| Name | Occupation | Birth | Death | Known for |
|---|
| Isabelle Adjani |
Actor |
27-Jun-1955 |
|
Camille Claudel |
| Anouk Aimée |
Actor |
27-Apr-1932 |
|
La Dolce Vita |
| Maurice Allais |
Economist |
31-May-1911 |
9-Oct-2010 |
Monopoly pricing and the Allais effect |
| Guillaume Amontons |
Physicist |
31-Aug-1663 |
11-Oct-1705 |
Thermometrist |
| Louis Aragon |
Poet |
3-Oct-1897 |
24-Dec-1982 |
Communistic French poet |
| George Archainbaud |
Film Director |
7-May-1890 |
20-Feb-1959 |
Thirteen Women |
| Pierre Arditi |
Actor |
1-Dec-1944 |
|
Mélo |
| Roland Arnall |
Business |
29-Mar-1939 |
17-Mar-2008 |
Ameriquest billionaire |
| Raymond Aron |
Philosopher |
14-Mar-1905 |
17-Oct-1983 |
Political philosopher, social theorist |
| Olivier Assayas |
Film Director |
25-Jan-1955 |
|
Clean |
| Alexandre Astruc |
Film Director |
13-Jul-1923 |
19-May-2016 |
Les mauvaises rencontres |
| Jacques Audiard |
Film Director |
30-Apr-1952 |
|
A Prophet |
| Pierre Auger |
Physicist |
14-May-1899 |
25-Dec-1993 |
Auger effect |
| Jean-Pierre Aumont |
Actor |
5-Jan-1911 |
30-Jan-2001 |
La Machine Infernale |
| Sabine Azéma |
Actor |
20-Sep-1949 |
|
Same Old Song |
| Charles Aznavour |
Singer |
22-May-1924 |
|
Shoot the Piano Player |
| Joseph Babinski |
Doctor |
17-Nov-1857 |
29-Oct-1932 |
The Babinski sign |
| Jean-Sylvain Bailly |
Astronomer |
15-Sep-1736 |
12-Nov-1793 |
Histoire de l'Astronomie |
| Josiane Balasko |
Actor |
15-Apr-1950 |
|
French Twist |
| Jeanne Balibar |
Actor |
13-Apr-1968 |
|
Va Savoir |
| Albert Band |
Film Director |
7-May-1924 |
14-Jun-2002 |
I Bury the Living |
| Brigitte Bardot |
Actor |
28-Sep-1934 |
|
Voulez-vous danser avec moi? |
| Marie-Christine Barrault |
Actor |
21-Mar-1944 |
|
Cousin, cousine |
| Françoise Barré-Sinoussi |
Scientist |
30-Jul-1947 |
|
Co-Discoverer of HIV |
| Charles Baudelaire |
Poet |
9-Apr-1821 |
31-Aug-1867 |
Les Fleurs du Mal |
| Pierre Beaumarchais |
Author |
24-Jan-1732 |
18-May-1799 |
The Barber of Seville |
| Simone de Beauvoir |
Activist |
9-Jan-1908 |
14-Apr-1986 |
The Second Sex |
| Jacques Becker |
Film Director |
15-Sep-1906 |
21-Feb-1960 |
Le Trou |
| Jean Becker |
Film Director |
10-May-1938 |
|
Children of the Marshlands |
| Henri Becquerel |
Physicist |
15-Dec-1852 |
25-Aug-1908 |
Discoverer of radioactivity |
| Charles Bedaux |
Business |
26-Oct-1887 |
18-Feb-1944 |
Industrial efficiency expert |
| Cyrano de Bergerac |
Playwright |
6-Mar-1619 |
28-Jul-1655 |
Voyage dans la Lune |
| Henri Bergson |
Philosopher |
18-Oct-1859 |
4-Jan-1941 |
L'Évolution Créatrice |
| Georges Bernanos |
Novelist |
20-Feb-1888 |
5-Jul-1948 |
The Diary of a Country Priest |
| Sarah Bernhardt |
Actor |
22-Oct-1844 |
26-Mar-1923 |
French theatre actress |
| Claude Berri |
Film Director |
1-Jul-1934 |
12-Jan-2009 |
Jean de Florette |
| Marcellin Berthelot |
Chemist |
27-Oct-1827 |
18-Mar-1907 |
Chimie organique fondée sur la synthèse |
| Luc Besson |
Film Director |
18-Mar-1959 |
|
The Fifth Element |
| Didier Bezace |
Actor |
10-Feb-1946 |
|
The Little Thief |
| Francis Biddle |
Government |
9-May-1886 |
4-Oct-1968 |
US Attorney General, 1941-45 |
| Juliette Binoche |
Actor |
9-Mar-1964 |
|
Chocolat and The English Patient |
| Jean-Baptiste Biot |
Physicist |
21-Apr-1774 |
3-Feb-1862 |
Biot-Savart Law |
| Georges Bizet |
Composer |
25-Oct-1838 |
3-Jun-1875 |
Carmen |
| Léon Blum |
Head of State |
9-Apr-1872 |
30-Mar-1950 |
Thrice Prime Minister of France |
| Giovanni Boccaccio |
Author |
1313 |
21-Dec-1375 |
Decameron |
| Nicolas Boileau |
Poet |
1-Nov-1636 |
13-Mar-1711 |
Satires du Sieur D... |
| Jean-Louis Borloo |
Politician |
7-Apr-1951 |
|
French Environment Minister |
| Paul Boucherot |
Engineer |
3-Oct-1869 |
7-Aug-1943 |
Ocean thermal energy conversion |
| Michel Bouquet |
Actor |
6-Nov-1925 |
|
Totò the Hero |
| Léon Bourgeois |
Politician |
21-May-1851 |
29-Sep-1925 |
French Prime Minister 1895-96 |
| Louise Bourgeois |
Sculptor |
25-Dec-1911 |
31-May-2010 |
Crouching Spider |
| Daniel Bouton |
Business |
10-Apr-1950 |
|
CEO of Société Générale |
| Pierre Brasseur |
Actor |
22-Dec-1905 |
16-Aug-1972 |
Les Enfants du Paradis |
| Thierry Breton |
Business |
15-Jan-1955 |
|
CEO of France Telecom, 2002-05 |
| Philippe de Broca |
Film Director |
15-Mar-1933 |
26-Nov-2004 |
King of Hearts |
| Maurice de Broglie |
Physicist |
27-Apr-1875 |
14-Jul-1960 |
X-ray spectroscopy |
| Jean de La Bruyère |
Author |
16-Aug-1645 |
10-May-1696 |
Les Caractères de Théophraste |
| Ferdinand Buisson |
Activist |
20-Dec-1841 |
16-Feb-1932 |
French pacifist, Nobel Prize recipient |
| Corinne Calvet |
Actor |
30-Apr-1925 |
23-Jun-2001 |
Sailor Beware |
| Philippe Camus |
Business |
28-Jun-1948 |
|
Partner, Groupe Lagardere |
| Julien Carette |
Actor |
23-Dec-1897 |
20-Jul-1966 |
The Grand Illusion |
| Marcel Carné |
Film Director |
18-Aug-1909 |
31-Oct-1996 |
Les Enfants du Paradis |
| Sadi Carnot |
Physicist |
1-Jun-1796 |
24-Aug-1832 |
2nd Law of Thermodynamics |
| Leslie Caron |
Dancer |
1-Jul-1931 |
|
Gigi |
| Robert Casadesus |
Pianist |
7-Apr-1899 |
19-Sep-1972 |
French pianist/composer |
| Tabatha Cash |
Pornstar |
27-Dec-1973 |
|
Gangbang Girl #9, Lesbomania #2 |
| Jean-Pierre Cassel |
Actor |
27-Oct-1932 |
19-Apr-2007 |
The Crimson Rivers |
| Vincent Cassel |
Actor |
23-Nov-1966 |
|
Irréversible |
| Jacques Dominique Cassini |
Astronomer |
30-Jun-1748 |
18-Oct-1845 |
Director, Observatoire de Paris |
| Oleg Cassini |
Fashion Designer |
11-Apr-1913 |
17-Mar-2006 |
Fashion designer |
| Catherine of Valois |
Royalty |
27-Oct-1401 |
3-Jan-1437 |
Consort of Henry V of England |
| Augustin-Louis Cauchy |
Mathematician |
21-Aug-1789 |
23-May-1857 |
Infinitesimals, theory of substitution groups |
| Patrick Cescau |
Business |
1948 |
|
Group Chief Executive of Unilever |
| Claude Chabrol |
Film Director |
24-Jun-1930 |
12-Sep-2010 |
La Cérémonie |
| Henri, Comte de Chambord |
Royalty |
29-Sep-1820 |
24-Aug-1883 |
Pretender to the French throne |
| Albert Champion |
Business |
2-Apr-1878 |
26-Oct-1927 |
ACDelco and Champion spark plugs |
| Manu Chao |
Musician |
21-Jun-1961 |
|
Clandestino |
| Jean-Martin Charcot |
Doctor |
