Pierre Bénichou,

Commandeur Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries, t ...

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

Early life

Pierre Bénichou was born on 1 March 1938 in

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

French Algeria French Algeria ( until 1839, then afterwards; unofficially ; ), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of History of Algeria, Algerian history when the country was a colony and later an integral part of France. French rule lasted until ...

. 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. One of his father's pupils was author

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, journalist, world federalist, and political activist. He was the recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the s ...

. His paternal uncle, Paul Bénichou, 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''. He joined ''

France Dimanche ''France Dimanche'' (English language, English: France Sunday) is a French weekly celebrity news magazine published by Czech Media Invest with a circulation of about 150.00 copies. Similar to British Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloids, but wit ...

'' in 1956. He became a reporter for '' Jours de France'' in 1961. He became the editor-in-chief of ''

Le Nouvel Observateur (), previously known as (2014–2024), (1964–2014), (1954–1964), (1953–1954), and (1950–1953), is a weekly French news magazine. Based in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, ' is one of the three most prominent French news magazines ...

'', another magazine, in 1966, at a time when it was the most sold weekly newspaper in Europe He subsequently joined '' Les Grosses Têtes'', 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. 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 ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

on 25 March 2016.

Personal life

Bénichou was married to Alix Dufaure, journalist for

Marie Claire ''Marie Claire'' (stylized in all lowercase; ) is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on women aro ...

; she died May 2, 2012.url=https://www.gala.fr/stars_et_gotha/alix_dufaure They had one son together, Antoine. Actor Vincent Lindon and his brother Sylvain are his stepson; Dufaure divorced Laurent Lindon in 1964.

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 Commanders of the Legion of Honour Pieds-noirs