actress. She received various accolades, including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, a César Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a ...

Audrey Tautou Audrey Justine Tautou (; born 9 August 1976) is a French actress. She made her acting debut at the age of 18 on television and her feature film debut in ''Venus Beauty Institute'' (1999), for which she received critical acclaim and won the Césa ...

* Jean-Louis Trintignant * Marie Trintignant * Gaspard Ulliel * Michael Vartan * Hervé Villechaize * Lambert Wilson

Architects

* Jacques-François Blondel * Germain Boffrand *

Étienne-Louis Boullée Étienne-Louis Boullée (12 February 17284 February 1799) was a visionary French neoclassical architect whose work greatly influenced contemporary architects. Life Born in Paris, he studied under Jacques-François Blondel, Germain Boff ...

* Salomon de Brosse *

Libéral Bruant Libéral Bruant (''ca'' 1635 – Paris, 22 November 1697), was a French architect best known as the designer of the Hôtel des Invalides, Paris, which is now dominated by the dome erected by Jules Hardouin Mansart, his collaborator in earlier st ...

* Androuet du Cerceau family *

Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...

''pseudonym for Charles Edouard Jeanneret'' (Swiss-born) * Philibert de l'Orme * Gustave Eiffel *

Pierre François Léonard Fontaine Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French language, French form of the name Peter (given name), Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via ...

* Ange-Jacques Gabriel * Charles Garnier * Tony Garnier *

Hector Guimard Hector Guimard (, 10 March 1867 – 20 May 1942) was a French architect and designer, and a prominent figure of the Art Nouveau style. He achieved early fame with his design for the Castel Beranger, the first Art Nouveau apartment building ...

* Villard de Honnecourt * Pierre Jeanneret (Swiss-born) * Henri Labrouste * Claude Nicolas Ledoux * Pierre Lescot *

André Lurçat André Lurçat (August 27, 1894 – July 11, 1970) was a French modernist architect, landscape architect, furniture designer, city planner, and founding member of CIAM. He was active in the rebuilding in French cities after World War II. He was th ...

Robert Mallet-Stevens Robert Mallet-Stevens (March 24, 1886 – February 8, 1945) was an influential French architect and designer. Early life Mallet-Stevens was born in Paris in a house called Maison-Laffitte (designed by François Mansart in the 17th century). H ...

* François Mansart *

Jules Hardouin Mansart Jules Hardouin-Mansart (; 16 April 1646 – 11 May 1708) was a French Baroque architect and builder whose major work included the Place des Victoires (1684–1690); Place Vendôme (1690); the domed chapel of Les Invalides (1690), and the Grand T ...

* Louis Métezeau *

Michel Mimran Michel Mimran (born Michael Michel Mimran, 1954) is a French architect, artist and member of the artistic circle of Luxembourg. He's been actively working around the subject of perception and memory. Biography Studied architecture in Paris, and ...

(born 1954) * Jean Nouvel *

Charles Percier Charles Percier (; 22 August 1764 – 5 September 1838) was a neoclassical French architect, interior decorator and designer, who worked in a close partnership with Pierre François Léonard Fontaine, originally his friend from student days. For ...

Claude Perrault Claude Perrault (25 September 1613 – 9 October 1688) was a French physician and an amateur architect, best known for his participation in the design of the east façade of the Louvre in Paris.Dominique Perrault * Auguste Perret * Christian de Portzamparc * Jean Prouvé *

Alain Provost Allain Provost is a French landscape architect. His works include designs for the Parc Floral in the Bois de Vincennes, Paris, Parc André Citroën in Paris, the Jardin Diderot at La Défense, La Courneuve Park (1972–2000) in Seine-Saint-Deni ...

* Henri Sauvage * Jacques-Germain Soufflot *

Louis Le Vau Louis Le Vau (1612 – 11 October 1670) was a French Baroque architect, who worked for Louis XIV of France. He was an architect that helped develop the French Classical style in the 17th Century.''Encyclopedia of World Biography''"Louis Le Vau", ...

* Eugène Viollet-le-Duc

Artists

Painters

Photographers

* Yann Arthus-Bertrand *

Brassaï Brassaï (; pseudonym of Gyula Halász; 9 September 1899 – 8 July 1984) was a Hungarian–French photographer, sculptor, medalist, writer, and filmmaker who rose to international fame in France in the 20th century. He was one of the numerous H ...

born in Hungary *

Henri Cartier-Bresson Henri Cartier-Bresson (; 22 August 1908 – 3 August 2004) was a French humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 35mm film. He pioneered the genre of street photography, and viewed photography as cap ...

* Raymond Depardon * Robert Doisneau *

Pierre Dubreuil Pierre Dubreuil (March 5, 1872 – January 9, 1944) was a French photographer, born in Lille, who spent his career in France and Belgium. As a pioneer of modernist photography, Dubreuil embraced innovative techniques and ideas that were celebrate ...

* Jules Gervais-Courtellemont *

Nadar Gaspard-Félix Tournachon (5 April 1820 – 20 March 1910), known by the pseudonym Nadar, was a French photographer, caricaturist, journalist, novelist, balloon (aircraft), balloonist, and proponent of Aircraft#Heavier-than-air – aerodynes, h ...

Willy Ronis Willy Ronis (; 14 August 191012 September 2009) was a French photographer. His best-known work shows life in post-war Paris and Provence. Life and work Ronis was born in Paris; his father, Emmanuel Ronis, was a Jewish refugee from Odessa, and ...

Sculptors

* Frédéric Bartholdi *

Antoine Bourdelle Antoine Bourdelle (30 October 1861 – 1 October 1929), born Émile Antoine Bordelles, was an influential and prolific French sculptor and teacher. He was a student of Auguste Rodin, a teacher of Giacometti and Henri Matisse, and an important fi ...

* Antonin Carlès * Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux * César * Antoine-Denis Chaudet * Camille Claudel *

Paul Dubois Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

* Raymond Duchamp-Villon * Alexandre Falguière * Jean-Antoine Houdon *

René Iché René Iché (21 January 1897 – 23 December 1954) was a 20th-century French sculptor. Life and work René Iché was born in Sallèles-d'Aude, France. He fought in World War I, where he was injured and gassed. After the war, he earned a degre ...

Antonin Idrac Jean-Antoine-Marie "Antonin" Idrac (1849–1884) was a French sculptor. A pupil of Falguière, his works include: *''Salammbô'' / ''Eve and the Serpent'', based on the novel ''Salammbô'' *'' Cupid Stung'' *'' Mercury inventing the Caduceus' ...

Antonin Mercié Marius Jean Antonin Mercié (October 30, 1845 in Toulouse – December 12, 1916 in Paris), was a French sculptor, medallist and painter. Biography Mercié entered the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, and studied under Alexandre Falguière and ...

Hippolyte Moulin Hippolyte Alexandre Julien Moulin, sometimes given as Julien-Hippolyte Moulin or Hypolite Moulin, (1832–1884) was a 19th-century French sculptor. Moulin, a shopkeeper's son, entered the École des Beaux-Arts in 1855 but was unable to afford to c ...

Émile Louis Picault Émile Louis Picault (; 24 August 1833 – 24 August 1915) was a French sculptor, best known for works depicting allegorical and patriotic subjects, and mythological heroes. Picault was a very prolific artist, producing sculptures in abundance— ...

Jean-Baptiste Pigalle Jean-Baptiste Pigalle (26 January 1714 – 20 August 1785) was a French sculptor. Life Pigalle was born in Paris, the seventh child of a carpenter. Although he failed to obtain the ''Prix de Rome'', after a severe struggle he entered the ''Ac ...

* Antoine-Augustin Préault *

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

* René Rozet * François Rude * Niki de Saint Phalle *

Sacha Sosno Alexandre Joseph Sosnowsky (1937 – 3 December 2013), better known by the name Sacha Sosno, was an internationally renowned French sculptor and painter. Working most of the time in Nice, in his last decades Sosno achieved international recognit ...

Marie-Renée Ucciani Marie-Renée Ucciani (27 March 1883 – 19 February 1963) was a French painter and sculptor. A member of the Société des Artistes Français, she exhibited in its Salon in the 1930s. Biography Marie-Renée Ucciani was born in the 3rd arrondisse ...

Athletes

A–J

Slalom canoeing 2012 Olympics W K1 AUS Jessica Fox

* André the Giant, professional wrestler *

Sarah Abitbol Sarah Abitbol (born 8 June 1975) is a French former competitive pair skater. With skating partner Stéphane Bernadis, she is the 2000 World bronze medalist, the 2000 Grand Prix Final silver medalist, a seven-time European medalist (two silve ...

, pairs figure skater (with

Stéphane Bernadis Stéphane Bernadis (, born 23 February 1974) is a French former pair skater. With skating partner Sarah Abitbol, he is the 2000 World bronze medalist, the 2000 Grand Prix Final silver medalist, a seven-time European medalist (two silver and fiv ...

);

World Figure Skating Championship The World Figure Skating Championships (''"Worlds"'') is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the categories of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Gen ...

bronze * Tariq Abdul-Wahad (born Olivier Saint-Jean), basketball player * Luc Alphand, Alpine skier * Jacques Anquetil, cyclist *

Jonathan Assous Jonathan Victor Gerard Assous (born September 2, 1983) is a French-Israeli football player who is currently contracted to Beitar Ramat Gan in Israel. In France, Assous was widely known for his temper and rough play. Playing career Assous began ...

, France/Israel, defensive midfielder (

Beitar Ramat Gan The Betar Movement ( he, תנועת בית"ר), also spelled Beitar (), is a Revisionist Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 in Riga, Latvia, by Vladimir (Ze'ev) Jabotinsky. Chapters sprang up across Europe, even during World War II. After ...

) *

Fabien Barthez Fabien Alain Barthez (born 28 June 1971) is a French racing driver and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. At club level, he played football in both France and England with Toulouse, Marseille, AS Monaco, Manchester United ...

, football player and racing driver *

Elliot Benchetrit Elliot Benchetrit (born 2 October 1998) is a Moroccan tennis player who formerly represented France. Since 1 January 2021 Benchetrit started to represent Morocco. His highest singles ranking was No. 198 on 10 February 2020, and his highest doubl ...

, tennis player *

Brice Blanc Brice Blanc (born January 16, 1973 in Lyon, Rhone, France) is a jockey in American thoroughbred horse racing. Blanc attended a jockey's apprentice school in his native France then, encouraged by trainer Ben Cecil, in October 1993 emigrated to th ...

, jockey * Marion Bartoli, tennis player * Fabrice Benichou, world-champion

super bantamweight Super bantamweight, also known as junior featherweight, is a weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . There were attempts by boxing promoters in the 1920s to establish this weight class, but few sanctioning organizations or ...

boxer *

, pairs figure skater (with

) *

Alain Bernard Alain Bernard (; born 1 May 1983) is a former French swimmer from Aubagne, Bouches-du-Rhône. Bernard won a total of four medals (two golds, one silver, and one bronze) at two Olympic Games (2008 and 2012). He also won numerous medals at the W ...

, Olympic swimmer *

Serge Betsen Serge Betsen Tchoua (born 25 March 1974) is a former French rugby union player who played as a flanker for London Wasps and Biarritz at club level and for internationally. He is generally considered to be one of the top flankers of the profes ...

, Cameroon-born French citizen, rugby player *

Serge Blanco Serge Blanco (born 31 August 1958) is a former rugby union footballer who played fullback for Biarritz Olympique and the French national side, gaining 93 caps, 81 of them at fullback. His alternative position was wing. He was generally nicknamed ...

, Venezuela-born French citizen, rugby player *

Jean Bloch Alfred Bloch, also known as Jean Bloch, (born 1877) was a French Olympic football player. He was affiliated with the Racing Club de France, in Paris. Bloch won a silver medal playing football for France in the 1900 Olympics The 1900 Sum ...