29-Nov-1825 |
16-Aug-1893 |
Father of neurology |
| Charles VI |
Royalty |
3-Dec-1368 |
21-Oct-1422 |
King of France, 1380-1422 |
| Charles VII |
Royalty |
22-Feb-1403 |
22-Jul-1461 |
King of France, 1422-61 |
| Charles, duc d'Orléans |
Poet |
24-Nov-1394 |
4-Jan-1465 |
Medieval French courtly poet |
| Pierre Charron |
Philosopher |
1541 |
16-Nov-1603 |
De la Sagesse |
| Maurice Chevalier |
Actor |
12-Sep-1888 |
1-Jan-1972 |
Love Me Tonight |
| Jacques Chirac |
Head of State |
29-Nov-1932 |
|
President of France, 1995-2007 |
| Christian-Jaque |
Film Director |
4-Aug-1904 |
8-Jul-1994 |
Fan-Fan the Tulip |
| André Citroën |
Engineer |
5-Feb-1878 |
3-Jul-1935 |
Europe's Henry Ford |
| René Clair |
Film Director |
11-Nov-1898 |
15-Mar-1981 |
Silent film director, Paris qui dort |
| Robert Clary |
Actor |
1-Mar-1926 |
|
LeBeau on Hogan's Heroes |
| Georges Claude |
Chemist |
24-Sep-1870 |
23-May-1960 |
Neon lighting |
| Christian Clavier |
Actor |
6-May-1952 |
|
Les Visiteurs |
| François Cluzet |
Actor |
21-Sep-1955 |
|
'Round Midnight |
| Claudette Colbert |
Actor |
13-Sep-1903 |
30-Jul-1996 |
It Happened One Night |
| Coluche |
Actor |
28-Oct-1944 |
19-Jun-1986 |
Le maître d'école |
| France A. Córdova |
Educator |
5-Aug-1947 |
|
President, Purdue University |
| Gustave-Gaspard Coriolis |
Mathematician |
21-May-1792 |
19-Sep-1843 |
Coriolis force |
| Camille Corot |
Painter |
16-Jul-1796 |
22-Feb-1875 |
French landscape painter |
| Axel Corti |
Film Director |
7-May-1933 |
29-Dec-1993 |
Where To and Back trilogy |
| Marion Cotillard |
Actor |
30-Sep-1975 |
|
Taxi |
| François Couperin |
Composer |
10-Nov-1668 |
12-Sep-1733 |
L'Art de Toucher le Clavecin |
| André F. Cournand |
Scientist |
24-Sep-1895 |
19-Feb-1988 |
Cardiac catheterization |
| Pierre Curie |
Physicist |
15-May-1859 |
19-Apr-1906 |
Early investigator of radiation |
| Jean le Rond d'Alembert |
Mathematician |
17-Nov-1717 |
29-Oct-1783 |
Early work in partial differential equations |
| Vincent d'Indy |
Composer |
27-Mar-1851 |
1-Dec-1931 |
Symphonie Cévenole |
| Marcel Dalio |
Actor |
17-Jul-1900 |
20-Nov-1983 |
The Sun Also Rises |
| Nicholas Daniloff |
Journalist |
30-Dec-1934 |
|
Journalist jailed by Soviet Union |
| Denise Darcel |
Actor |
8-Sep-1925 |
23-Dec-2011 |
Vera Cruz |
| Jean Dasté |
Actor |
18-Aug-1904 |
15-Oct-1994 |
L'Atalante |
| Charles-François Daubigny |
Painter |
15-Feb-1817 |
19-Feb-1878 |
French painter of landscapes, ducks |
| Alexa Davalos |
Actor |
28-May-1982 |
|
Defiance |
| Jacques-Louis David |
Painter |
30-Aug-1748 |
29-Dec-1825 |
French Neoclassical painter |
| Jacques de Larosiere |
Government |
12-Nov-1929 |
|
IMF Director 1978-87 |
| Alexandre Decamps |
Painter |
3-Mar-1803 |
22-Aug-1860 |
French romanticist, painted monkeys |
| Edgar Degas |
Painter |
19-Jul-1834 |
27-Sep-1917 |
Impressionist painter |
| Paul Delaroche |
Painter |
17-Jul-1797 |
4-Nov-1856 |
French academic painter; The Young Martyr |
| Gilles Deleuze |
Philosopher |
18-Jan-1925 |
4-Nov-1995 |
Difference and Repetition |
| Joseph-Nicolas Delisle |
Astronomer |
4-Apr-1688 |
11-Sep-1768 |
Founded St. Petersburg observatory |
| Jacques Delors |
Politician |
20-Jul-1925 |
|
EU Commission President, 1985-94 |
| Julie Delpy |
Actor |
21-Dec-1969 |
|
Europa Europa |
| Mathieu Demy |
Actor |
15-Oct-1972 |
|
Our Precious Children |
| Catherine Deneuve |
Actor |
22-Oct-1943 |
|
Dancer in the Dark |
| Marianne Denicourt |
Actor |
14-May-1966 |
|
La Belle noiseuse |
| Claire Denis |
Film Director |
21-Apr-1948 |
|
Beau travail |
| Michel Déon |
Novelist |
4-Aug-1919 |
28-Dec-2016 |
Un Taxi Mauve |
| Antoinette Deshoulières |
Poet |
1-Jan-1638 |
17-Feb-1694 |
French poet-socialite |
| Henri Alexandre Deslandres |
Astronomer |
24-Jul-1853 |
15-Jan-1948 |
Spectroheliograph |
| Jean Desmarets |
Playwright |
1595 |
28-Oct-1676 |
Les Visionnaires |
| Diane de France |
Royalty |
1538 |
11-Jan-1619 |
Daughter of Henri II |
| Rudolf Diesel |
Inventor |
18-Mar-1858 |
30-Sep-1913 |
Inventor of the diesel engine |
| Georges Doriot |
Business |
24-Sep-1899 |
2-Jun-1987 |
Father of Venture Capitalism |
| Françoise Dorléac |
Actor |
21-Mar-1942 |
26-Jun-1967 |
Cul-de-sac |
| Betsy Drake |
Actor |
11-Sep-1923 |
27-Oct-2015 |
Every Girl Should Be Married |
| Jean-Claude Dreyfus |
Actor |
18-Feb-1946 |
|
Delicatessen |
| Marie Dubois |
Actor |
12-Jan-1937 |
|
La Menace |
| Georges Duhamel |
Novelist |
30-Jun-1884 |
13-Apr-1966 |
Civilisation |
| Paul Dukas |
Composer |
1-Oct-1865 |
17-May-1935 |
The Sorcerer's Apprentice |
| Louis Durey |
Composer |
27-May-1888 |
3-Jul-1979 |
Carillons |
| Romain Duris |
Actor |
28-May-1974 |
|
L'auberge Espagnole |
| Jacques Dutronc |
Singer/Songwriter |
28-Apr-1943 |
|
Les Cactus |
| Barthélemy-Prosper Enfantin |
Religion |
8-Feb-1796 |
1-Sep-1864 |
Saint-Simonist, cult leader |
| Renée Faure |
Actor |
4-Nov-1918 |
2-May-2005 |
The Little Thief |
| Marie-Madeleine de la Fayette |
Novelist |
1634 |
25-May-1693 |
La Princesse de Clèves |
| Gil de Ferran |
Auto Racing |
11-Nov-1967 |
|
Winner, 2003 Indianapolis 500 |
| Alexandre Dumas fils |
Playwright |
27-Jul-1824 |
27-Nov-1895 |
La dame aux camélias |
| George Fitzmaurice |
Film Director |
13-Feb-1885 |
13-Jun-1940 |
The Son of the Sheik |
| Suzanne Flon |
Actor |
28-Jan-1918 |
15-Jun-2005 |
One Deadly Summer |
| Robert Florey |
Film Director |
14-Sep-1900 |
16-May-1979 |
Tarzan and the Mermaids |
| Noël Forgeard |
Business |
8-Dec-1946 |
|
CEO of Airbus, 2004-06 |
| Léon Foucault |
Physicist |
19-Sep-1819 |
11-Feb-1868 |
Measured the speed of light |
| Antoine François Fourcroy |
Chemist |
15-Jun-1755 |
16-Dec-1809 |
French adherent to Lavoisier |
| Pierre Fournier |
Cellist |
24-Jun-1906 |
8-Jan-1986 |
French cello virtuoso |
| Anatole France |
Novelist |
16-Apr-1844 |
13-Oct-1924 |
French novelist |
| Catherine Frot |
Actor |
1-May-1956 |
|
Chaos |
| Jean Gabin |
Actor |
17-May-1904 |
15-Nov-1976 |
The Lower Depths |
| Serge Gainsbourg |
Singer/Songwriter |
2-Apr-1928 |
2-Mar-1991 |
Je t'aime ... moi non plus |
| Abel Gance |
Film Director |
25-Oct-1889 |
10-Nov-1981 |
Napoléon |
| Louis Garrel |
Actor |
14-Jun-1983 |
|
