Pierre Bénichou,

Commandeur Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

, (1 March 1938 – 31 March 2020) was a French journalist.

Early life

Pierre Bénichou was born on 1 March 1938 in

Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

French Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...

. His father, André Bénichou, a philosophy professor, opened a private school after he was dismissed from his job for being Jewish in 1941, in the midst of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. One of his father's pupils was author

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

. His paternal uncle,

Paul Bénichou Paul Bénichou (; 19 September 1908 – 14 May 2001) was a French/Algerian writer, intellectual, critic, and literary historian. Bénichou first achieved prominence in 1948 with ''Morales du grand siècle'', his work on the social context of the F ...

, was a historian. His paternal grandparents were practising Jews. He moved to Paris, France, in 1949.

Career

Bénichou was a journalist. He started his career as an intern for ''

France Soir ''France Soir'' ( en, France Evening) was a French newspaper that prospered in physical format during the 1950s and 1960s, reaching a circulation of 1.5 million in the 1950s. It declined rapidly under various owners and was relaunched as a popul ...

''. He joined ''

France Dimanche ''France Dimanche'' is a French weekly celebrity news magazine published by Czech Media Invest with a circulation of about 150.00 copies. Similar to British tabloids, but with a weekly circulation, it covers celebrity gossip and scandals since 1 ...

'' in 1956. He became a reporter for ''

Jours de France ''Jours de France'' is a French news magazine which was created and belonged to French industrialist Marcel Dassault. It succeeded to an earlier magazine called ''Semaine de France'' and was originally intended as a competitor to ''Paris Match''. ...

'' in 1961. He became the editor-in-chief of ''

Le Nouvel Observateur (), previously known as (1964–2014), is a weekly French news magazine. Based in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, it is the most prominent French general information magazine in terms of audience and circulation. Its current editor is Cécil ...

'', another magazine, in 1966, at a time when it was the most sold weekly newspaper in Europe He subsequently joined ''

Les Grosses Têtes Les Grosses Têtes (; ("The Big Heads" or "The Big Brains" in English) is a daily comedy radio programme on the French language RTL radio network. Broadcast since 1 April 1977, the current host since 2014 has been Laurent Ruquier. Presently bro ...

'', a cult radio programme on RTL that made him a staple name in France for decades. He was also a contributor to ''Vivement Dimanche'', a television programme hosted by

Michel Drucker Michel Drucker, CQ (born 12 September 1942 in Vire) is a popular French journalist and TV host. He has been on screen for so long on various shows and different networks, both public and private, that he once said that some people joked that h ...

. A much loved figure, he was widely considered as a "monument historique" of French Media. Bénichou became a Commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

on 25 March 2016.

Personal life

Bénichou was married to Alix Dufaure; she died in 2012. They had one son together, Antoine. Actor

Vincent Lindon Vincent Lindon (born 15 July 1959) is a French actor and filmmaker. For his role in the film '' The Measure of a Man'' (2015), Lindon won Best Actor at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, Best Actor at the 41st César Awards and the IFFI Best Act ...

is his stepson by his widow's first marriage. Bénichou died on 31 March 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benichou, Pierre 2020 deaths 1938 births People from Oran Journalists from Paris French people of Algerian-Jewish descent 20th-century French journalists French magazine editors French radio presenters Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Pieds-Noirs