Benoît Duquesne (19 July 1957 – 4 July 2014) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

journalist, television reporter and newscaster. He worked as presenter of the

news magazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio, or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories in greater depth than newspapers or new ...

Complément d'enquête ''Complément d'enquête'' (Further Investigation) is an investigative newsmagazine presented by Benoît Duquesne and shown in Metropolitan France on France 2 weekdays late in the evening, and, in Canada, bi-monthly on TV5. A similar investigati ...

'' from 2007 until his death. He also was anchor of the ''Journal de 13 heures'' on

France 2 France 2 () is a French free-to-air public television channel. The flagship channel of France Télévisions, it broadcasts generalist programming including news, entertainment (such as dramas, films, and game shows), factual programmes, and sp ...

from January to July 2005.

Early life and education

His family was from

Wasquehal Wasquehal (traditional pronunciation ; currently common pronunciation ) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. The town originally had a Flemish name; it was written as ''Waskenhal'' in the 11th century. Geography Wasquehal ...

and originally came from Glageon. His father, Gérard Duquesne, was a doctor and the mayor of the town, and had seven children. Benoît Duquesne was educated at the primary school of Couplevoie and at the Lycée Saint-Joseph of

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

for his secondary studies. After graduating with a degree in law, he studied at the ESJ (École supérieure de journalisme) of

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

where he graduated in 1983.

Television career

From 1982 to 1988, he was a reporter on

Europe 1 Europe 1, (''Europe un'') formerly known as Europe nº 1, is a privately owned radio station created in 1955. It was owned and operated by Lagardère News, a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group, it was one of the leading radio broadcasting s ...

, and then joined

TF1 TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network. TF1 is part ...

until 1994. He worked for the news magazines ''A la une'', ''Le Droit de savoir'' and ''Reportages''. From 1994 to 1997, he was a stand-in news anchor on

. On the evening of the second round of the French presidential election of 1995, live on France 2, he rode a motorcycle chasing winner

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...

's car in the streets of Paris, in the attempt to secure an interview. He was then a reporter at France 2 until 1999. From 1995 to 2000, he was the channel's correspondent in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. From 2000 to 2001, he was promoted to

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

. From September 2001 until his death, he was the host of the investigation magazine ''

'' on France 2. From January to July 2005, he anchored the ''Journal de 13 heures'' on the same channel after the sudden departure of Christophe Hondelatte. In September 2007, he was named news editor on

. He was fired in July 2008 by Alexandre Bompard.

Death

Benoît Duquesne died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

, in his houseboat of

L'Île-Saint-Denis L'Île-Saint-Denis (; ) is a French commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France. It is located from the centre of Paris. The commune is entirely contained on an island of the Seine, hence its name. Along with the communes of Sai ...

Seine-Saint-Denis () is a department of France located in the Grand Paris metropolis in the region. In French, it is often referred to colloquially as ' or ' ("ninety-three" or "nine three"), after its official administrative number, 93. Its prefecture is Bobi ...

on July 4, 2014. His funeral was celebrated on July 10, 2014, at the Église Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc in

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

Personal life

Benoît Duquesne was the father of four children. His daughter, Marie Duquesne, is a journalist on

BFM TV BFM TV (, stylized as BFMTV) is a French news broadcast television and radio network, wholly owned by RMC BFM. The flagship property of the RMC BFM division of CMA CGM, its headquarters are located in Paris. As the country's most-watched new ...

Television programs

* 1992–94 : ''À la une'', ''Le Droit de savoir'' and ''Reportages'' on France 2 * 1994–99 : replacing presenter of the news on France 2 * 2001–14 : ''

'' on France 2 * 2005 : ''Journal de 13 heures'' on France 2

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duquesne, Benoit 1957 births 2014 deaths People from Roubaix French journalists French television presenters French male non-fiction writers