The Dreamers |
| Jean-Louis Gassée |
Business |
1944 |
|
Founder of Be, Inc. |
| Paul Gauguin |
Painter |
7-Jun-1848 |
8-May-1903 |
French post-impressionist painter |
| Ernest Gellner |
Philosopher |
9-Dec-1925 |
5-Nov-1995 |
Words and Things |
| Jean Genet |
Novelist |
19-Dec-1910 |
15-Apr-1986 |
Theatre of the Absurd |
| Genevieve |
Singer |
17-Apr-1920 |
14-Mar-2004 |
Singer on Jack Paar Show |
| Pierre-Gilles de Gennes |
Physicist |
24-Oct-1932 |
18-May-2007 |
Molecular structure of polymers |
| André Gide |
Author |
22-Nov-1869 |
19-Feb-1951 |
Le Voyage d'Urien |
| Kathie Lee Gifford |
Talk Show Host |
16-Aug-1953 |
|
Half of Regis and Kathie Lee |
| Annie Girardot |
Actor |
25-Oct-1931 |
28-Feb-2011 |
Rocco and His Brothers |
| Jean-Luc Godard |
Film Director |
3-Dec-1930 |
|
Vivre sa Vie |
| Nicolas Godin |
Musician |
25-Dec-1969 |
|
Half of the duo Air |
| Charles Gounod |
Composer |
17-Jun-1818 |
18-Oct-1893 |
Faust |
| Eva Green |
Actor |
5-Jul-1980 |
|
The Dreamers |
| Andre Gregory |
Theater Director |
11-May-1934 |
|
My Dinner with Andre |
| Anastasia Griffith |
Actor |
23-Mar-1978 |
|
Katie Connor on Damages |
| Olivier Gruner |
Actor |
2-Aug-1960 |
|
World Kickboxing Champion, 1987 |
| David Guetta |
Disc Jockey |
7-Nov-1967 |
|
French house DJ |
| Alice Guy |
Film Director |
1-Jul-1873 |
24-Mar-1968 |
First female film director |
| Fromental Halévy |
Composer |
27-May-1799 |
17-Mar-1862 |
La Juive |
| Ludovic Halévy |
Author |
1-Jan-1834 |
8-May-1908 |
French vaudevillain author |
| Johnny Hallyday |
Singer |
15-Jun-1943 |
|
French rock star, Souvenirs, Souvenirs |
| Guy Hamilton |
Film Director |
16-Sep-1922 |
21-Apr-2016 |
Goldfinger |
| Françoise Hardy |
Singer/Songwriter |
17-Jan-1944 |
|
The Yeh-Yeh Girl |
| Basil Liddell Hart |
Military |
31-Oct-1895 |
29-Jan-1970 |
Military strategist |
| Michel Hazanavicius |
Film Director |
29-Mar-1967 |
|
The Artist |
| Claude-Adrien Helvétius |
Philosopher |
26-Jan-1715 |
26-Dec-1771 |
De l'Esprit |
| Pierre Henry |
Composer |
9-Dec-1927 |
|
Electronic music pioneer |
| Christian Herter |
Politician |
28-Mar-1895 |
30-Dec-1966 |
US Secretary of State, 1959-61 |
| Robert Hossein |
Actor |
30-Dec-1927 |
|
Cemetery Without Crosses |
| François Hotman |
Scholar |
23-Aug-1524 |
12-Feb-1590 |
Franco-Gallia |
| Hugh Capet |
Royalty |
938 AD |
24-Oct-996 AD |
King of France 987-96 AD |
| Karen Hughes |
Government |
27-Dec-1956 |
|
Counselor to George W. Bush |
| Isabelle Huppert |
Actor |
16-Mar-1953 |
|
La Pianiste |
| Joris-Karl Huysmans |
Author |
5-Feb-1848 |
12-May-1907 |
Decadent author, À Rebours |
| Jacques Ibert |
Composer |
15-Aug-1890 |
5-Feb-1962 |
Escales |
| Catherine Jacob |
Actor |
16-Dec-1956 |
|
Life Is a Long Quiet River |
| Benoît Jacquot |
Film Director |
5-Feb-1947 |
|
The School of Flesh |
| Jade Jagger |
Relative |
21-Oct-1971 |
|
Daughter of Mick and Bianca |
| Pierre Janet |
Psychologist |
30-May-1859 |
24-Feb-1947 |
Founder of Automatic Psychology |
| Stephan Janson |
Fashion Designer |
1957 |
|
Milan-based couturier |
| Pierre Janssen |
Astronomer |
22-Feb-1824 |
23-Dec-1907 |
Solar observer |
| Frédéric Joliot |
Physicist |
19-Mar-1900 |
14-Aug-1958 |
Artificial radioactivity |
| Irène Joliot-Curie |
Physicist |
12-Sep-1897 |
17-Mar-1956 |
Artificial radioactivity |
| Hubert Joly |
Business |
c. 1960 |
|
CEO of Best Buy |
| Father Joseph |
Religion |
4-Nov-1577 |
18-Dec-1638 |
Confidant of Cardinal Richelieu |
| Leon Jouhaux |
Labor Leader |
1-Jul-1879 |
28-Apr-1954 |
Union leader, Nobel Prize recipient |
| Odette Joyeux |
Actor |
5-Dec-1914 |
26-Aug-2000 |
Love Story |
| Jonathan Kaplan |
Film Director |
25-Nov-1947 |
|
Over the Edge |
| Mathieu Kassovitz |
Film Director |
3-Aug-1967 |
|
La Haine |
| Andrea King |
Actor |
1-Feb-1919 |
22-Apr-2003 |
Hotel Berlin |
| Alexis Korner |
Musician |
19-Apr-1928 |
1-Jan-1984 |
Pivotal British blues performer |
| Pierre Charles L'Enfant |
Architect |
2-Aug-1754 |
14-Jun-1825 |
Designed Washington, DC |
| Jacques Lacan |
Psychiatrist |
13-Apr-1901 |
9-Sep-1981 |
The Mirror Stage as Formative of the I |
| Christine Lagarde |
Politician |
1-Jan-1956 |
|
Managing Director, IMF |
| Pascal Lamy |
Politician |
8-Apr-1947 |
|
WTO Director-General |
| Henri Landru |
Criminal |
1869 |
25-Feb-1922 |
Bluebeard murderer of 10 widows |
| Paul Langevin |
Physicist |
23-Jan-1872 |
19-Dec-1946 |
Studied piezoelectricity |
| Victor Lanoux |
Actor |
18-Jun-1936 |
|
Cousin, cousine |
| Mélanie Laurent |
Actor |
21-Feb-1983 |
|
Inglourious Basterds |
| Alphonse Laveran |
Doctor |
18-Jun-1845 |
18-May-1922 |
Found the parasite that causes malaria |
| Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier |
Chemist |
26-Aug-1743 |
8-May-1794 |
Father of modern chemistry |
| Jean-Pierre Léaud |
Actor |
28-May-1944 |
|
The 400 Blows |
| Ginette Leclerc |
Actor |
9-Feb-1912 |
2-Jan-1992 |
Le Corbeau |
| Patrice Leconte |
Film Director |
12-Nov-1947 |
|
The Girl on the Bridge |
| Adrien-Marie Legendre |
Mathematician |
18-Sep-1752 |
10-Jan-1833 |
Traité des Fonctions Elliptiques |
| Michel Legrand |
Composer |
24-Feb-1932 |
|
Film composer, The Windmills of Your Mind |
| Michel Leiris |
Author |
20-Apr-1901 |
30-Sep-1990 |
Surrealist, ethnographer, autobiographer |
| Luis Leloir |
Chemist |
6-Sep-1906 |
2-Dec-1987 |
Conversion of carbohydrates |
| Claude Lelouch |
Film Director |
30-Oct-1937 |
|
A Man and a Woman |
| Raymond Loewy |
Designer |
5-Nov-1893 |
14-Jul-1986 |
Father of industrial design |
| Claudine Longet |
Musician |
29-Jan-1942 |
|
TV actress got 30 days for murder |
| Michael Lonsdale |
Actor |
24-May-1931 |
|
Moonraker |
| Christian Louboutin |
Fashion Designer |
7-Jan-1963 |
|
Signature red-soled shoes |
| Louis VI |
Royalty |
1-Dec-1081 |
1-Aug-1137 |
King of France, 1108-37 |
| Louis VIII |
Royalty |
5-Sep-1187 |
8-Nov-1226 |
King of France, 1223-26 |
| Louis X |
Royalty |
4-Oct-1289 |
5-Jun-1316 |
King of France, 1314-16 |
| William Louis-Dreyfus |
Business |
1932 |
|
Billionaire |
| Louis-Philippe |
Royalty |
6-Oct-1773 |
26-Aug-1850 |
King of France, 1830-48 |
| Jean-Baptiste Louvet |
Author |
12-Jun-1760 |
25-Aug-1797 |