, Olympic silver football player *

Louison Bobet Louis "Louison" Bobet (; 12 March 1925 - 13 March 1983) was a French professional road racing cyclist. He was the first great French rider of the post-war period and the first rider to win the Tour de France in three successive years, from 1953 to ...

, cyclist *

Surya Bonaly Surya Varuna Claudine Bonaly (born 15 December 1973) is a French-born retired competitive figure skater. She is a three-time World silver medalist (1993–1995), a five-time European champion (1991–1995), the 1991 World Junior Champion, and a ...

, figure skater * Sébastien Bourdais, Indycar driver *

Frédéric Bourdillon Frédéric Bourdillon (born March 16, 1991) is a French-Israeli professional basketball player who plays for Hapoel Holon in the Israel Basketball Premier League. Standing at , he plays at the shooting guard position. Early life Bourdillon is Je ...

(born 1991), French-Israeli basketball player in the Israel Basketball Premier League *

Andrée Brunet Andrée Brunet ( Joly, 16 September 1901 – 30 March 1993) was a French figure skater. Together with her husband Pierre Brunet she won Olympic medals in 1924, 1928 and 1932, as well as four world titles between 1926 and 1932 in pair skating. S ...

and Pierre Brunet, 1928 and 1932 Olympic skating gold medalists * Jean-Luc Cairon (born 1962), gymnast and coach * Alain Calmat, figure skater, Olympic silver, world championship gold, silver, two-time bronze *

Philippe Candeloro Philippe Candeloro (born 17 February 1972) is a French former competitive figure skater. He is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist (1994, 1998), a two-time World medalist (1994 silver, 1995 bronze), a two-time European silver medalist (1993, 1997 ...

, figure skater * Eric Cantona, football player *

Georges Carpentier Georges Carpentier (; 12 January 1894 – 28 October 1975) was a French boxer, actor and World War I pilot. He fought mainly as a light heavyweight and heavyweight in a career lasting from 1908 to 1926. Nicknamed the "Orchid Man", he stood and hi ...

, world-champion boxer * Marcel Cerdan, world-champion boxer * François Cevert (born François Goldenberg), Formula One driver *

Eugène Christophe Eugène Christophe (born Malakoff, Paris, France, 22 January 1885, died in Paris, 1 February 1970) was a French road bicycle racer and pioneer of cyclo-cross. He was a professional from 1904 until 1926. In 1919 he became the first rider to wear ...

, cyclist *

Albert Clément Albert Clément (July 7, 1883 – died 17 May 1907, Dieppe, Seine-Maritime) was a French motor racing driver. In 1904 he won the ''II Ardennes Cup'' race and finished third in the ''III Ardennes Cup'' race at Bastogne. He also finished second i ...

(c. 1878–1907), motor racing driver * Robert Cohen, world-champion bantamweight boxer *

Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro (born 18 March 1983) is a former professional tennis player from France. Her career-high singles ranking is world No. 61, achieved on 5 October 2003. Her highest doubles ranking position of 54, she set on 18 July 2005. C ...

, tennis player *

Eugène Criqui Eugène Criqui (15 August 1893 – 7 July 1977) was a French boxer who held the World Featherweight title in 1923. After his death, he was added to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Eugène was the 2015 Inductee for the Australian Nat ...

, world-champion boxer * Jean Cruguet, jockey of

Seattle Slew Seattle Slew (February 15, 1974 – May 7, 2002) was a champion American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who became the tenth winner of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States), American Triple Crown (1977). He is one of only ...

* Richard Dacoury, basketball player *

Pierre Darmon Pierre Darmon (born 14 January 1934) is a French former tennis player. He was ranked No.8 in the world in 1963, and also reached the top ten in 1958 and 1964. Early life Darmon was born in Tunis, Tunisia. He moved to France at 17 years of age. ...

, tennis player, highest world ranking # 8 * André Darrigade, cyclist * Mathieu Debuchy, football player *

Émile Delahaye Émile Delahaye (16 October 1843 – 1 June 1905) was a French automotive pioneer who founded Delahaye Automobiles. Émile Delahaye was born in Tours, Indre-et-Loire. He studied engineering at Arts et Métiers Paris Technical trade school in An ...

, race car pioneer * Marcel Desailly, Ghana-born French citizen, football player * Abou Diaby, football player * Boris Diaw, basketball player * David Douillet,

judoka is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

* Yves Dreyfus, épée fencer, Olympic bronze medal, French champion *

Isabelle Duchesnay Isabelle Duchesnay (born December 18, 1963 in Aylmer, Quebec, Canada) is a retired ice dancer who represented France for most of her career. With her brother Paul Duchesnay, she is the 1991 World champion and the 1992 Olympic silver med ...

and

Paul Duchesnay Paul Duchesnay (born 31 July 1961 in Metz) is a retired ice dancer who represented France for most of his career. With his sister Isabelle Duchesnay, he is the 1991 World champion and the 1992 Olympic silver medalist. Career The Duchesnay ...

, ice dancers *

Alojzy Ehrlich Alojzy "Alex" Ehrlich (1914 – 7 December 1992), also called "King of the Chiselers," was a Polish table tennis player, widely regarded as one of the best players in Polish history of this sport, who three times won silver in the World Tabl ...

, Poland, table tennis, 3x won silver and 1x won bronze in the World Championships, incarcerated by the Nazis in Auschwitz, represented France after 1945. * Andre Ethier, Major League Baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers * Patrice Evra, football player for Monaco and

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

* André Fabre, horse trainer * Evan Fournier, basketball player * Laurent Fignon, cyclist *

Jeremy Flores Jeremy may refer to: * Jeremy (given name), a given name * Jérémy, a French given name * ''Jeremy'' (film), a 1973 film * "Jeremy" (song), a song by Pearl Jam * Jeremy (snail), a left-coiled garden snail that died in 2017 * ''Jeremy'', a 1919 ...

, surfer * Just Fontaine, football player * Jacques Fouroux, rugby union player and coach * Jessica Fox (born 1994), French-born Australian, slalom canoer, Olympic silver (K-1 slalom), world championships bronze (C-1) * Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi, slalom canoer, Olympic bronze (K-1 slalom), five golds at

ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships The ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships are an international event in canoeing organized by the International Canoe Federation. The World Championships have taken place every year in non- Summer Olympic years since 2002. From 1949 to 1999, they ...

(two-time K-1, three-time K-1 team) * Pierre Galle, basketball player and coach * Pierre Gasly, racing driver currently competing in Formula One with

Scuderia AlphaTauri Scuderia AlphaTauri, or simply AlphaTauri, is an Italian Formula One racing team and constructor. It is one of two Formula One constructors owned by Austrian beverage company Red Bull, the other being Red Bull Racing. The constructor was rebra ...

Camille du Gast Camille du Gast (Marie Marthe Camille Desinge du Gast, Camille Crespin du Gast, 30 May 1868 – 24 April 1942) was one of a trio of pioneering French female motoring celebrities of the ''Belle Epoque'', together with Hélène de Rothschild (Baro ...

, race car driver *

Lucien Gaudin Lucien Alphonse Paul Gaudin (27 September 1886 – 23 September 1934) was a French fencer. He competed in foil and in épée The ( or , ), sometimes spelled epee in English, is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the spor ...

, fencer *

Fabien Gilot Fabien Pierre Aurélien Dominique Gilot (born 27 April 1984) is a French Olympic and world champion swimmer. Early life Gilot was born in Denain, France, to Michel and Yveline Gilot. He started by playing water polo, before switching to swimmi ...

, Olympic and world champion swimmer * Yoann Gourcuff, football player * Stéphane Haccoun, boxer * Rudy Haddad, soccer midfielder ( Hapoel Ashkelon & U21 national team) *

Alphonse Halimi Alphonse Halimi (February 18, 1932 – November 12, 2006) was a French boxer. He took the World Bantamweight Championship on April 1, 1957, in Paris, and the European Bantamweight Championship three years later. Early life He was born in Consta ...

("la Petite Terreur"), world-champion bantamweight boxer *

Marlène Harnois Marlène Olivia Harnois (born 22 October 1986) is a Canadian-born French taekwondo Olympic medalist, TV personality, philanthropist and a Knight of the Order of Merit, decorated by the President of France. She is a Champion for Peace represe ...

(born 1986), taekwondo practitioner * Thierry Henry, football player * Bernard Hinault, cyclist *

Jaylen Hoard Jaylen Hoard (born March 30, 1999) is a French-American professional basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Born in Le Havre, France, he beg ...

(born 1999), French-American basketball player for

Hapoel Tel Aviv Hapoel Tel Aviv ( he, הפועל תל אביב) is a sports club in Israel, founded in the 1920s, and part of the Hapoel association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, suc ...

of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional sports, professional competition in Israeli sports club, club basketball, making ...

Pierre Houseaux Pierre Houseaux (born 1960) is a French Elite triathlete. For several years he has been the Long Distance National Trainer of the French Triathlon Federation ''(FFTRI = Fédération Française de Triathlon)'' and he has also been the director o ...

, triathlete * Cristobal Huet, hockey player *

Constant Huret Constant Huret, nicknamed "le Boulanger" (the Baker) (26 January 1870, in Ressons-le-Long – 18 September 1951, in Paris) was a French long distance track cycling, track racing cyclist. He was a professional from 1894 to 1902. Major achievemen ...

, cyclist *

Olivier Jacque Olivier Jacque (born 29 August 1973 in Villerupt, France) is a French former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. Career He was second in the 250cc European Championship in 1994, before moving on to the 250cc World Championship. He ...

, motorcycle rider * Rene Jacquot, boxer, underdog who became world champion * Laurent Jalabert, cyclist *

Max Jean Max Jean (born 27 July 1943) is a French former racing driver who won the Formule France championship in 1968. In addition to numerous Formula Two and Formula Three entries, Jean participated in one Formula One Grand Prix, driving a March for Fr ...

, Formula One driver * Brian Joubert, figure skater * Natan Jurkovitz (born 1995), French-Swiss-Israeli basketball player for

Hapoel Be'er Sheva Hapoel Be'er Sheva Football Club ( he, מועדון הכדורגל הפועל באר שבע, ''Moadon HaKaduregel Hapoel Be'er Sheva'') is an Israeli football club from the city of Be'er Sheva, that competes in the Israeli Premier League. The cl ...

of the

K–Z

* Jean-Claude Killy (born 1943), skier *

Raymond Kopa Raymond Kopa (né Kopaszewski; 13 October 1931 – 3 March 2017) was a French professional footballer, integral to the France national team of the 1950s. At club level he was part of the legendary Real Madrid team of the 1950s, winning three Eu ...

, football player * Pascal Lavanchy, ice dancer (with Sophie Moniotte) *

Suzanne Lenglen Suzanne Rachel Flore Lenglen (; 24 May 1899 – 4 July 1938) was a French tennis player. She was the inaugural world No. 1 from 1921 to 1926, winning eight Grand Slam titles in singles and twenty-one in total. She was also a four-time World ...

, tennis player *

Alexander Lévy Alexander Lévy (; born 1 August 1990) is a French professional golfer who currently plays on the European Tour. Lévy won the French Amateur Championship in 2009, and the French International Amateur Championship the next year. Turning pro in ...

(born 1990), American-born professional golfer *

Alexandre Lippmann Alexandre Lippmann (11 June 1881 – 23 February 1960) was a French Olympic champion épée fencer. He won two Olympic gold medals, as well as three other Olympic medals. Early and personal life Lippmann was born in Paris, France, in the ...

(1881–1960), épée fencer, two-time Olympic champion, two-time silver, bronze * Bixente Lizarazu, football player * Sébastien Loeb (born 1974), rally driver and five-time champion * Jeannie Longo, cyclist *

Mickaël Madar Mickaël Madar (born 8 May 1968) is a French former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Madar played for the France national football team. Madar works as a football pundit on Fre ...