Mémoires de Louvet de Couvrai |
| Jean-Marie Lustiger |
Religion |
17-Sep-1926 |
5-Aug-2007 |
Archbishop of Paris, 1981-2005 |
| Bernard Lyot |
Astronomer |
27-Feb-1897 |
2-Apr-1952 |
Sandstorms on Mars |
| Yo-Yo Ma |
Cellist |
7-Oct-1955 |
|
Cellist, The Silk Road Ensemble |
| Seán MacBride |
Activist |
26-Jan-1904 |
15-Jan-1988 |
Irish revolutionary, Nobel Prize recipient |
| Benoît Magimel |
Actor |
11-May-1974 |
|
Life Is a Long Quiet River |
| Nicolas Malebranche |
Philosopher |
6-Aug-1638 |
13-Oct-1715 |
De la recherche de la vérité |
| Stéphane Mallarmé |
Poet |
18-Mar-1842 |
9-Sep-1898 |
A Throw of the Dice |
| André Malraux |
Novelist |
3-Nov-1901 |
23-Nov-1976 |
La Condition Humaine |
| Étienne Louis Malus |
Physicist |
23-Jun-1775 |
23-Feb-1812 |
Polarization of light by reflection |
| Edouard Manet |
Painter |
23-Jan-1832 |
30-Apr-1883 |
French Realist/Impressionist painter |
| François Mansart |
Architect |
Jan-1598 |
Sep-1666 |
17th c. French Baroque architect |
| Sophie Marceau |
Actor |
17-Nov-1966 |
|
The World Is Not Enough |
| Gabriel Marcel |
Philosopher |
7-Dec-1889 |
8-Oct-1973 |
French existential philosopher |
| Jacques Marin |
Actor |
9-Sep-1919 |
10-Jan-2001 |
Charade |
| Jacques Maritain |
Philosopher |
18-Nov-1882 |
28-Apr-1973 |
Interpreter of St. Thomas |
| Pierre Marivaux |
Novelist |
4-Feb-1688 |
12-Feb-1763 |
Marianne |
| Reginald Marsh |
Artist |
14-Mar-1898 |
3-Jul-1954 |
Why Not Use the L? |
| Olivier Martinez |
Actor |
12-Jan-1966 |
|
Before Night Falls |
| Chiara Mastroianni |
Actor |
28-May-1972 |
|
Diary of a Seducer |
| George du Maurier |
Artist |
6-Mar-1834 |
6-Oct-1896 |
British caricaturist, Punch |
| Mathilda May |
Actor |
8-Feb-1965 |
|
La Teta i la lluna |
| Prosper Mérimée |
Author |
28-Sep-1803 |
23-Sep-1870 |
Carmen |
| Pierre Messmer |
Head of State |
20-Mar-1916 |
29-Aug-2007 |
Prime Minister of France, 1972-74 |
| Jules Michelet |
Historian |
21-Aug-1798 |
9-Feb-1874 |
Histoire de France |
| André Michelin |
Business |
16-Jan-1853 |
4-Apr-1931 |
Founder of Michelin Group |
| Jo Mielziner |
Designer |
19-Mar-1901 |
15-Mar-1976 |
Broadway stage designer |
| Jean-Pierre Millon |
Business |
c. 1950 |
|
PCS Health Systems |
| Miou-Miou |
Actor |
22-Feb-1950 |
|
Germinal |
| Gaston Modot |
Actor |
30-Dec-1887 |
24-Feb-1970 |
Age of Gold |
| Henri Moissan |
Chemist |
28-Sep-1852 |
20-Feb-1907 |
Isolated fluorine |
| Molière |
Playwright |
15-Jan-1622 |
17-Feb-1673 |
Tartuffe, Le Misanthrope |
| Claude Monet |
Painter |
14-Nov-1840 |
5-Dec-1926 |
The Water Lilies |
| Jacques Monod |
Scientist |
9-Feb-1910 |
31-May-1976 |
Operon theory of genetic control |
| Pierre Monteux |
Conductor |
4-Apr-1875 |
1-Jul-1964 |
Music Director, SF Symphony, 1935-52 |
| Liliane Montevecchi |
Actor |
13-Oct-1932 |
|
King Creole |
| Philippe Mora |
Film Director |
1949 |
|
Communion |
| Jeanne Moreau |
Actor |
23-Jan-1928 |
|
Jules et Jim |
| Fabrice Morvan |
Dancer |
16-May-1966 |
|
Half of Milli Vanilli |
| Pierre Moscovici |
Politician |
16-Sep-1957 |
|
EU Economic Commissioner |
| Alfred de Musset |
Poet |
11-Dec-1810 |
2-May-1857 |
Les Caprices de Marianne |
| Odette Myrtil |
Actor |
28-Jun-1898 |
18-Nov-1978 |
Out of the Fog |
| Napoleon II |
Royalty |
20-Mar-1811 |
22-Jul-1832 |
Infant emperor of France |
| Napoleon III |
Royalty |
20-Apr-1808 |
9-Jan-1873 |
Emperor of France, 1852-70 |
| Gérard de Nerval |
Poet |
22-May-1808 |
26-Jan-1855 |
Unbalanced French romantic poet |
| Pierre M. Omidyar |
Business |
21-Jun-1967 |
|
Founder of eBay |
| Oscar I |
Royalty |
4-Jul-1799 |
8-Jul-1859 |
King of Sweden and Norway |
| François Ozon |
Film Director |
15-Nov-1967 |
|
Swimming Pool |
| Geneviève Page |
Actor |
13-Dec-1927 |
|
Belle de Jour |
| Anne Parillaud |
Actor |
6-May-1960 |
|
Nikita |
| Étienne Pasquier |
Author |
7-Jun-1529 |
30-Aug-1615 |
Recherches de la France |
| Étienne-Denis Pasquier |
Politician |
21-Apr-1767 |
5-Jul-1862 |
Last Chancellor of France |
| Frédéric Passy |
Economist |
20-May-1822 |
12-Jun-1912 |
International League for Permanent Peace |
| Georges Perec |
Novelist |
7-Mar-1936 |
3-Mar-1982 |
La Vie: mode d'emploi |
| François Périer |
Actor |
10-Nov-1919 |
29-Jun-2002 |
Nights of Cabiria |
| Charles Perrault |
Author |
12-Jan-1628 |
16-May-1703 |
Tales of Mother Goose |
| Jacques Perrin |
Actor |
13-Jul-1941 |
|
Z |
| Edith Piaf |
Singer |
19-Dec-1915 |
11-Oct-1963 |
Internationally-renowned French chanteuse |
| Francis Picabia |
Painter |
22-Jan-1879 |
30-Nov-1953 |
Cubist, Dadaist |
| Michel Piccoli |
Actor |
27-Dec-1925 |
|
La Belle Noiseuse |
| Jean-Marie Poiré |
Film Director |
10-Jul-1945 |
|
The Visitors |
| Roman Polanski |
Film Director |
18-Aug-1933 |
|
Chinatown |
| Elena Poniatowska |
Journalist |
19-May-1932 |
|
Mexican feminist writer, journalist |
| Éleuthère Irénée du Pont |
Business |
24-Jun-1771 |
31-Oct-1834 |
Founder of DuPont |
| Francis Poulenc |
Composer |
7-Jan-1899 |
30-Jan-1963 |
Les dialogues des Carmélites |
| Sir Edward Poynter |
Painter |
20-Mar-1836 |
26-Jul-1919 |
British Neo-Classical painter |
| Jean Racine |
Playwright |
20-Dec-1639 |
21-Apr-1699 |
Phèdre |
| Armand de Rancé |
Religion |
9-Jan-1626 |
27-Oct-1700 |
Trappist Movement |
| Louis Renault |
Engineer |
15-Feb-1877 |
24-Oct-1944 |
Founder of Renault |
| Louis Renault |
Government |
21-May-1843 |
8-Feb-1918 |
International arbitrator, Nobel recipient |
| Jean Renoir |
Film Director |
15-Sep-1894 |
12-Feb-1979 |
La Grande Illusion |
| Cardinal Richelieu |
Religion |
9-Sep-1585 |
4-Dec-1642 |
King of France's chief advisor, 1624-42 |
| Charles Richet |
Scientist |
26-Aug-1850 |
4-Dec-1935 |
Studied anaphylaxis and ectoplasm |
| Sebastian Roché |
Actor |
4-Aug-1964 |
|
James Craig on General Hospital |
| François de la Rochefoucauld |
Author |
15-Sep-1613 |
16-Mar-1680 |
Maxims |
| Auguste Rodin |
Sculptor |
12-Nov-1840 |
17-Nov-1917 |
Sculptor in bronze |
| Jeanne-Marie Roland |
Relative |
17-Mar-1754 |
8-Nov-1793 |
French woman of intrigue |
| Georges Rouault |
Painter |
27-May-1871 |
13-Feb-1958 |
Expressionist painter of clowns, Christs |
| Théodore Rousseau |
Painter |
15-Apr-1812 |
22-Dec-1867 |
French landscape painter |
| Camille Saint-Saëns |
Composer |
9-Oct-1835 |
16-Dec-1921 |
Samson et Dalila |
| Henri de Saint-Simon |
Author |
17-Oct-1760 |
19-May-1825 |
Nouveau Christianisme |
| George Sand |
Author |
1-Jul-1804 |
8-Jun-1876 |
Lélia |
| Dominique Sanda |
Actor |
11-Mar-1948 |
|
The Garden of the Finzi-Continis |
| Victorien Sardou |
Playwright |
5-Sep-1831 |
8-Nov-1908 |
Les Pattes de Mouche |
| Nicolas Sarkozy |
Politician |
28-Jan-1955 |
|
President of France, 2007-12 |
| Jean-Paul Sartre |
Philosopher |
21-Jun-1905 |
15-Apr-1980 |
Nausea, No Exit |
| Maria Schneider |
Actor |
27-Mar-1952 |
3-Feb-2011 |
Last Tango in Paris |
| Emmanuelle Seigner |
Model |
22-Jun-1966 |
|
Frantic |
| Georges Seurat |
Painter |
2-Dec-1859 |
29-Mar-1891 |
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte |
| Madame de Sévigné |
Author |
5-Feb-1626 |
17-Apr-1696 |
Eminent French letter writer |
| Léa Seydoux |
Actor |
1-Jul-1985 |
|
La Belle Personne |
| George Sluizer |
Film Director |
25-Jun-1932 |
20-Sep-2014 |
The Vanishing |
| Yeardley Smith |
Actor |
3-Jul-1964 |
|
Voice of Lisa on The Simpsons |
| James Smithson |
Chemist |
1765 |
27-Jun-1829 |
Chemist, funded the Smithsonian Institution |
| Martin Solveig |
Disc Jockey |
22-Sep-1976 |
|
Hello |
| Madame de Staël |
Author |
22-Apr-1766 |
14-Jul-1817 |
Important French romanticist |
| George Steiner |
Critic |
23-Apr-1929 |
|
After Babel |
| Eugène Sue |
Novelist |
26-Jan-1804 |
3-Aug-1857 |
Roman-feuilleton novelist |
| Sully Prudhomme |
Poet |
16-Mar-1839 |
7-Sep-1907 |
Parnassian poet |
| Violette Szabo |
Spy |
26-Jun-1921 |
5-Feb-1945 |
British secret agent, fought with French Resistance |
| Charles Maurice de Talleyrand |
Diplomat |
2-Feb-1754 |
17-May-1838 |
Preeminent French diplomat |
| Jean-Lambert Tallien |
Politician |
23-Jan-1767 |
16-Nov-1820 |
French Revolutionary |
| Alexis de Tocqueville |
Historian |
29-Jul-1805 |
16-Apr-1859 |
Democracy in America |
| Jacques Tourneur |
Film Director |
12-Nov-1904 |
19-Dec-1977 |
Original 1942 Cat People |
| Michel Tournier |
Novelist |
19-Dec-1924 |
18-Jan-2016 |
Le Roi des aulnes |
| Marie Trintignant |
Actor |
21-Jan-1962 |
1-Aug-2003 |
Popular French actress, beaten to death |
| François Truffaut |
Film Director |
6-Feb-1932 |
21-Oct-1984 |
Last Metro |
| Roger Vadim |
Film Director |
26-Jan-1928 |
11-Feb-2000 |
Barbarella |
| Edgard Varèse |
Composer |
22-Dec-1883 |
8-Nov-1965 |
Poème électronique |
| Louis Le Vau |
Architect |
1612 |
1670 |
Architect for Louis XIV |
| Louis-Joseph, duc de Vendôme |
Military |
1-Jul-1654 |
15-Jun-1712 |
Marshal of France |
| Odile Versois |
Actor |
14-Jun-1930 |
23-Jun-1980 |
Le Crabe-Tambour |
| Jean Vigo |
Film Director |
26-Apr-1905 |
5-Oct-1934 |
L'Atalante |
| Hervé Villechaize |
Actor |
23-Apr-1943 |
4-Sep-1993 |
Boss, the plane! The plane! |
| Voltaire |
Author |
21-Nov-1694 |
30-May-1778 |
Candide |
| Sam Waksal |
Business |
8-Sep-1947 |
|
CEO, ImClone |
| Emma Watson |
Actor |
15-Apr-1990 |
|
Hermione in Harry Potter films |
| Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. |
Politician |
16-May-1931 |
|
Governor of Connecticut, 1991-95 |
| Simone Weil |
Philosopher |
3-Feb-1909 |
24-Aug-1943 |
The Iliad, or the Poem of Force |
| Dominique Wilkins |
Basketball |
12-Jan-1960 |
|
NBA Hall of Famer |
| Claude Zidi |
Film Director |
25-Jul-1934 |
|
The Wing and the Thigh |
| Émile Zola |
Novelist |
2-Apr-1840 |
29-Sep-1902 |
J'Accuse |
| Name | Occupation | Birth | Death | Known for |
|---|
| Maurice Allais |
Economist |
31-May-1911 |
9-Oct-2010 |
Monopoly pricing and the Allais effect |
| Marc Allégret |
Film Director |
22-Dec-1900 |
4-Nov-1973 |
Entrée des Artistes |
| Yves Allégret |
Film Director |
13-Oct-1907 |
31-Jan-1987 |
The Proud and the Beautiful |
| Luther Allison |
Musician |
17-Aug-1939 |
12-Aug-1997 |
Electric blues player |
| Louis Althusser |
Philosopher |
16-Oct-1918 |
22-Oct-1990 |
Marxist theorist, anti-humanist |
| Guillaume Amontons |
Physicist |
31-Aug-1663 |
11-Oct-1705 |
Thermometrist |
| André the Giant |
Wrestling |
19-May-1946 |
27-Jan-1993 |
Professional wrestler with Giantism |
| Guillaume Apollinaire |
Poet |
26-Aug-1880 |
9-Nov-1918 |
Alcools, Calligrammes |
| Yasser Arafat |
Politician |
24-Aug-1929 |
10-Nov-2004 |
Palestinian leader, former terrorist |
| François Arago |
Physicist |
26-Feb-1786 |
2-Oct-1853 |
Investigated earth magnetics |
| Louis Aragon |
Poet |
3-Oct-1897 |
24-Dec-1982 |
Communistic French poet |
| Arletty |
Actor |
15-May-1898 |
23-Jul-1992 |
Les Enfants du paradis |
| Raymond Aron |
Philosopher |
14-Mar-1905 |
17-Oct-1983 |
Political philosopher, social theorist |
| Alexandre Astruc |
Film Director |
13-Jul-1923 |
19-May-2016 |
Les mauvaises rencontres |
| Daniel-François-Esprit Auber |
Composer |
29-Jan-1782 |
12-May-1871 |
La Muette de Portici |
| Pierre Auger |
Physicist |
14-May-1899 |
25-Dec-1993 |
Auger effect |
| Georges Auric |
Composer |
15-Feb-1899 |
24-Jul-1983 |
Theme for Moulin Rouge |
| Vincent Auriol |
Head of State |
27-Aug-1884 |
1-Jan-1966 |
President of France, 1947-54 |
| Joseph Babinski |
Doctor |
17-Nov-1857 |
29-Oct-1932 |
The Babinski sign |
| Jean-Antoine de Baïf |
Poet |
1532 |
Oct-1589 |
Pléiade poet |
| Jean-Sylvain Bailly |
Astronomer |
15-Sep-1736 |
12-Nov-1793 |
Histoire de l'Astronomie |
| Josephine Baker |
Dancer |
3-Jun-1906 |
12-Apr-1975 |
Sensual dancer turned WWII spy |
| Antoine-Jérôme Balard |
Chemist |
30-Sep-1802 |
30-Mar-1876 |
Discovered bromine |
| Honoré de Balzac |
Novelist |
20-May-1799 |
18-Aug-1850 |
Comédie Humaine |
| Jean-Louis Barrault |
Actor |
8-Sep-1910 |
22-Jan-1994 |
Les Enfants du Paradis |
| Raymond Barre |
Head of State |
12-Apr-1924 |
23-Aug-2007 |
Prime Minister of France, 1976-81 |
| Roland Barthes |
Critic |
12-Nov-1915 |
23-Mar-1980 |
Structuralist literary critic, S/Z |
| Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi |
Sculptor |
2-Aug-1834 |
4-Oct-1904 |
Statue of Liberty |
| Georges Bataille |
Philosopher |
10-Sep-1897 |
8-Jul-1962 |
Histoire de l'oeil |
| Stiv Bators |
Musician |
22-Oct-1949 |
3-Jun-1990 |
The Dead Boys |
| Charles Batteux |
Philosopher |