(born 1968), footballer *

André Mahé André Mahé (18 November 1919 – 19 October 2010) was a French road bicycle racer. He was born in Paris, France. He was a professional rider from 1945 until 1954. He jointly won the 1949 classic cycle race Paris–Roubaix with Serse Coppi in co ...

, cyclist *

Claude Makélélé Claude Makélélé Sinda (born 18 February 1973) is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a defensive midfielder. He is currently a youth coach and technical mentor at Chelsea, having formerly been the head co ...

, football player *

Laure Manaudou Laure Manaudou (; born 9 October 1986) is a retired French Olympic, world and European champion swimmer. She has held the world record in freestyle events between 200 and 1500 meter. She is the daughter of a French father and a Dutch mother, and s ...

, swimmer * Amélie Mauresmo, tennis player *

Kylian Mbappé Kylian Mbappé Lottin (born 20 December 1998) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is renowned for his dribb ...

, football player * Jacques Mayol, freediver *

Jose Meiffret Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilea ...

, cyclist *

Éric Millot Éric Millot (12 December 1968) is a French former competitive figure skater. He is the 1993 European bronze medalist, the 1995–96 Champions Series Final bronze medalist, and a four-time (1990–93) French national champion. He represented F ...

, figure skater *

Alain Mimoun Alain Mimoun, born Ali Mimoun Ould Kacha (1 January 1921 – 27 June 2013), was an Algerian-born French long-distance runner who competed in track events, cross-country running and the marathon. He was the 1956 Olympic champion in the marathon ...

, athlete * Sophie Moniotte, ice dancer (with Pascal Lavanchy) *

Carole Montillet Carole Montillet-Carles (born 7 April 1973) is a French World Cup alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist. Career Born in Corrençon-en-Vercors, Isère, she became a member of the Villard-de-Lans ski club in Grenoble. At her Olympic debut i ...

, skier *

Armand Mouyal Armand Mouyal (13 October 1925 – 15 July 1988) was a French epee world champion fencer. Early and personal life Born in Oran, French Algeria, Mouyal was Jewish. Fencing career Mouyal began fencing in the early 1950s. National champio ...

(1925–1988), épée fencer, Olympic bronze, world champion * Moustapha N'Diaye (born 1984), basketball player * Alfred "Artem" Nakache (1915–1983), swimmer, world record (200 m breaststroke), one-third of French two-time world record (3x100 relay team) * Claude Netter (1924–2007), foil fencer, Olympic champion, silver *

Hellé Nice Hellé Nice (born Mariette Hélène Delangle; 15 December 1900 – 1 October 1984) was a French model, dancer, and a motor racing driver who competed in numerous minor Grands Prix and other races between 1928 and 1939, whose racing career was imp ...

, pioneer female race car driver * Joakim Noah, NBA basketball player ( Chicago Bulls) * Yannick Noah, tennis player *

Jacques Ochs Jacques Ochs (18 February 1883 – 3 April 1971), was a Jewish Belgian artist and Olympic fencer in the épée style (in which he was champion) and competed in the saber, and foil fencing categories. Biography Ochs was Jewish, and was bor ...

(1883–1971), French-born Belgian artist and Olympic fencing champion *

Micheline Ostermeyer Micheline Ostermeyer (23 December 1922 – 17 October 2001) was a French athlete and concert pianist. She won three medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics in shot put, discus throw, and high jump. After retiring from sports in 1950, she became a full ...

, Olympic champion in discus and shot put, bronze in high jump * Frédéric Ouvret (born 1970), former professional footballer *

Simon Pagenaud Simon Pagenaud (born 18 May 1984) is a French professional racing driver. He is contracted to drive the No. 60 Honda for Meyer Shank Racing in the IndyCar Series. After a successful career in sports car racing that saw him taking the top class ...

, Indycar driver * Tony Parker, Belgian-born French citizen, basketball player * Gwendal Peizerat, ice dancer *

Marie-José Pérec Marie-José Pérec (born 9 May 1968) is a retired French track and field sprinter who specialised in the 200 and 400 metres and is a three-time Olympic gold medalist. Athletics career Pérec won the 1991 World Championships 400 metres title ...

, athlete * Mary Pierce, Canadian-born French citizen, tennis player * Stéphane Peterhansel, car and motor racer, nine-time Dakar Rally winner *

Julien Pillet Julien Pillet (born 28 September 1977 in Dijon, Côte-d'Or) is a French sabre fencer. He is a three-time Olympic medalist as he won the gold in the team event at the 2004 Summer Olympics and also at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He also won the ...

, fencer * Michel Platini, football player * Alain Prost, Formula One driver and four-time champion * Antoine Rigaudeau, basketball player *

Arthur Rozenfeld Arthur Rozenfeld (born February 8, 1995) is a French-Israeli professional basketball player who plays point guard for Hapoel Gilboa Galil of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. Early life Rozenfeld was born in Bron, France. He is 6-0 (183 cm) ...

(born 1995), basketball player in the

* François Rozenthal (born 1975), ice hockey player *

Maurice Rozenthal Maurice Rozenthal (born 20 June 1975) is a French former professional ice hockey player. Personal Rozenthal is Jewish, and is the identical twin brother of François Rozenthal, who is also a French ice hockey player. Ice hockey career He has be ...

(born 1975), ice hockey player *

Georges Stern Georges Stern (1882 – October 28, 1928), nicknamed "The King of the Derbies"and "King of the Jockeys", was a French jockey. He rode in both England and France. Stern, who was Jewish, was born in France to British parents, who were naturalized i ...

(1882–1928), jockey * Jean Stern (1875–1962), épée fencer, Olympic champion * Léon Théry, race car driver * Marcel Thil, world-champion boxer *

Christophe Tiozzo Christophe Tiozzo (born June 1, 1963 in St. Denis, France) is a French former professional boxer who held the Lineal and WBA super middleweight championship. In amateur boxing, Tiozzo won the bronze medal at light middleweight in the 19 ...

, world-champion boxer; brother of

Fabrice Tiozzo Fabrice Tiozzo (born May 8, 1969) is a French former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2006. He is a world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBC light-heavyweight title from 1995 to 1997, the WBA cruiserweight title f ...

, world-champion boxer; brother of

* David Trezeguet, football player *

Tristan Vautier Tristan Vautier (born 22 August 1989) is a French professional racing driver. Racing career Formula Renault Born in Saint-Martin-d'Hères, Isère, Vautier began his career in the French Formula Renault Campus series in 2006, where he finishe ...

, Indycar driver * Patrick Vieira, Senegal-born French citizen, football player * Richard Virenque, Morocco-born French citizen, cyclist *

Roger Walkowiak Roger Walkowiak (; 2 March 1927 – 6 February 2017) was a French road bicycle racer who won the 1956 Tour de France. He was a professional rider from 1950 until 1960. He died on 6 February 2017 at the age of 89. The 1956 Tour de France From 19 ...

, cyclist * Jean-Pierre Wimille, race car driver * Albert Wolff (1906–1989), French-born American Olympic fencer *

Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the most ...

, football player

Authors

A–E

* Marcel Achard *

Alain-Fournier Alain-Fournier () was the pseudonym of Henri-Alban Fournier (3 October 1886 – 22 September 1914Mémoi ...

Mathilde Alanic Mathilde Alanic (pen name, Miranda; 10 November 1864 – 20 October 1948) was a French writer of sentimental novels and short stories. Her work appeared in ''Les Annales politiques et littéraires'', ''L'Eventail'', ''Le Magasin pittoresque'', ''M ...

, novelist, short story writer *

Olivier Ameisen Olivier Ameisen (25 June 1953 – 18 July 2013) was a French-American cardiologist who wrote a best-selling book about curing alcoholism using the drug baclofen. Education and career Ameisen began his medical studies in 1969 at age 16 at Uni ...

Alix André Alix André (née, Caseneuve; 17 April 1909 – 6 July 2000) was a French romance novelist. Between 1942 and 1980, she wrote dozens of books, some of which were translated into several other languages or reprinted episodically in women's magazines ...

, romance novelist * Jean Anouilh, 20th-century dramatist * Guillaume Apollinaire *

Louis Aragon Louis Aragon (, , 3 October 1897 – 24 December 1982) was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of the surrealist movement in France. He co-founded with André Breton and Philippe Soupault the surrealist review ''Littérature''. He wa ...

* Marie Célestine Amélie d'Armaillé, writer, biographer, and historian *

* Marcel Aymé * Jean-Louis Baghio'o * Honoré de Balzac, realist author *

Henri Barbusse Henri Barbusse (; 17 May 1873 – 30 August 1935) was a French novelist and a member of the French Communist Party. He was a lifelong friend of Albert Einstein. Life The son of a French father and an English mother, Barbusse was born in Asnièr ...

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poetry, French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticis ...

, 19th-century poet * Pierre Beaumarchais, comedy playwright *

Simone de Beauvoir Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir (, ; ; 9 January 1908 – 14 April 1986) was a French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist. Though she did not consider herself a philosopher, and even th ...

, 20th-century author *

Dany Bébel-Gisler Dany Bébel-Gisler (7 April 1935 – 28 September 2003) was an Afro-Guadeloupean writer and sociolinguist who specialized in Antillean Creole and ethnology. She was one of the first linguists to defend the preservation and teaching of Creole lan ...

* Cyrano de Bergerac *

Jean Bernabé Jean Bernabé (1942 in Le Lorrain, Martinique – 12 April 2017 in Fort-De-France, Martinique) was a writer and linguist. Bernabé was a professor of language and culture at the Université des Antilles et de la Guyane. He was an important figure ...

Georges Bernanos Louis Émile Clément Georges Bernanos (; 20 February 1888 – 5 July 1948) was a French author, and a soldier in World War I. A Catholic with monarchist leanings, he was critical of elitist thought and was opposed to what he identified as defea ...

* Tristan Bernard * Maurice Blanchot *

Stella Blandy Stella Blandy (née Boué; 24 December 1836 - 18 April 1925) was a French writer and a committed feminist. A contributor to the literary journals ''Revue contemporaine'' and ''Revue des deux mondes'', she wrote novels and essays, and also translate ...

* Antoine Blondin *

Nicolas Boileau Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...

* Lucie Boissonnas, 19th-century author * Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet * Pierre Boulle * Fernand Braudel *

André Breton André Robert Breton (; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') o ...

* Retif de la Bretonne * Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin *

Michel Butor Michel Butor (; 14 September 1926 – 24 August 2016) was a French poet, novelist, teacher, essayist, art critic and translator. Life and work Michel Marie François Butor was born in Mons-en-Barœul, a suburb of Lille, the third of seven childre ...

* Albert Camus, existentialist author *

Marie-Magdeleine Carbet Marie-Magdeleine Carbet, the pen name Anna Marie-Magdeleine (25 August 1902 – 10 January 1996), was an Afro- Martiniquais writer and educator. She and her lesbian partner co-wrote poems, stories and songs under the joint pseudonym Carbet, whi ...

* Louis-Ferdinand Céline, 20th-century author * Blaise Cendrars * Aimé Césaire, 20th-century poet *

Nicolas Chamfort Sébastien-Roch Nicolas, known in his adult life as Nicolas Chamfort and as Sébastien Nicolas de Chamfort (; 6 April 1741 – 13 April 1794), was a French writer, best known for his epigrams and aphorisms. He was secretary to Louis XVI's siste ...

Patrick Chamoiseau Patrick Chamoiseau (born 3 December 1953) is a French author from Martinique known for his work in the créolité movement. His work spans a variety of forms and genres, including novels, essays, children's books, screenplays, theatre and comics. ...

René Char René Émile Char (; 14 June 1907 – 19 February 1988) was a French poet and member of the French Resistance. Biography Char was born in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in the Vaucluse department of France, the youngest of the four children of Emile ...

, 20th-century poet * Victorine Chastenay * François-René de Chateaubriand * Pierre Choderlos de Laclos * Emil Cioran * Fanny Clar, journalist and author * Paul Claudel * Jean Cocteau, 20th-century poet and playwright * Colette, 20th-century author *

Henri Collomb Henri Collomb ( Valjouffrey, 14 December 1913 – Nice, 9 October 1979) was a French psychiatrist, physician and neurologist, one of the pioneers of twentieth-century ethnopsychiatry. Passionate about mountaineering and air travel, he moved firs ...

, psychiatrist *

Joséphine Colomb Joséphine Colomb (née, Bouchet; 4 February 1833 – 17 September 1892) was a 19th-century French children's writer, lyricist, and translator who signed her works, Mme J. Colomb or Mme Louis-Casimir Colomb. She was a recipient of the Montyon Prize ...

, 19th-century children's writer * Maryse Condé * Raphaël Confiant *

Benjamin Constant Henri-Benjamin Constant de Rebecque (; 25 October 1767 – 8 December 1830), or simply Benjamin Constant, was a French people, Franco-Switzerland, Swiss political thinker, activist and writer on political theory and religion. A committed repub ...

* Tristan Corbière *

Pierre Corneille Pierre Corneille (; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patronag ...

, classicist playwright * Marquis de Custine, travel writer * Joseph Dallois * Myriam David, psychoanalyst *

Jeanine Delpech Jeanine Delpech (born Jeanine Louise Nelly Delpech; 1 August 1905 – 3 July 1992) was a French journalist and translator from English, as well as an author of romance novels, detective novels, sentimental novels, and historical works. Her works a ...

, journalist, translator, novelist *

Robert Desnos Robert Desnos (; 4 July 1900 – 8 June 1945) was a French poet who played a key role in the Surrealist movement of his day. Biography Robert Desnos was born in Paris on 4 July 1900, the son of a licensed dealer in game and poultry at the '' H ...

, 20th-century poet * Gisèle d'Estoc, writer, sculptor, and feminist * Charles Dezobry, historian and historical novelist * Denis Diderot * Clotilde Dissard, journalist and feminist *

Alexandre Dumas, père Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where ''Suffix (name)#Generational titles, '' is French language, French for 'father', to distinguish him from ...

, author * Alexandre Dumas, fils, playwright/author * Marguerite Duras, 20th-century novelist *

Vanessa Duriès Vanessa Duriès, also known as Katia Lamara (1972 – 13 December 1993), was a French novelist. Biography She was the author of the French BDSM novel '' Le lien'' (translated into English as '' The Ties that Bind'') allegedly based on her own ...

Paul Éluard Paul Éluard (), born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel (; 14 December 1895 – 18 November 1952), was a French poet and one of the founders of the Surrealist movement. In 1916, he chose the name Paul Éluard, a matronymic borrowed from his maternal ...

Salvat Etchart Salvat Etchart (1924 - 1985 Bordeaux) was a French writer, winner of the 1967 Prix Renaudot. Biography He moved to Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas depa ...

F–O

Victor Hugo by Étienne Carjat 1876 - full

* Frantz Fanon, 20th-century author, psychiatrist *

Léon-Paul Fargue Léon-Paul Fargue (, 4 March 187624 November 1947) was a French poet and essayist. He was born in Paris, France, on rue Coquilliére. As a poet he was noted for his poetry of atmosphere and detail. His work spanned numerous literary movements. ...

* Georges Feydeau * Marc Ferro *

Amanda Filipacchi Amanda Filipacchi (; born October 10, 1967) is an American novelist. She was born in Paris and educated in both in France and in the U.S. She is the author of four novels, ''Nude Men'' (1993), ''Vapor (novel), Vapor'' (1999), ''Love Creeps'' (20 ...

, novelist (French and U.S. citizenship, writes in English) *

Alain Finkielkraut Alain Finkielkraut (, ; ; born 30 June 1949) is a French philosopher and public intellectual. He has written books and essays on a wide range of topics, many on the ideas of tradition and identitary nonviolence, including Jewish identity and ant ...

, essayist * Gustave Flaubert, realist author * Anatole France * Marie de France, poet * Romain Gary *

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels ''The Thief's ...

* André Gide, Nobel Prize winner * Jean Giono * Jean Giraudoux * Françoise Giroud * Édouard Glissant * Edmond de Goncourt, writer, critic, and founder of the Académie Goncourt *

Julien Gracq Julien Gracq (; 27 July 1910 – 22 December 2007; born Louis Poirier in Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, in the French ''département'' of Maine-et-Loire) was a French writer. He wrote novels, critiques, a play, and poetry. His literary works were note ...

Julien Green Julien Green (September 6, 1900 – August 13, 1998) was an American writer who authored several novels (''The Dark Journey'', ''The Closed Garden'', ''Moira'', ''Each Man in His Darkness'', the ''Dixie'' trilogy, etc.), a four-volume autobiog ...

Pierre Guyotat Pierre Guyotat (9 January 1940 – 7 February 2020) was a French writer. Early life Pierre Guyotat was born on 9 January 1940 in Bourg-Argental, Loire. Literary career 1960s–1970s Guyotat wrote his first novel, '' Sur un cheval'', in 1960. ...

Jean-Edern Hallier Jean-Edern Hallier (1 March 193612 January 1997) was a French writer, critic and editor. After his exclusion from the literary review ''Tel Quel'', which he co-founded with Philippe Sollers, Hallier went on to publish novels and satirical pamp ...

* Juliette Heuzey, novelist, biographer * Auguste Himly, historian *

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

, novelist, poet, and playwright * Joris-Karl Huysmans *

Eugène Ionesco Eugène Ionesco (; born Eugen Ionescu, ; 26 November 1909 – 28 March 1994) was a Romanian-French playwright who wrote mostly in French, and was one of the foremost figures of the French avant-garde theatre in the 20th century. Ionesco inst ...

Martine L. Jacquot Martine L. Jacquot (born 1955) is a French-born novelist, poet, short story writer and journalist, living in Canada since 1982. She has a doctorate in French literature. Early life and education Martine Lydie Jacquot was born in La Ferté-Gauch ...

Marie-Reine de Jaham Marie-Reine de Jaham (born February 7, 1940) is a Martiniquais-born writer living in France. Descended from French planters, she is the granddaughter of and the first cousin twice removed of Joséphine de Beauharnais. At the age of 17, she marrie ...

Alain Jouffroy Alain Jouffroy (11 September 1928 – 20 December 2015) was a French writer, poet and artist. Jouffroy was born near Parc Montsouris, Paris. He was the first advocate of an Art Strike and formed the L'Union des Ecrivains during the strikes of ...

, poet, art critic, plastician *

Fabienne Kanor Fabienne Kanor (born 7 August 1970) is a French journalist, novelist and filmmaker of Martinique origin. She is a winner of the Prix Carbet de la Caraïbe et du Tout-Monde. Early life Fabienne Kanor was born in Orléans, France on 7 August 1970. H ...

Jean de La Bruyère Jean de La Bruyère (, , ; 16 August 1645 – 11 May 1696) was a French philosopher and moralist, who was noted for his satire. Early years Jean de La Bruyère was born in Paris, in today's Essonne ''département'', in 1645. His family was mid ...

Jean de La Fontaine Jean de La Fontaine (, , ; 8 July 162113 April 1695) was a French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his ''Fables'', which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Euro ...

* Pierre Choderlos de Laclos * Comte de Lautréamont (Isidore Ducasse) *

Leconte de Lisle Charles Marie René Leconte de Lisle (; 22 October 1818 – 17 July 1894) was a French poet of the Parnassian movement. He is traditionally known by his surname only, Leconte de Lisle''. Biography Leconte de Lisle was born on the French overseas ...

, parnassian poet * Alphonse de Lamartine *

Jacques Lacan Jacques Marie Émile Lacan (, , ; 13 April 1901 – 9 September 1981) was a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist. Described as "the most controversial psycho-analyst since Freud", Lacan gave yearly seminars in Paris from 1953 to 1981, and pu ...

, psychoanalyst * Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, historian * Paul Lafargue *

Jules Laforgue Jules Laforgue (; 16 August 1860 – 20 August 1887) was a Franco-Uruguayan poet, often referred to as a Symbolist poet. Critics and commentators have also pointed to Impressionism as a direct influence and his poetry has been called "part-symbo ...

* Valéry Larbaud *

Maurice Leblanc Maurice Marie Émile Leblanc (; ; 11 December 1864 – 6 November 1941) was a French novelist and writer of short stories, known primarily as the creator of the fictional gentleman thief and detective Arsène Lupin, often described as a French c ...

, created Arsène Lupin *

Marie Léra Marie Lera (, Héliard; pen names, Jean D'Anin and Marc Hélys; 2 June 1864 – 9 October 1958) was a French journalist, novelist, and translator. She is best known for her book, ''Le secret des "Désenchantées"''. Lera died in 1958. Biography Ho ...

, journalist, novelist, and translator * Gaston Leroux, journalist and author, credited with creating the locked room puzzle mystery novel ''

Le Mystère de la chambre jaune ''The Mystery of the Yellow Room'' (in French ''Le mystère de la chambre jaune'') is a mystery novel written by French author Gaston Leroux. One of the first locked-room mystery novels, it was first published serially in France in the periodical ...

'' ''(The Mystery of the Yellow Room)'' and author of '' Le Fantôme de l'Opéra'' ''(The Phantom of the Opera)'' * Pauline de Lézardière, 18th-century historian *

Stéphane Mallarmé Stéphane Mallarmé ( , ; 18 March 1842 – 9 September 1898), pen name of Étienne Mallarmé, was a French poet and critic. He was a major French symbolist poet, and his work anticipated and inspired several revolutionary artistic schools of ...

, poet * Hector Malot, 19th-century author * André Malraux *

Matthieu Marais Mathieu Marais (bapt. 11 October 1665, Paris-21 June 1737, Paris) was a French jurist and lawyer at the Parlement of Paris. He is later known by the edition of his ''Journal and Memoirs'' by Mathurin de Lescures. Life Mathieu Marais was born in P ...

, 18th-century lawyer and writer * Marcel Marceau, 20th-century mime (and member of the French Resistance in World War II) *

René Maran René Maran (5 November 1887 – 9 May 1960) was a French poet and novelist, and the first black writer to win the French Prix Goncourt (in 1921). Biography Maran was born on the boat carrying his parents to Fort-de-France, Martinique where he l ...

* Pierre de Marivaux, playwright *

Clément Marot Clément Marot (23 November 1496 – 12 September 1544) was a French Renaissance poet. Biography Youth Marot was born at Cahors, the capital of the province of Quercy, some time during the winter of 1496–1497. His father, Jean Marot (c.&n ...

, poet * Guy de Maupassant, novelist * François Mauriac, Roman Catholic writer * Daniel Maximin * Prosper Mérimée, 19th-century novelist * Catherine Millet, art expert, editor and erotic memoirist * Patrick Modiano * Jean Baptiste Poquelin dit Molière, 17th-century comedic playwright and actor *

Alfred de Musset Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay (; 11 December 1810 – 2 May 1857) was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.His names are often reversed "Louis Charles Alfred de Musset": see "(Louis Charles) Alfred de Musset" (bio), Biography.com, 2007 ...

, 19th-century poet *

Claire Julie de Nanteuil Claire Julie de Nanteuil (née, Pascalis; pen names, Mrs. P. de Nanteuil and Mrs. de Nanteuil; 27 October 1834 – 17 June 1897) was a 19th-century French writer. She was a two time recipient of the Montyon Prize. Nanteuil died in 1897 Biography ...

, 19th-century writer * Gérard de Nerval *

Paul Niger Paul Niger (21 December 1915 – 22 June 1962) was a poet and political activist from Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe. He was born Albert Béville, but Niger's passion for Africa led him to take the pen name of the great African Niger River. His majo ...

Anaïs Nin Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell (February 11, 1903 – January 14, 1977; , ) was a French-born American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories and erotica. Born to Cuban parents in France, Nin was the d ...