6-May-1713 |
14-Jul-1780 |
Les Beaux-Arts réduits |
| Charles Baudelaire |
Poet |
9-Apr-1821 |
31-Aug-1867 |
Les Fleurs du Mal |
| Jean Baudrillard |
Philosopher |
29-Jul-1929 |
6-Mar-2007 |
Simulacra and Simulation |
| Otto Bauer |
Politician |
5-Sep-1881 |
4-Jul-1938 |
Austrian Marxist |
| Harry Baur |
Actor |
12-Apr-1880 |
8-Apr-1943 |
Un carnet de bal |
| Pierre Beaumarchais |
Author |
24-Jan-1732 |
18-May-1799 |
The Barber of Seville |
| Simone de Beauvoir |
Activist |
9-Jan-1908 |
14-Apr-1986 |
The Second Sex |
| Jacques Becker |
Film Director |
15-Sep-1906 |
21-Feb-1960 |
Le Trou |
| Samuel Beckett |
Playwright |
13-May-1906 |
22-Dec-1989 |
Waiting for Godot |
| Joachim du Bellay |
Poet |
c. 1522 |
1-Jan-1560 |
French Pléiade poet |
| Pierre Belon |
Naturalist |
1517 |
Apr-1564 |
L'histoire de la nature des oyseaux |
| Cyrano de Bergerac |
Playwright |
6-Mar-1619 |
28-Jul-1655 |
Voyage dans la Lune |
| Henri Bergson |
Philosopher |
18-Oct-1859 |
4-Jan-1941 |
L'Évolution Créatrice |
| Hector Berlioz |
Composer |
11-Dec-1803 |
8-Mar-1869 |
French romantic composer |
| Claude Bernard |
Doctor |
12-Jul-1813 |
10-Feb-1878 |
French physiologist |
| Sarah Bernhardt |
Actor |
22-Oct-1844 |
26-Mar-1923 |
French theatre actress |
| Claude Berri |
Film Director |
1-Jul-1934 |
12-Jan-2009 |
Jean de Florette |
| John Berry |
Film Director |
6-Sep-1917 |
29-Nov-1999 |
The Bad News Bears Go to Japan |
| Jules Berry |
Actor |
9-Feb-1883 |
23-Apr-1951 |
Le Jour se lève |
| Marcellin Berthelot |
Chemist |
27-Oct-1827 |
18-Mar-1907 |
Chimie organique fondée sur la synthèse |
| Alfred Binet |
Psychologist |
11-Jul-1857 |
8-Oct-1911 |
Binet-Simon intelligence test |
| Jean-Baptiste Biot |
Physicist |
21-Apr-1774 |
3-Feb-1862 |
Biot-Savart Law |
| Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson |
Playwright |
8-Dec-1832 |
26-Apr-1910 |
Synnöve Solbakken |
| Louis Blériot |
Aviator |
1-Jul-1872 |
2-Aug-1936 |
First to fly across English Channel |
| Nicolas Boileau |
Poet |
1-Nov-1636 |
13-Mar-1711 |
Satires du Sieur D... |
| Emperor Bokassa I |
Royalty |
22-Feb-1921 |
3-Nov-1996 |
Central African Emperor |
| Yves Bonnefoy |
Poet |
24-Jun-1923 |
1-Jul-2016 |
Du Mouvement et de l'immobilité de Douve |
| Walerian Borowczyk |
Film Director |
2-Sep-1923 |
3-Feb-2006 |
The Beast |
| Jacques Bossuet |
Religion |
25-Sep-1627 |
12-Apr-1704 |
Discours sur l'Histoire Universelle |
| Pierre Bouguer |
Mathematician |
16-Feb-1698 |
15-Aug-1758 |
French photometrist |
| Pierre Bourdieu |
Anthropologist |
1-Aug-1930 |
23-Jan-2002 |
Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste |
| Bourvil |
Actor |
27-Jul-1917 |
23-Sep-1970 |
La Grande Vadrouille |
| Jean-Pierre Boyer |
Head of State |
28-Feb-1776 |
9-Jul-1850 |
President of Haiti, 1818-43 |
| Louis Braille |
Inventor |
4-Jan-1809 |
6-Jan-1852 |
Reading system for the blind |
| Constantin Brancusi |
Sculptor |
19-Feb-1876 |
16-Mar-1957 |
Bird in Space |
| Georges Braque |
Painter |
13-May-1882 |
31-Aug-1963 |
Co-Founded Cubism |
| Robert Bresson |
Film Director |
25-Sep-1901 |
18-Dec-1999 |
Une Femme Douce |
| André Breton |
Author |
18-Feb-1896 |
28-Sep-1966 |
Manifeste du Surréalisme |
| Jean-Claude Brialy |
Actor |
30-Mar-1933 |
30-May-2007 |
Une femme est une femme |
| Aristide Briand |
Politician |
28-Mar-1862 |
7-Mar-1932 |
WWI French Prime Minister |
| Pierre Brice |
Actor |
6-Feb-1929 |
6-Jun-2015 |
Winnetou |
| Louis de Broglie |
Physicist |
15-Aug-1892 |
19-Mar-1987 |
Discovered the wave nature of electrons |
| Jean de La Bruyère |
Author |
16-Aug-1645 |
10-May-1696 |
Les Caractères de Théophraste |
| Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon |
Naturalist |
7-Sep-1707 |
16-Apr-1788 |
Histoire Naturelle |
| Ivan Bunin |
Author |
10-Oct-1870 |
8-Oct-1953 |
Russian short story writer, Light Breathing |
| Maria Callas |
Singer |
2-Dec-1923 |
16-Sep-1977 |
Operatic Soprano |
| Marcel Camus |
Film Director |
21-Apr-1912 |
13-Jan-1982 |
Black Orpheus |
| Sadi Carnot |
Physicist |
1-Jun-1796 |
24-Aug-1832 |
2nd Law of Thermodynamics |
| Alexis Carrel |
Doctor |
28-Jun-1873 |
5-Nov-1944 |
Sutured blood vessels |
| Élie Cartan |
Mathematician |
9-Apr-1869 |
6-May-1951 |
Spinor groups |
| Henri Cartan |
Mathematician |
8-Jul-1904 |
13-Aug-2008 |
Leader of the math Bourbakistes |
| Robert Casadesus |
Pianist |
7-Apr-1899 |
19-Sep-1972 |
French pianist/composer |
| Jean-Pierre Cassel |
Actor |
27-Oct-1932 |
19-Apr-2007 |
The Crimson Rivers |
| René Cassin |
Legal Scholar |
5-Oct-1887 |
20-Feb-1976 |
Legal scholar, Nobel Prize recipient |
| Giovanni Domenico Cassini |
Astronomer |
8-Jun-1625 |
14-Sep-1712 |
Italo-French astronomer |
| Giovanni Battista Casti |
Poet |
29-Aug-1724 |
5-Feb-1803 |
Novelle Galanti |
| Alberto Cavalcanti |
Film Director |
6-Feb-1897 |
23-Aug-1982 |
Went the Day Well? |
| André Cayatte |
Film Director |
3-Feb-1909 |
6-Feb-1989 |
Verdict |
| Jacques Cazotte |
Author |
17-Oct-1719 |
25-Sep-1792 |
Diable Amoureux |
| Paul Celan |
Poet |
23-Nov-1920 |
20-Apr-1970 |
Todesfuge |
| Sergiu Celibidache |
Conductor |
11-Jul-1912 |
14-Aug-1996 |
Director, Munich Philharmonic, 1979-96 |
| Claude Chabrol |
Film Director |
24-Jun-1930 |
12-Sep-2010 |
La Cérémonie |
| Feodor Chaliapin |
Singer |
13-Feb-1873 |
12-Apr-1938 |
Operatic bass |
| Philippe de Champaigne |
Painter |
26-May-1602 |
12-Aug-1674 |
Prolific French Baroque painter |
| Albert Champion |
Business |
2-Apr-1878 |
26-Oct-1927 |
ACDelco and Champion spark plugs |
| Jean-François Champollion |
Historian |
23-Dec-1790 |
4-Mar-1832 |
Deciphered the Rosetta Stone |
| Coco Chanel |
Fashion Designer |
19-Aug-1883 |
10-Jan-1971 |
Chanel No. 5 |
| Stéphane Charbonnier |
Cartoonist |
21-Aug-1967 |
7-Jan-2015 |
Editor of Charlie Hebdo |
| Charles VI |
Royalty |
3-Dec-1368 |
21-Oct-1422 |
King of France, 1380-1422 |
| Georges Charpak |
Physicist |
1-Aug-1924 |
29-Sep-2010 |
Subatomic particle detectors |
| Gustave Charpentier |
Composer |
25-Jun-1860 |
18-Feb-1956 |
Louise |
| Pierre Charron |
Philosopher |
1541 |
16-Nov-1603 |
De la Sagesse |
| François-René de Chateaubriand |
Author |
4-Sep-1768 |
4-Jul-1848 |
Génie du christianisme |
| André de Chénier |
Poet |
30-Oct-1762 |
25-Jul-1794 |
Greatest 18th c. French poet |
| Patrice Chéreau |
Film Director |
2-Nov-1944 |
7-Oct-2013 |
La Reine Margot |
| Luigi Cherubini |
Composer |
14-Sep-1760 |
15-Mar-1842 |
The Water Carrier |
| Maurice Chevalier |
Actor |
12-Sep-1888 |
1-Jan-1972 |
Love Me Tonight |
| Michel-Eugène Chevreul |
Chemist |
31-Aug-1786 |
9-Apr-1889 |
Chemistry of fats, dyes |
| Frederic Chopin |
Composer |
22-Feb-1810 |
17-Oct-1849 |
Composer for the piano |
| Roman Cieslewicz |
Artist |
13-Jan-1930 |
21-Jan-1996 |
Polish poster artist |
| André Citroën |
Engineer |
5-Feb-1878 |
3-Jul-1935 |
Europe's Henry Ford |
| Paul Claudel |
Poet |
6-Aug-1868 |
23-Feb-1955 |
French poet and diplomat |
| Georges Clemenceau |
Politician |
28-Sep-1841 |
24-Nov-1929 |
French Prime Minister, 1917-20 |
| Henri-Georges Clouzot |
Film Director |
20-Nov-1907 |
12-Jan-1977 |
The Wages of Fear |
| Jean-Baptiste Colbert |
Government |
29-Aug-1619 |
6-Sep-1683 |
Economic reformer under Louis XIV |
| Colette |
Novelist |
28-Jan-1873 |
3-Aug-1954 |
Gigi |
| Auguste Comte |
Sociologist |
19-Jan-1798 |
5-Sep-1857 |
Positivist founder of Sociology |
| Benjamin Constant |
Politician |
25-Oct-1767 |
8-Dec-1830 |
French political thinker |
| Paul Henri d'Estournelles de Constant |
Diplomat |
22-Nov-1852 |
15-May-1924 |
Nobel Prize recipient |
| Gustave-Gaspard Coriolis |
Mathematician |
21-May-1792 |
19-Sep-1843 |
Coriolis force |
| Alain Corneau |
Film Director |
7-Aug-1943 |
29-Aug-2010 |
Tous les matins du monde |
| Pierre Corneille |
Playwright |
6-Jun-1606 |
1-Oct-1684 |
Le Cid |
| Alfred Cornu |
Physicist |
6-Mar-1841 |
11-Apr-1902 |
Optics and spectroscopy |
| Camille Corot |
Painter |
16-Jul-1796 |
22-Feb-1875 |
French landscape painter |
| Julio Cortázar |
Author |
26-Aug-1914 |
12-Feb-1984 |
Argentine fantasy short story writer |
| Charles-Augustin de Coulomb |
Physicist |
14-Jun-1736 |
23-Aug-1806 |
Coulomb's Law |
| François Couperin |
Composer |
10-Nov-1668 |
12-Sep-1733 |
L'Art de Toucher le Clavecin |
| Jacques Cousteau |
Activist |
11-Jun-1910 |
25-Jun-1997 |
Oceanographer, environmentalist |
| Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot |
Inventor |
26-Sep-1725 |
2-Oct-1804 |
Steam-powered automobile |
| Pierre Curie |
Physicist |
15-May-1859 |
19-Apr-1906 |
Early investigator of radiation |
| Georges Cuvier |
Zoologist |
23-Aug-1769 |
13-May-1832 |
Comparative anatomist, paleontologist |
| Jean le Rond d'Alembert |
Mathematician |
17-Nov-1717 |
29-Oct-1783 |
Early work in partial differential equations |
| Vincent d'Indy |
Composer |
27-Mar-1851 |
1-Dec-1931 |
Symphonie Cévenole |
| André Dacier |
Scholar |
6-Apr-1651 |
18-Sep-1722 |
French classical scholar |
| Édouard Daladier |
Head of State |
18-Jun-1884 |
10-Oct-1970 |
Three-time Prime Minister of France |
| Marcel Dalio |
Actor |
17-Jul-1900 |
20-Nov-1983 |
The Sun Also Rises |
| Robert-François Damiens |
Assassin |
9-Jan-1715 |
28-Mar-1757 |
Attacked Louis XV of France |
| Pierre-Jean David d'Angers |
Sculptor |
12-Mar-1789 |
4-Jan-1856 |
Sculpted pediment of the Panthéon |
| Georges Jacques Danton |
Activist |
26-Oct-1759 |
5-Apr-1794 |
Key figure in French Revolution |
| Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton |
Naturalist |
29-May-1716 |
1-Jan-1800 |
French comparative anatomist |
| Charles-François Daubigny |
Painter |
15-Feb-1817 |
19-Feb-1878 |
French painter of landscapes, ducks |
| Alphonse Daudet |
Novelist |
13-May-1840 |
16-Dec-1897 |
Lettres de mon moulin |
| Claude Dauphin |
Actor |
19-Aug-1903 |
16-Nov-1978 |
Barbarella |
| Jean Daurat |
Poet |
1508 |
1-Nov-1588 |
French Pléiade poet |
| Louis-Nicolas Davout |
Military |
10-May-1770 |
1-Jun-1823 |
Napoleonic General |
| Jean-Baptiste de Gribeauval |
Military |
15-Sep-1715 |
9-May-1789 |
French artillery general |
| Gerard Debreu |
Economist |
4-Jul-1921 |
31-Dec-2004 |
Supply and demand theorist |
| Claude Debussy |
Composer |
22-Aug-1862 |
25-Mar-1918 |
French Impressionist composer |
| Edgar Degas |
Painter |
19-Jul-1834 |
27-Sep-1917 |
Impressionist painter |
| Eugène Delacroix |
Painter |
26-Apr-1798 |
13-Aug-1863 |
19th century French painter |
| Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Delambre |
Astronomer |
19-Sep-1749 |
19-Aug-1822 |
Histoire de l'Astronomie |
| Paul Delaroche |
Painter |
17-Jul-1797 |
4-Nov-1856 |
French academic painter; The Young Martyr |
| Gilles Deleuze |
Philosopher |
18-Jan-1925 |
4-Nov-1995 |
Difference and Repetition |
| Léo Delibes |
Composer |
21-Feb-1836 |
16-Jan-1891 |
Lakmé |
| Jacques Delille |
Poet |
22-Jun-1738 |
1-May-1813 |
French translator of Virgil |
| Joseph-Nicolas Delisle |
Astronomer |
4-Apr-1688 |
11-Sep-1768 |
Founded St. Petersburg observatory |
| Danièle Delorme |
Actor |
9-Oct-1926 |
17-Oct-2015 |
Gigi |
| Jacques Demy |
Film Director |
5-Jun-1931 |
27-Oct-1990 |
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg |
| Carlo Denina |
Historian |
1731 |
5-Dec-1813 |
Delle revoluzioni d'Italia |
| St. Denis |
Religion |
? |
c. 250 AD |
Patron saint of France |
| Dominique Vivant, Baron Denon |
Artist |
4-Jan-1747 |
27-Apr-1825 |
Napoleonic archaeologist |
| Jacques Derrida |
Philosopher |
15-Jul-1930 |
9-Oct-2004 |
Deconstructionism, Intellectual Terrorist |
| Pierre-Joseph Desault |
Doctor |
6-Feb-1738 |
1-Jun-1795 |
Surgeon at Hôtel Dieu |
| Réné Louiche Desfontaines |
Botanist |
14-Feb-1750 |
16-Nov-1833 |
Flora Atlantica Tunetano et Algeriensi |
| Antoinette Deshoulières |
Poet |
1-Jan-1638 |
17-Feb-1694 |
French poet-socialite |
| Henri Alexandre Deslandres |
Astronomer |
24-Jul-1853 |
15-Jan-1948 |
Spectroheliograph |
| Nicolas Desmarest |
Geologist |
16-Sep-1725 |
28-Sep-1815 |
Proved rocks can be igneous |
| Jean Desmarets |
Playwright |
1595 |
28-Oct-1676 |
Les Visionnaires |
| Camille Desmoulins |
Author |
2-Mar-1760 |
5-Apr-1794 |
Touched off the French Revolution |
| Patrick Dewaere |
Actor |
26-Jan-1947 |
16-Jul-1982 |
Les valseuses |
| Lady Diana |
Royalty |
1-Jul-1961 |
31-Aug-1997 |
Princess of Wales |
| Porfirio Díaz |
Head of State |
15-Sep-1830 |
2-Jul-1915 |
Twice President of Mexico |