Mona Ozouf Mona Ozouf born Mona Annig Sohier (born 24 February 1931) is a French historian and philosopher. Born into a family of schoolteachers keen on preserving the language and culture of Brittany, she graduated as a teacher of philosophy from the Éco ...

, historian

P–Z

* Marcel Pagnol *

Gisela Pankow Gisela Pankow (25 February 1914 – 14 August 1998) was a French psychoanalyst PsychoanalysisFrom Greek language, Greek: + . is a set of Theory, theories and Therapy, therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed ...

, psychoanalyst *

Ève Paul-Margueritte Ève Paul-Margueritte (5 February 1885 – 16 July 1971) was a French-language writer, the author of many sentimental novels. After she was widowed and her sister, Lucie Paul-Margueritte, was divorced, they lived and worked together, co-authoring ...

, novelist *

Lucie Paul-Margueritte Lucie Paul-Margueritte (9 January 1886 - 10 May 1955) was a French-language writer and translator. She was the recipient of the Legion of Honour as well as multiple awards from the Académie Française. She lived and worked with her widowed sister ...

, writer and translator * Charles Péguy, 20th-century poet *

Charles Perrault Charles Perrault ( , also , ; 12 January 1628 – 16 May 1703) was an iconic French author and member of the Académie Française. He laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from earlier folk tales ...

, ''Mother Goose Tales'' * Georges Perec *

Saint-John Perse Alexis Leger (; 31 May 1887 – 20 September 1975), better known by his pseudonym Saint-John Perse (; also Saint-Leger Leger), was a French poet-diplomat, awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1960 "for the soaring flight and evocative ...

Roger Peyrefitte Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

* Jean Piaget, psychologist *

Jean Piat Jean Piat (23 September 1924 – 18 September 2018) was a French actor and writer. Life Piat was born in Lannoy, Nord. He enlisted in the Comédie-Française on 1 September 1947, and became a member on 1 January 1953. He left the Comédie-Fran ...

* Gisèle Pineau *

Christine de Pizan Christine de Pizan or Pisan (), born Cristina da Pizzano (September 1364 – c. 1430), was an Italian poet and court writer for King Charles VI of France and several French dukes. Christine de Pizan served as a court writer in medieval France ...

, historian, poet, philosopher * Jacques Prévert, 20th-century poet *

Abbé Prévost Antoine François Prévost d'Exiles ( , , ; 1 April 169725 November 1763), usually known simply as the Abbé Prévost, was a French priest, author, and novelist. Life and works He was born at Hesdin, Artois, and first appears with the full nam ...

Marcel Prévost Eugène Marcel Prévost (1 May 18628 April 1941) was a French author and dramatist. Biography Prévost was born in Paris on 1 May 1862, and educated at Jesuit schools in Bordeaux and Paris, entering the École polytechnique in 1882. He publish ...

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel ''In Search of Lost Time'' (''À la recherche du temps perdu''; with the previous Eng ...

, novelist * Raymond Queneau *

François Rabelais François Rabelais ( , , ; born between 1483 and 1494; died 1553) was a French Renaissance writer, physician, Renaissance humanist, monk and Greek scholar. He is primarily known as a writer of satire, of the grotesque, and of bawdy jokes and ...

, Renaissance writer *

Raymond Radiguet Raymond Radiguet (18 June 1903 – 12 December 1923) was a French novelist and poet whose two novels were noted for their explicit themes, and unique style and tone. Early life Radiguet was born in Saint-Maur, Val-de-Marne, close to Paris, th ...

* Jean Racine, classicist playwright *

Pauline Réage Anne Cécile Desclos (23 September 1907 – 27 April 1998) was a French journalist and novelist who wrote under the pen names Dominique Aury and Pauline Réage. She is best known for her erotic novel '' Story of O'' (1954). Early life Born i ...

, novelist *

Gabrielle Réval Gabrielle Réval (also G. Réval) is the pen name of Gabrielle Élise Victoire Logerot (20 December 1869 – 15 October 1938), a French novelist and essayist. Biography Gabrielle Réval was born as Gabrielle Élise Victoire Logerot on 20 Decembe ...

, novelist and essayist * Arthur Rimbaud,

symbolist Symbolism was a late 19th-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images, mainly as a reaction against naturalism and realis ...

poet * Alain Robbe-Grillet * Pierre de Ronsard *

Edmond Rostand Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand (, , ; 1 April 1868 – 2 December 1918) was a French poet and dramatist. He is associated with neo-romanticism and is known best for his 1897 play ''Cyrano de Bergerac''. Rostand's romantic plays contrasted with t ...

, neo-romantic playwright * Raymond Roussel *

Maximilien Rubel Maximilien Rubel (10 October 1905, in Chernivtsi – 28 February 1996, in Paris) was a famous Marxist historian and council communist. Rubel was born in western Ukraine and was educated in law and philosophy in Vienna and Chernivtsi National Un ...

Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade (; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814), was a French nobleman, revolutionary politician, philosopher and writer famous for his literary depictions of a libertine sexuality as well as numerous accusat ...

, erotic and philosophic author *

Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve (; 23 December 1804 – 13 October 1869) was a French literary critic. Early life He was born in Boulogne, educated there, and studied medicine at the Collège Charlemagne in Paris (1824–27). In 1828, he se ...

* George Sand,

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

author * Jean-Paul Sartre, 20th-century existentialist philosopher * Nathalie Sarraute *

André Schwarz-Bart André Schwarz-Bart (May 23, 1928, Metz, Moselle - September 30, 2006, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe) was a French novelist of Polish-Jewish origins. He was awarded the 1967 Jerusalem Prize. Biography Schwarz-Bart's parents moved to France i ...

Simone Schwarz-Bart Simone Schwarz-Bart (born Simone Brumant, 1938) is a French novelist and playwright of Guadeloupean origin. She is a recipient of the Grand prix des lectrices de Elle. Life Simone Brumant was born in 1938 at Saintes in the Charente-Maritime depa ...

* Pierre Seel, homosexual survivor of the concentration camps, activist, author * Victor Segalen *

Madame de Sévigné Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * ''Madame'' ( ...

Madame de Staël Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * ''Madame'' ...

* Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author and aviator * Claude Simon *

Stendhal Marie-Henri Beyle (; 23 January 1783 – 23 March 1842), better known by his pen name Stendhal (, ; ), was a 19th-century French writer. Best known for the novels ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' (''The Red and the Black'', 1830) and ''La Chartreuse de P ...

, novelist (born Henry Beyle) * Alain Tasso, poet, painter, essayist, art critic, literary critic *

Raphaël Tardon Raphaël Louis Thomas Tardon (October 27, 1911 – January 16, 1967) was a French writer, novelist and essayist of Martiniquais origin. He was posthumously awarded the Prix littéraire des Caraïbes in 1966 for his complete body of work. He was the ...

Guy Tirolien Guy Tirolien (; February 13, 1917 – March 8, 1988) was a Guadeloupean poet. He was born in Point-à-Pitre and died at the age of 71 in Marie-Galante. Biography Guy Tirolien was born in Point-à-Pitre, Guadelope to Furcie Tirolen and Léonti ...

François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. After a career of more tha ...

, 20th-century filmmaker * Paul Valéry, 20th-century poet * Vercors, pseudonym of Jean Bruller * Paul Verlaine,

poet *

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

, novelist * Boris Vian, 20th-century author *

Alfred de Vigny Alfred Victor, Comte de Vigny (27 March 1797 – 17 September 1863) was a French poet and early French Romanticist. He also produced novels, plays, and translations of Shakespeare. Biography Vigny was born in Loches (a town to which he never re ...

, 19th-century poet *

Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam Jean-Marie-Mathias-Philippe-Auguste, comte de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam (7 November 1838 – 19 August 1889) was a French symbolism (arts), symbolist writer. His family called him Mathias while his friends called him Villiers; he would also use t ...

* François Villon * Voltaire *

Myriam Warner-Vieyra Myriam Warner-Vieyra (25 March 1939 – 29 December 2017) was a Guadeloupean-born writer of novels and poetry. Biography The daughter of Caribbean parents, she was born Myriam Warner in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. She completed secondary sch ...

* Marguerite Yourcenar *

Joseph Zobel Joseph Zobel (April 26, 1915 in Martinique – June 18, 2006 in Alès, France) is the author of several novels and short-stories in which social issues are at the forefront. Although his most famous novel, '' La Rue Cases-Nègres'', was published so ...

* Émile Zola, naturalist author

Aviators

* Clément Ader *

Jacqueline Auriol Jacqueline Auriol (5 November 1917, Challans, Vendée – 11 February 2000) was a French aviator who set several world speed records. Biography Born in Challans, Vendée, the daughter of a wealthy shipbuilder, Edmond Pierre Douet, she graduate ...

Louis Blériot Louis Charles Joseph Blériot ( , also , ; 1 July 1872 – 1 August 1936) was a French aviator, inventor, and engineer. He developed the first practical headlamp for cars and established a profitable business manufacturing them, using much of th ...

* Henri Farman * René Fonck * Roland Garros, first to cross the Mediterranean;

French Open The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...

is named after him. * Georges Guynemer * Raymonde de Laroche * Hubert Latham *

Léon Lemartin Théodore Clovis Edmond Lemartin, known as Léon Lemartin (20 October 1883 Dunes, Tarn-et-Garonne – 18 June 1911, Vincennes) was a pioneer aviator who set a world record on 3 February 1911 at Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Pau, France when he ca ...

Marie Marvingt Marie Marvingt (20 February 1875 – 14 December 1963) was a French athlete, mountaineer, aviator, and journalist. She won numerous prizes for her sporting achievements including those of swimming, cycling, mountain climbing, winter sports, ballo ...

* Jean Mermoz *

Les Frères Robert Les Frères Robert were two French brothers. Anne-Jean Robert (1758–1820) and Nicolas-Louis Robert (1760–1820) were the engineers who built the world's first hydrogen balloon for professor Jacques Charles, which flew from central Paris on ...

, balloonists Anne-Jean Robert and Nicolas-Louis Robert *

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint-Exupéry, simply known as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (, , ; 29 June 1900 – 31 July 1944), was a French writer, poet, aristocrat, journalist and pioneering aviator. He became a laureate of s ...

, author and aviator *

André Turcat Major André Édouard Turcat (23 October 1921 – 4 January 2016) was a French Air Force pilot and test pilot celebrated for flying the first prototype of Concorde for its maiden flight. Turcat was born on 23 October 1921 in Marseille (Bouches-du ...

* Gabriel Voisin

Business

* Bernard Arnault (born 1949), entrepreneur *

Marie-Claude Beaud Marie-Claude Beaud (born February 22, 1946) is a French exhibition curator and director of art institutions. During her long career, she has held executive positions at Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain (Paris), Les Arts décoratifs (Paris) ...

(born 1946), museumist *

Liliane Bettencourt Liliane Henriette Charlotte Bettencourt (; née Schueller; 21 October 1922 – 21 September 2017) was a French heiress, socialite and businesswoman. She was one of the principal shareholders of L'Oréal. At the time of her death, she was the ...

, cosmetics *

Marcel Bich Marcel Louis Michel Antoine Bich, baron Bich (; 29 July 1914 – 30 May 1994) was an Italian-born, French manufacturer and co-founder of Bic, the world's leading producer of ballpoint pens, lighters, and razors. Early years Bich was born in Tur ...

(1914–1994), Bic pens * Vincent Bolloré (born 1952), transportation and engineering * Marcel Boussac, textiles, fashion, newspapers, race horse breeding *

Anne Bouverot Anne Bouverot (born 21 March 1966) is a French business executive, engineer, AI researcher, and a philanthropist. Education Anne Bouverot attended the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris where she studied computer science leading to an M.S. (19 ...

(born 1966), telecommunications business executive * Ettore Bugatti (1881–1947), automobile manufacturer * André Citroën (1878–1935), automobile manufacturer * Adolphe Clément-Bayard (1855–1928), transportation manufacturer * Marcel Dassault (1892–1986), aviation *

Alexandre Darracq Alexandre Darracq (10 November 1855 – 1931) was a French investor, engineer, cycle manufacturer and automobile manufacturer. By 1904, Darracq was producing more than ten percent of all automobiles in France and he sold a substantial part of h ...

(1855–1931), automotive pioneer * Claude Dauphin (born 1951), commodities trader * Pierre Dauzier (1939–2007), businessman, former president of Havas *

Louis Delâge Louis Delâge (22 March 1874 – 14 December 1947) was a French pioneer automotive engineer and manufacturer. Born Pierre Louis Delâge to a family of modest means in Cognac. As an infant he lost the sight in one eye. At the age of 16 he went ...

(1874–1947), automotive pioneer *

(1843–1905), automotive pioneer *

Gérard Louis-Dreyfus Gérard C. Louis-Dreyfus (21 June 1932 – 16 September 2016), also known as William, was a French-American businessman. His net worth was estimated at $3.4 billion by ''Forbes'' in 2006. He was the chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services and ...

(born 1932), agricultural commodities * Eleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours (1771–1834), founder of

DuPont DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...

Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours ( or ; ; 14 December 1739 – 7 August 1817) was a French-American writer, economist, publisher and government official. During the French Revolution, he, his two sons and their families immigrated to the Uni ...

(1739–1817), entrepreneur *

Jacques Foccart Jacques Foccart (31 August 1913 – 19 March 1997) was a French businessman and politician, best known as a chief adviser to President of France, French presidents on African affairs. He was also a co-founder of the Gaullist Party, Gaullist Servi ...

(?–1997), import-export * Léon Gaumont, pioneer film inventor *

Paul-Louis Halley Paul-Louis Halley (; 16 September 1934 – 6 December 2003) was a French businessman who co-founded the retail company Promodès, which later merged with Carrefour. Much of his fortune came from his 11% stakeholding in Carrefour. He was est ...

(1934–2004), supermarket tycoon *

Max Hymans Max Hymans (March 2, 1900 in Paris – March 7, 1961 in Saint-Cloud), was a notable leftist French politician, member of the resistance, and director of Air France from 1948 to 1961. Biography Max Hymans was born is Paris on the March ...

(1900–1961), aviation * Jean-Marie Messier (born 1957), former Vivendi CEO *

Gérard Mestrallet Gérard Mestrallet (, born 1 April 1949 in Paris, France) is a French manager who served as chairman of the board of directors of Engie and as CEO from 2008 to 2016. He is also the chairman of Suez. Early life and education Mestrallet received d ...

(born 1949), chairman and CEO of Suez * Gérard Mulliez, entrepreneur * Xavier Niel (born 1967), entrepreneur and businessman at Iliad * Charles Pathé, film industry pioneer *

Armand Peugeot Armand Peugeot (; 18 February 1849 – 4 February 1915) was an industrialist in France, pioneer of the automobile industry and the man who transformed Peugeot into a manufacturer of bicycles and, later, of automobiles. He was accepted into the Au ...

(1849–1915), automobile manufacturer * François Pinault (born 1936), entrepreneur *

Jacques-Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont Jacques-Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont (1 September 1726 – 22 February 1803) was a French "Father of the American Revolution", but later an opponent of the French Revolution. His son of the same name, known also in America as James Le Ray, e ...

(1726–1803), shipping magnate and a "Father of the American Revolution" * Marcel Renault (1872–1903), Co-founder of automobile manufacturer Renault * César Ritz, hotelier * James Mayer de Rothschild (1792–1868), banker *

Philippe de Rothschild Philippe, Baron de Rothschild (13 April 1902 – 20 January 1988) was a member of the Rothschild banking dynasty who became a Grand Prix motor racing driver, a screenwriter and playwright, a theatrical producer, a film producer, a poet, and one ...

(1902–1988), wine maker * Eugène Schueller (1881–1954), founder of L'Oréal *

Bernard Tapie Bernard Roger Tapie (; 26 January 1943 – 3 October 2021) was a French businessman, politician and occasional actor, singer, and TV host. He was Minister of City Affairs in the government of Pierre Bérégovoy. Life and career Tapie was bor ...

(born 1943), entrepreneur * Pierre Vidoue (c.1490–1543), Parisian printer and bookseller

Chefs

* Raymond Blanc * Paul Bocuse * Daniel Boulud *

Michel Bras Michel Bras (born 4 November 1946) is a French chef. His restaurant located in Laguiole in the Aveyron was rated three stars in the Guide Michelin since 1999. It is also classed in the "Relais & Châteaux" since 1992. He was classed several time ...

Pascal Caffet Pascal Caffet is a World-Champion and Meilleur Ouvrier de France French pastry Confectionery, confectioner and chocolate maker. He has shops in France, Italy, and Japan. Company history In 1979 Bernard Caffet (Pascal's father) created the “P ...

* Marie-Antoine Carême * Alain Ducasse *

Adolphe Dugléré Adolphe Dugléré (3 June 1805 in Bordeaux – 4 April 1884 in Paris) was a French chef and a pupil of Marie-Antoine Carême. Les Frères Provençaux Dugléré was a ''chef de cuisine'' to the Rothschild family until 1848, and was manag ...

* Auguste Escoffier * Pierre Gagnaire * Michel Guérard *

Victor Hirtzler Victor Hirtzler (ca. 1875, Strasbourg – February 9, 1931, Strasbourg) was a French chef who was head chef of San Francisco, California's St. Francis Hotel from its opening in 1904 until 1926. One of America's first celebrity chefs, he publicize ...

* Marc Lanteri *

Ludovic Lefebvre Ludovic Lefebvre (; born 18 April 1971) is a Michelin-star French chef, restaurateur, author, and television personality. He trained in France for 12 years before moving to Los Angeles. He was awarded the prestigious Forbes Travel Guide Five St ...

* Jacques Pépin *

Georges Perrier Georges Perrier (born 1943) is a French chef who emigrated in the United States in 1967 and lived in Philadelphia, where he founded and ran Le Bec-Fin and other restaurants, bars and cafés across the country. Early life At age 12, Perrier crea ...

* Fernand Point * Charles Ranhofer * Eric Ripert * Joël Robuchon * Albert Roux * Michel Roux *

Michel Roux, Jr. Michel Albert Roux (born 23 May 1960) previously known as Michel Roux Jr., is an English-French two Michelin starred chef. He owns the London restaurant ''Le Gavroche.'' Early life Roux was born at Pembury maternity hospital in Kent, whilst his ...

Julien Royer Julien Royer (born 1 September 1982) is a French chef and restaurant owner. He is the Chef-owner of Odette in Singapore and Louise in Hong Kong. in 2019, Odette was awarded the highest distinction of 3 Michelin stars by the Michelin guide. Royer ...

Guy Savoy Guy Savoy (; born 24 July 1953) is a French chef who is the head chef and owner of the eponymous ''Guy Savoy'' restaurant in Paris and its sister restaurant in Las Vegas, both of which have gained multiple Michelin stars. He owns three other res ...

* Paul Thalamas *

François Vatel François Vatel (; 1631 – 24 April 1671) was the majordomo (in French, ) of Nicolas Fouquet and prince Louis II de Bourbon-Condé. Vatel was born either in Switzerland or in Paris in 1625, 1631, or 1635. He is widely credited with creating '' ...

Marc Veyrat Marc Veyrat (born 8 May 1950) is a French chef from the Haute-Savoie region, who specialises in molecular gastronomy and the use of mountain plants and herbs. Veyrat has obtained a total of nine Michelin Stars and is the first cook to get the pe ...

* Jean-Georges Vongerichten *

Philippe Etchebest Philippe Etchebest (; born 2 December 1966) is a French chef. He was awarded two Michelin stars at the Hostellerie de Plaisance in Saint-Émilion, France. He appears on French television in ''Top Chef'', ''Objectif Top Chef'' and ''Cauchemar en ...

* Hélène Darroze *

Paul Pairet Paul Pairet (born 29 June 1964) is a French chef. He is the founder-partner and chef de cuisine of restaurants Mr & Mrs Bund, Ultraviolet, and cafe 'Polux'', all located in Shanghai, China. His cuisine is often described as avant-garde. Biog ...

Michel Sarran Michel Sarran, born on 18 April 1961, in Nogaro, in Gers (France), is a chef from Toulouse whose restaurant, which bears his name, has been awarded two Michelin stars. He has been one of the jurors of the '':fr:Top Chef, Top Chef'' programme on M6 ...

Colonial administrators

Félix Éboué Adolphe Sylvestre Félix Éboué (; 26 December 1884 – 17 May 1944) was a French Guiana, French French colonial empires, colonial administrator and Free French Forces, Free French leader. He was the first black French man appointed to a hig ...

, Governor General of French Equatorial Africa * Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, French Congo * Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, Louisiana *

Samuel de Champlain Samuel de Champlain (; Fichier OrigineFor a detailed analysis of his baptismal record, see RitchThe baptism act does not contain information about the age of Samuel, neither his birth date nor his place of birth. – 25 December 1635) was a Fre ...

, New France * François Caron, first Governor of French territories of India * François Martin, Governor for French territories in India * Pierre Christoph Le Noir, Governor for French territories in India * Pierre Benoît Dumas, Governor for French territories in India * Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais, French naval officer and administrator, in the service of the French East India Company. * Joseph François Dupleix, Governor for French territories in India *

Lally-Tollendal Thomas Arthur, comte de Lally, baron de Tollendal (13 January 17029 May 1766) was a French general of Irish Jacobite ancestry. Lally commanded French forces, including two battalions of his own red-coated Regiment of Lally of the Irish Brigade ...

, Governor for French territories in India * Marquis de Bussy-Castelnau, Governor for French territories in India *

Louis Faidherbe Louis Léon César Faidherbe (; 3 June 1818 – 29 September 1889) was a French general and colonial administrator. He created the Senegalese Tirailleurs when he was governor of Senegal. Early life Faidherbe was born into a lower-middle-clas ...

, Senegal * Joseph Gallieni, Madagascar *

Francis Garnier Marie Joseph François Garnier ( vi, Ngạc Nhi; 25 July 1839 – 21 December 1873) was a French officer, inspector of Indigenous Affairs of Cochinchina and explorer. He eventually became mission leader of the Mekong Exploration Commission in 19th ...

, French Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos) * Émile Gentil, French Congo * Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey, Algeria * Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, Louisiana *

Jean Talon Jean Talon, Count d'Orsainville (; January 8, 1626 – November 23, 1694) was a French colonial administrator who served as the first Intendant of New France. Talon was appointed by King Louis XIV and his minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to ...

, Canada

Composers

Craftspeople and inventors

André Charles Boulle André-Charles Boulle (11 November 164229 February 1732), ''le joailler du meuble'' (the "furniture jeweller"), became the most famous French cabinetmaker and the preeminent artist in the field of marquetry, also known as "inlay". Boulle was "t ...

, cabinet maker *

Louis Braille Louis Braille (; ; 4 January 1809 – 6 January 1852) was a French educator and the inventor of a reading and writing system, named braille after him, intended for use by visually impaired people. His system is used worldwide and remains virtua ...

, blind inventor * Charles Cros, poet and inventor * Paul Héroult, inventor * Claude de Jouffroy d'Abbans, designed the first steamship in 1783 * René François Lacôte, luthier * René Lalique, glass designer * Auguste and Louis Lumière, inventors * Benoît Raclet, inventor *

Philippe Starck Philippe Starck (; born 18 January 1949) is a French industrial architect and designer known for his wide range of designs, including interior design, architecture, household objects, furniture, boats and other vehicles. Life Starck was born on ...

, industrial architect and designer * Franky Zapata, inventor of flyboard and flyboard Air

Criminals

For

collaboration Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. Most ...

with Nazi Germany see also the ''politicians'' section. *

Jacques de Bernonville Count Jacques Charles Noel Dugé de Bernonville (December 20, 1897 – April 26, 1972) was a French collaborationist and senior police officer in the Milice of the Vichy regime in France. He was known to hunt down and execute French resistance ...

(1897–1972), war criminal sentenced to death * Jules Bonnot *

Émile Louis Émile Louis (21 January 1934 – 20 October 2013) was a French bus driver and the prime suspect in the disappearance of seven young women in the Yonne department, Burgundy, in the late 1970s. He confessed to their murders in 2000 but retracted t ...

* Henri Désiré Landru, serial killer * Jacques Mesrine * Zacarias Moussaoui * Maurice Papon, politician and war criminal * Marcel Petiot, serial killer * Gilles de Rais, prolific serial killer *

Jean-Claude Romand Jean-Claude Romand (born 11 February 1954) is a French spree killer and impostor who pretended to be a medical doctor for 18 years before killing his wife, children and parents in January 1993 when he was about to be exposed. Heavy suspicions a ...

, murderer * Albert Spaggiari *

Charles Sobhraj Charles Sobhraj (born Hotchand Bhawnani Gurmukh Sobhraj, 6 April 1944) is a French serial killer, fraudster, and thief of Indian-Vietnamese descent, who preyed on Western tourists travelling on the hippie trail of South Asia during the 1970s. ...

, killer * Paul Touvier, one of only two Frenchmen to be convicted of crimes against humanity

Dancers

* Jane Avril *

La Goulue La Goulue (, meaning ''The Gourmand''), was the stage name of Louise Weber (12 July 1866 – 29 January 1929), a French can-can dancer who was a star of the Moulin Rouge, a popular cabaret in the Pigalle district of Paris, near Montmartre. Weber ...

* Sylvie Guillem *

Marcelle Lender Marcelle Lender (1862 – 27 September 1926) was a French singer, dancer and entertainer made famous in paintings by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.Brocklehurst, Hannah & Foule, Frances (2018), ''Toulouse-Lautrec & the Art of Celebrity'', Na ...

Cléo de Mérode Cléopâtre-Diane de Mérode (27 September 1875 – 17 October 1966) was a French dancer of the Belle Époque. She has been referred to as the "first real celebrity icon" and the "first modern celebrity". She was also the first woman whose photog ...

* Antonine Meunier *

* François Perron *

Roland Petit Roland Petit (13 January 192410 July 2011) was a French ballet company director, choreographer and dancer. He trained at the Paris Opera Ballet school, and became well known for his creative ballets. Life and work The son of shoe designer Rose ...

Les Twins Laurent and Larry Nicolas Bourgeois (born December 6, 1988), professionally known as Les Twins, are French dancers, choreographers, producers, models, designers, and creative directors of their brand "Eleven Paris". Often referred to by their r ...

, Larry and Laurent Bourgeois

Economists

Antoine Augustin Cournot Antoine Augustin Cournot (; 28 August 180131 March 1877) was a French philosopher and mathematician who also contributed to the development of economics. Biography Antoine Augustin Cournot was born at Gray, Haute-Saône. In 1821 he entered o ...

* Maurice Allais, Nobel Prize * Raymond Barre, economist and politician *

Frédéric Bastiat Claude-Frédéric Bastiat (; ; 30 June 1801 – 24 December 1850) was a French economist, writer and a prominent member of the French Liberal School. A member of the French National Assembly, Bastiat developed the economic concept of opportuni ...

* Fernand Braudel * Alexandre Cazeau de Roumillac *

Jules Dupuit Arsène Jules Étienne Juvenel Dupuit (18 May 1804 – 5 September 1866) was an Italian-born French civil engineer and economist. He was born in Fossano, Italy then under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte. At the age of ten he emigrated to Franc ...

Gérard Debreu Gérard Debreu (; 4 July 1921 – 31 December 2004) was a French-born economist and mathematician. Best known as a professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley, where he began work in 1962, he won the 1983 Nobel Memorial Prize ...

, Nobel memorial prize 1983 * Charles Gide *

Dominique Guellec __NOTOC__ Dominique Guellec is a French economist. He formerly held the post of chief economist at the European Patent Office (EPO) (2004–2005).Achille-Nicolas Isnard, political economist and engineer *

Jean-Jacques Laffont Jean-Jacques Marcel Laffont (April 13, 1947 – May 1, 2004) was a French economist specializing in public economics and information economics. Educated at the University of Toulouse and the Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration ...

* Pierre Émile Levasseur * Alain Lipietz, green economist *

Bernard Maris Bernard Henri Maris (; 23 September 19467 January 2015), also known as "Oncle Bernard", was a French economist, writer and journalist who was also a shareholder in '' Charlie Hebdo'' magazine. He was murdered on 7 January 2015, during the shoot ...

* Thomas Piketty *

François Quesnay François Quesnay (; 4 June 1694 – 16 December 1774) was a French economist and physician of the Physiocratic school. He is known for publishing the "Tableau économique" (Economic Table) in 1758, which provided the foundations of the ideas of ...

Pascal Salin Pascal Salin (born May 16, 1939) is a French economist, professor '' emeritus'' at the Université Paris-Dauphine and a specialist in public finance and monetary economics. He is a former president of the Mont Pelerin Society (1994 to 1996). Bio ...

Jean-Baptiste Say Jean-Baptiste Say (; 5 January 1767 – 15 November 1832) was a liberal French economist and businessman who argued in favor of competition, free trade and lifting restraints on business. He is best known for Say's law—also known as the law of ...

* Jean Tirole *Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot, Baron de Laune, Turgot *Léon Walras

Fashion

*Christian Audigier, fashion designer and business man *

, majority owner of ''L'Oréal'', one of the wealthiest people in Europe *Pierre Cardin, fashion designer * Laetitia Casta, model *Coco Chanel, fashion designer *Jean-Charles de Castelbajac *Hubert de Givenchy *Inès de La Fressange, model and fashion designer *Christian Dior, fashion designer *

, model *Julien Fournié *Jean Paul Gaultier *Daniel Hechter, inventor of ready-to-wear *Christian Lacroix *Jeanne Lanvin, fashion designer * Noémie Lenoir, model *Christian Louboutin, shoe designer *Iris Mittenaere, model, Miss France 2016 and Miss Universe 2016 *Jennifer Messelier, model *Claude Montana *Thierry Mugler *Paul Poiret *Nina Ricci (designer), Nina Ricci, fashion designer *Sonia Rykiel *Yves Saint Laurent (designer), Yves Saint Laurent, fashion designer *Hedi Slimane *Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton, fashion designer

Filmmakers

*Olivier Assayas *Jacques Becker *Jean-Jacques Beineix *Luc Besson *Yves Billon *Alice Guy-Blaché *Bertrand Blier *Patrick Bokanowski *Catherine Breillat *Robert Bresson *Laurent Cantet *Yves Caumon *André Cayatte *Claude Chabrol *Jean-Paul Civeyrac *René Clair *René Clément *Henri-Georges Clouzot * Jean Cocteau *Fabien Cousteau *Jacques Cousteau *Jacques Demy *Claire Denis *Henri Diamant-Berger *Abel Gance *Jean-Luc Godard *Michel Gondry *Michel Hazanavicius *Jean-Pierre Jeunet *Mathieu Kassovitz *Jan Kounen *Patrice Leconte *Claude Lelouch *Philippe Lioret *Louis Malle * André Malraux *Georges Méliès *Jean-Pierre Melville *Maurice Pialat *Jean Renoir *Alain Resnais *Jacques Rivette *Yves Robert *Éric Rohmer *Jean Rollin *Alain Sarde *Claude Sautet *Straub-Huillet *Jacques Tati *Jacques Tourneur *Maurice Tourneur *

*Roger Vadim *Agnès Varda *Jean Vigo

Humorists

*Alain Chabat *Coluche *Pierre Dac, humorist and Resistance worker *Jamel Debbouze *Pierre Desproges *Raymond Devos *Gad Elmaleh *Florence Foresti *Thierry Le Luron *Dieudonné M'bala M'bala *Elie Semoun *Cabu *Stef and Jim

Military leaders

Monarchs and royals

Musicians

A–J

*Dominique A *Air (French band), Air (band) *Alizée * Charles Aznavour *Josephine Baker, American-born entertainer *Thomas Bangalter, member of Daft Punk *Jane Bathori, opera singer *Barbara (singer), Barbara *Guy Béart *Bénabar *Michel Berger *Didier Bocquet *Pierre Bouvier *Lucienne Boyer *Georges Brassens *Breakbot *Aristide Bruant *Yelle, Julie Budet *Manu Chao *Sébastien Charlier *Matthieu Chedid *Richard Clayderman, pianist *Chuck Comeau *Marie-Anne Couperin *Dalida *Marie-Louise Damien, Damia *Claude Debussy *David Desrosiers *Natalie Dessay, opera singer *Dimitri from Paris *Sacha Distel, heartthrob: covered "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" *Marie Dubas *Jacques Dutronc *Kenza Farah *Mylène Farmer *Jean Ferrat *Léo Ferré *Nino Ferrer *Thomas Fersen *Claude François, popular singer during the 1960s and 1970s *Fréhel *Charlotte Gainsbourg *Serge Gainsbourg *France Gall *Laurent Garnier *Gipsy Kings *Georges Guibourg, Georgius *Gesaffelstein *Jean-Jacques Goldman *Stéphane Grappelli, jazz musician *Juliette Gréco *Gribouille (born Marie-France Gaîté) *Hélène Grimaud, classical pianist *David Guetta, house-music producer and DJ *Yvette Guilbert *Arthur H *David Hallyday *Johnny Hallyday, born in Belgium, served in the French Army *Françoise Hardy *Jacques Higelin *Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, member of Daft Punk *Indila *Sébastien Izambard, member of the quartet Il Divo *IAM (band), IAM *Joëlle Mogensen, Joëlle *Justice (band)

K–Z

*Patricia Kaas *Kassav' *Kavinsky *Rina Ketty *Alice Prin, Kiki, "Queen of Montparnasse" *

*Larusso *Boby Lapointe *Bernard Lavilliers *Maxime Le Forestier *Sébastien Lefebvre *Gérard Lenorman *Nolwenn Leroy *Lilly Wood and the Prick *Claudine Longet *Didier Lucchesi *

*M83 (band), M83 *Madeon *Christophe Maé *Mano Negra (band), Mano Negra *Luis Mariano *Anna Marly *Alain Marion *Didier Marouani, musician and composer *Mireille Mathieu *Félix Mayol *Miossec *Mireille Hartuch, Mireille * Mistinguett *Ginette Neveu * Yannick Noah *Claude Nougaro *Suprême NTM, NTM *Noir Désir *Vanessa Paradis *Pierre Perret *Michel Petrucciani *Édith Piaf *Michel Polnareff *Lily Pons, opera singer (naturalized as a United States citizen in 1940) *Rene Rancourt *Renaud *Tino Rossi *Jean Sablon *David Serero (opera singer), David Serero *Bob Sinclar *Skip the Use *Alain Souchon *Mano Solo *Jeff Stinco *Sébastien Tellier *Yann Tiersen *Charles Trenet *Christian Vander (musician), Christian Vander *Sylvie Vartan * Boris Vian *Pauline Viardot, opera singer and composer *Pedro Winter *Zazie

Philosophers

*Pierre Abélard *Louis Althusser *Raymond Aron, sociologist and philosopher *Jean le Rond d'Alembert *Gaston Bachelard *Georges Bataille *Roland Barthes *Jean Baudrillard, philosopher and sociologist *Pierre Bourdieu, sociologist *Julien Benda *Henri Bergson *Émile Boutroux *Fabienne Brugère *Michel de Certeau *André Comte-Sponville *J. Hector St. John de Crèvecœur, Jean de Crèvecœur *Guy Debord *Gilles Deleuze *Natalie Depraz *Jacques Derrida *René Descartes, scientist and philosopher * Denis Diderot, the Enlightenment, Enlightenment author and deist philosopher * Frantz Fanon *Michel Foucault *Camille Froidevaux-Metterie * Édouard Glissant *Félix Guattari *Vladimir Jankélévitch *Étienne de La Boétie, philosopher and politician *Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe *Henri Lefèbvre *Marcel Légaut, Christian philosopher *Jean de Léry, ''corsaire'' and ethnologist, anti-racism activist *Emmanuel Lévinas *Jean-François Lyotard *Nicolas Malebranche *Gabriel Marcel, philosopher *Jacques Maritain, philosopher *Maurice Merleau-Ponty, phenomenologist *Michel de Montaigne, philosopher essayist *Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, Montesquieu, political philosopher *Edgar Morin *Emmanuel Mounier, philosopher *Jean-Luc Nancy, philosopher *Blaise Pascal, scientist, mathematician, Christian philosopher, and author *Jean-François Revel *Paul Ricœur *Jean-Jacques Rousseau * Jean-Paul Sartre, existentialist philosopher *Michel Serres *Voltaire, François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire), Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment author, deist/agnostic philosopher *Éric Weil, philosopher *Simone Weil

Politicians

*Robert Badinter, lawyer, statesman and anti-death-sentence activist *François Bayrou, UDF party leader *Léon Blum, politician, Socialist party leader, prime minister *José Bové, anti-globalization activist, altermondialist *Aristide Briand *Jacques Chirac, politician, member of center-right wing party, former city mayor of Paris, two-term French president *Georges Clemenceau *Gaspard II de Coligny, Gaspard de Coligny *Bertrand Delanoë, mayor of Paris *Jacques Delors *Félix Faure, President of France who died of a heart attack while making love to his mistress *Charles de Gaulle, World War II general, commander of the Free French Forces, heroic French president *Valéry Giscard d'Estaing *François Guizot, Prime Minister *Gisèle Halimi, lawyer and feminist activist *François Hollande, former PS (Socialist Party) leader, former French president (15 May 2012 – 14 May 2017) *Jean Jaurès, politician, pacifist *Lionel Jospin, socialist, former prime minister *Bernard Kouchner, founder of Médecins du Monde *Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the extreme right party in France, Front National, presidential candidate *Louis Lépine, Paris police chief, governor of Algiers, founder of the Concours Lépine *Émile Loubet, President of France who was elected in 1899, after the death of Félix Faure *Henri-Auguste Lozé, Paris police chief, senator of the Third Republic *Emmanuel Macron, founder and current President of Renaissance (French political party), Renaissance, current President of France (from 14 May 2017) *Jean-Paul Marat, politician during the Revolution, journalist, physician, scientist *Jean-Claude Martinez, lawyer and European deputy *Pierre Mendès France, lawyer and statesman, prime minister *Honoré Mirabeau *François Mitterrand, lawyer and statesman, president *Jean Monnet *Philippe Pétain, head of ''Vichy'' France *Alexandre de Prouville, Viceroy of New France *Marthe Richard *Maximilien Robespierre, statesman and major figure in the French Revolution *Gilberte Roca (1911–2004), Communist *Ségolène Royal, politician, Socialist party, presidential candidate *Nicolas Sarkozy, politician, President of the right wing party *Victor Schœlcher, anti-slavery activist *Charles Maurice de Talleyrand *Maurice Thorez *Jacques Toubon *Dominique de Villepin, former Prime Minister of France *Dominique Voynet, physician and Green party politician

Popes

Resistance workers

Resistance workers during the German occupation of France in World War II *Lucie Aubrac, Lucie Samuel-Aubrac (1912–2007), human rights activist *Raymond Aubrac (1914–2012), statesman *Robert Benoist (1895–1944), Special Operations Executive, SOE operative, champion race car driver *Denise Bloch (1915–1945), Special Operations Executive, SOE operative: King's Commendation for Brave Conduct, Legion of Honor, French Resistance Medal *Andrée Borrel (1919–1944), Special Operations Executive, SOE operative: Croix de guerre *Bernadette Cattanéo (1899–1963), trade unionist and communist activist *Madeleine Damerment (1917–1944), Special Operations Executive, SOE operative: Legion of Honor, Croix de guerre, Médaille combattant volontaire de la Résistance *Marie Dissard, Marie Louise Dissard (1880–1957), U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient *William Grover-Williams (1903–1945), Special Operations Executive, SOE operative, champion race car driver *Cecily Lefort (1900–1945), Special Operations Executive, SOE operative: Croix de guerre *Pierre Mendès France (1907–1982), lawyer, statesman *Jean Moulin (1899–1943), statesman *Agnès de La Barre de Nanteuil (1922–1944), assisted allied airmen *Abbé Pierre (1912–2007), priest and founder of Emmaus *Christian Pineau (1904–1995), statesman *Eliane Plewman (1917–1944), Special Operations Executive, SOE operative: Croix de guerre *Germaine Ribière (1917–1999), Righteous among the Nations *Élise Rivet (1890–1945), nun executed by Nazis for aiding the resistance *Lilian Rolfe (1914–1945), Special Operations Executive, SOE agent executed by the Nazis *Odette Sansom (1912–1995), Special Operations Executive, SOE operative: George Cross, MBE, Legion of Honor *Suzanne Spaak, Belgian-born agent: "Red Orchestra" intelligence network; executed 1944 *Violette Szabo (1921–1945), Special Operations Executive, SOE operative: George Cross, Croix de guerre * Jean-Pierre Wimille (1908–1949), Special Operations Executive, SOE operative, champion race car driver *See also French Resistance

Scientists

Social activists

*Hubertine Auclert, journalist and feminist leader *

, author, philosopher, and feminist *Christian de Boisredon, social activist *Sophie de Condorcet, feminist *Maria Deraismes, feminist *Camille Drevet, anti-colonialist, feminist and pacifist activist *Marguerite Durand, journalist and feminist leader *Anna Féresse-Deraismes feminist activist *Olympe de Gouges, feminist *Floresca Guépin, feminist and teacher *Alice Jouenne, educator and socialist activist *Samir Kassir, journalist *Jean Théophile Victor Leclerc, radical revolutionist, newspaper publisher *Marie Léopold-Lacour, feminist activist, writer, and storyteller *Félix Pécaut, education proponent and pastor *Gabrielle Petit (feminist), Gabrielle Petit, feminist activist, anticlerical, libertarian socialist, newspaper editor *Élisabeth Renaud, teacher, socialist activist, feminist *Colette Reynaud, feminist, socialist, pacifist, journalist *Victor Schœlcher, abolitionist * Pierre Seel, homosexual concentration camp survivor, activist, author *Séverine, feminist *Madeleine Tribolati (1905–1995), trade unionist *Flora Tristan, feminist

Soldiers

*Joan of Arc, commander and saint *Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard, Chevalier Bayard *François Achille Bazaine *Charles XIV John of Sweden, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte *Georges Boulanger *Thomas Robert Bugeaud *Raymond H. A. Carter *François de Charette *Louis II de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, known as ''le Grand Condé''. *Gaspard II de Coligny, Gaspard de Coligny *François Darlan *Louis-Nicolas Davout *Bob Denard *Alfred Dreyfus *Charles François Dumouriez *Ferdinand Foch *Louis Franchet d'Espèrey * Joseph Gallieni *Maurice Gamelin *Henri Gouraud (French Army officer), Henri Gouraud *Bertrand du Guesclin *Joseph Joffre *Edmond Jouhaud *Jean-Baptiste Jourdan *Alphonse Juin *Marie-Pierre Kœnig *Jacques de la Palice *Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, Marquis de Lafayette *Charles Leclerc (general, born 1772), Charles Leclerc *Jean Lannes *Jean de Lattre de Tassigny *Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque *François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg *Hubert Lyautey *Patrice MacMahon, duc de Magenta, Patrice MacMahon *Charles Mangin *Claude Martin *André Masséna *Jacques Massu *Louis-Joseph de Montcalm *Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester, Simon de Montfort *Philippe Morillon *Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte *Joachim Murat *Michel Ney *Robert Nivelle *Philippe Pétain *Comte de Rochambeau *Raoul Salan *Maurice Sarrail *Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult, Nicolas Soult *Louis Jules Trochu *Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne, Henri de Turenne *Étienne de Vignolles, called La Hire *Claude Louis Hector de Villars *Maxime Weygand

Theologians

O.P. (''Ordo Praedicatorum'') is the abbreviation used to indicate that someone is/was a member of the Dominican order, a Roman Catholic Church, Catholic religious order (Catholic), religious order. S.J. (''Societas Iesu'') is the abbreviation used to indicate that someone is/was a member of the Society of Jesus, another Roman Catholic Church, Catholic religious order. *Jean Arnauld, philosopher and theologian *Denis Bérardier, priest and theologian *Marie-Émile Boismard O.P. * Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet *John Calvin, Jean Calvin *Sebastian Castellio, translator of the Bible *Pierre Cauchon, condemned Joan of Arc *Robert Ciboule, Roman Catholic theologian *Bernard of Clairvaux *Jean Claude *Yves Congar, O.P. *Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. *Hubert Languet *Maurice Leenhardt, ethnologist, theologian *Jean Louail, theologian *André Paul, scholar in the fields of theology, biblical studies and ancient Judaism *François Picquet, 18th-century missionary in New France *Jean Porthaise, theologian *Alexander de Rhodes S.J., 17th-century missionary to Indochina *Richard of Saint-Laurent, canon at Rouen *Auguste Sabatier *Antonin Sertillanges O.P., founder of the ''Revue Thomiste'' *Pierre Teilhard de Chardin S.J. *Simon-Michel Treuvé

Others

*Marie-Louise Arconati-Visconti (1840–1923), art collector, philanthropist *Fabrice Balanche, geographer *Marcel Bardiaux, sailor *Suzanne Borel, first French woman diplomat *Jeanne Calment, title claimant for the Oldest people, longest documented human lifespan – 122 years and 164 days *Pierre de Coubertin, initiator of the modern Olympic Games *Ninon de l'Enclos, courtesan, patron of the arts *Cavalier de la Salle, explorer *Maurice Debesse, educator *Suzanne Deutsch de la Meurthe, philanthropist, aviation supporter *René Dumont, agronomist engineer and sociologist and ecology activist *Jules Dumont d'Urville *Maurice Duverger, jurist * Gustave Eiffel, engineer *Pierre Charles L'Enfant, city planner responsible for Washington, D.C. *Charles-Michel de l'Épée, founder of world's first public school for deaf people *Norbert Ferré, illusionist *Robert Gloton, educator *Arthur de Gobineau, diplomat, author of ''An Essay on the Inequality of the Human Races'' *Lucie Grange, medium and feminist prophet *Marie de Hennezel, psychologist, psychotherapist and writer *Daniel Le Hirbec, navigator *Louis Maurice Adolphe Linant de Bellefonds, explorer and canal engineer *Marie-Antoinette Lix, governess and resistance fighter *Brigitte Macron, high school teacher, first lady of France *Virginie Mauvais, educator, philanthropist *Philippe Méaille, contemporary art collector *Montgolfier brothers, balloonists *François Henri de la Motte, French spy executed for treason 1781 in London *Nostradamus, physician, author, translator, astrological consultant *Charles François Adrien le Paulmier, diplomat, nobleman, and slaveholder *Anne Quemere, sailor and sportswoman *Jean-Marie Raoul, lawyer, musician *Élisée Reclus, geographer and anarchist *Jean-François Ricard (born 1956), prosecutor of the French National Terrorism Prosecution Office *Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, magician, namesake of "Harry Houdini" * Pierre Seel, homosexual survivor of the concentration camps, activist, author *Vauban, engineer *Eugène François Vidocq, French convict-turned-spy considered the father of modern forensics

References

{{Reflist Lists of French people,