| Denis Diderot |
Philosopher |
5-Oct-1713 |
31-Jul-1784 |
L'Encyclopédie |
| Marlene Dietrich |
Actor |
27-Dec-1901 |
6-May-1992 |
The Blue Angel |
| Assia Djebar |
Author |
4-Aug-1936 |
7-Feb-2015 |
So Vast the Prison |
| Gustave Doré |
Engraver |
6-Jan-1832 |
23-Jan-1883 |
Book illustrator on steelplate |
| Michel Duchaussoy |
Actor |
29-Nov-1938 |
13-Mar-2012 |
French character actor |
| Paul Dukas |
Composer |
1-Oct-1865 |
17-May-1935 |
The Sorcerer's Apprentice |
| François Dupeyron |
Film Director |
14-Aug-1950 |
25-Feb-2016 |
La Chambre des officiers |
| Pierre Dupuy |
Historian |
27-Nov-1582 |
14-Dec-1651 |
Historian, Librarian to Louis XIV |
| Marguerite Duras |
Novelist |
4-Apr-1914 |
3-Mar-1996 |
Hiroshima mon Amour |
| Deanna Durbin |
Actor |
4-Dec-1921 |
28-Apr-2013 |
It Started with Eve |
| Émile Durkheim |
Sociologist |
15-Apr-1858 |
15-Nov-1917 |
Rules of the Sociological Method |
| Julien Duvivier |
Film Director |
3-Oct-1896 |
30-Oct-1967 |
Pépé le Moko |
| Gustave Eiffel |
Architect |
15-Dec-1832 |
27-Dec-1923 |
Designer of Eiffel Tower |
| Georges Enesco |
Composer |
19-Aug-1881 |
4-May-1955 |
Oedipe |
| Barthélemy-Prosper Enfantin |
Religion |
8-Feb-1796 |
1-Sep-1864 |
Saint-Simonist, cult leader |
| Max Ernst |
Painter |
2-Apr-1891 |
1-Apr-1976 |
The Virgin Spanking the Christ Child |
| Erté |
Artist |
23-Nov-1892 |
21-Apr-1990 |
Art deco fashion designer and artist |
| George Etherege |
Playwright |
c. 1635 |
10-May-1692 |
Love in a Tub |
| Élie Faure |
Art Historian |
4-Apr-1873 |
31-Oct-1937 |
History of Art |
| Gabriel Fauré |
Composer |
12-May-1845 |
4-Nov-1924 |
Requiem |
| Dodi al-Fayed |
Business |
15-Apr-1955 |
31-Aug-1997 |
Princess Diana's last boyfriend |
| Marie-Madeleine de la Fayette |
Novelist |
1634 |
25-May-1693 |
La Princesse de Clèves |
| Fernandel |
Actor |
8-May-1903 |
26-Feb-1971 |
Prolific French comedy star |
| Leonor Fini |
Painter |
30-Aug-1907 |
18-Jan-1996 |
Surrealist painter, sex kitten |
| Suzanne Flon |
Actor |
28-Jan-1918 |
15-Jun-2005 |
One Deadly Summer |
| Ferdinand Foch |
Military |
2-Oct-1851 |
20-Mar-1929 |
Allied Supreme Commander WWI |
| Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle |
Author |
11-Feb-1657 |
9-Jan-1757 |
Nouveaux Dialogues des Morts |
| Léon Foucault |
Physicist |
19-Sep-1819 |
11-Feb-1868 |
Measured the speed of light |
| Michel Foucault |
Philosopher |
15-Oct-1926 |
26-Jun-1984 |
History of Sexuality |
| Antoine François Fourcroy |
Chemist |
15-Jun-1755 |
16-Dec-1809 |
French adherent to Lavoisier |
| Charles Fourier |
Philosopher |
7-Apr-1772 |
10-Oct-1837 |
Socialist Utopian |
| Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier |
Mathematician |
21-Mar-1768 |
16-May-1830 |
Fourier series |
| Jean-Honoré Fragonard |
Painter |
5-Apr-1732 |
22-Aug-1806 |
The Swing |
| César Franck |
Composer |
10-Dec-1822 |
8-Nov-1890 |
Symphonic Variations |
| Maurice Fréchet |
Mathematician |
2-Sep-1878 |
4-Jun-1973 |
Fréchet differential |
| Edmond Frémy |
Chemist |
28-Feb-1814 |
3-Feb-1894 |
Discovered hydrogen fluoride |
| Serge Gainsbourg |
Singer/Songwriter |
2-Apr-1928 |
2-Mar-1991 |
Je t'aime ... moi non plus |
| Michel Galabru |
Actor |
27-Oct-1922 |
4-Jan-2016 |
The Judge and the Assassin |
| Franz Joseph Gall |
Doctor |
9-Mar-1758 |
22-Aug-1828 |
Invented phrenology |
| Mavis Gallant |
Author |
11-Aug-1922 |
18-Feb-2014 |
Prolific Canadian short story author |
| Abel Gance |
Film Director |
25-Oct-1889 |
10-Nov-1981 |
Napoléon |
| Romain Gary |
Novelist |
8-May-1914 |
2-Dec-1980 |
Roots of Heaven |
| Pierre Gassendi |
Physicist |
22-Jan-1592 |
24-Oct-1655 |
Exercitationes |
| Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac |
Chemist |
6-Dec-1778 |
9-May-1850 |
Researched gases, etc. |
| Daniel Gélin |
Actor |
19-May-1921 |
29-Nov-2002 |
Rendezvous in July |
| Jean Genet |
Novelist |
19-Dec-1910 |
15-Apr-1986 |
Theatre of the Absurd |
| Théodore Géricault |
Painter |
26-Sep-1791 |
26-Jan-1824 |
French Romanticist painter |
| Jean-Leon Gerome |
Painter |
11-May-1824 |
10-Jan-1904 |
French Orientalist painter and sculptor |
| Kurt Gerstein |
Military |
11-Aug-1905 |
25-Jul-1945 |
Holocaust collaborator and whistleblower |
| André Gide |
Author |
22-Nov-1869 |
19-Feb-1951 |
Le Voyage d'Urien |
| Vincenzo Gioberti |
Philosopher |
5-Apr-1801 |
26-Nov-1852 |
Rinnovamenlo civile d'Italia |
| François Girardon |
Sculptor |
17-Mar-1628 |
1-Sep-1715 |
French sculptor under Louis XIV and XV |
| Annie Girardot |
Actor |
25-Oct-1931 |
28-Feb-2011 |
Rocco and His Brothers |
| Bernard Giraudeau |
Actor |
18-Jun-1947 |
17-Jul-2010 |
Water Drops on Burning Rocks |
| Jean Giraudoux |
Novelist |
29-Oct-1882 |
31-Jan-1944 |
The Madwoman of Chaillot |
| Aleksandr Glazunov |
Composer |
29-Jul-1865 |
21-Mar-1936 |
Raymonda |
| Édouard Glissant |
Poet |
21-Sep-1928 |
3-Feb-2011 |
L'Intention Poétique |
| Carlo Goldoni |
Playwright |
25-Feb-1707 |
6-Feb-1793 |
Founder of Italian comedy |
| Rémy de Gourmont |
Poet |
4-Apr-1858 |
27-Sep-1915 |
Promenades Littéraires |
| Fernand Gravey |
Actor |
25-Dec-1905 |
2-Nov-1970 |
The King and the Chorus Girl |
| Jean-Baptiste Greuze |
Painter |
21-Aug-1725 |
21-Mar-1805 |
French genre painter |
| Antonio Guzmán Blanco |
Head of State |
20-Feb-1829 |
28-Jul-1899 |
President of Venezuela, 1870-88 |
| Brion Gysin |
Artist |
19-Jan-1916 |
13-Jul-1986 |
Inventor of the Dreamachine |
| Louis-Christophe-François Hachette |
Publisher |
5-May-1800 |
31-Jul-1864 |
French textbook publisher |
| Jacques-Salomon Hadamard |
Mathematician |
8-Dec-1865 |
17-Oct-1963 |
Prime number theorem |
| Samuel Hahnemann |
Doctor |
10-Apr-1755 |
2-Jul-1843 |
Founder of homeopathy |
| Ludovic Halévy |
Author |
1-Jan-1834 |
8-May-1908 |
French vaudevillain author |
| François Hanriot |
Military |
3-Dec-1759 |
28-Jul-1794 |
Led French revolutionary forces |
| Jean Hardouin |
Scholar |
22-Dec-1646 |
3-Sep-1729 |
Confused Jesuit scholar |
| Mata Hari |
Spy |
7-Aug-1876 |
15-Oct-1917 |
Framed by the Germans |
| Pamela Harriman |
Diplomat |
20-Mar-1920 |
5-Feb-1997 |
Socialite and Ambassador to France, 1993-97 |
| René-Just Haüy |
Geologist |
28-Feb-1743 |
1-Jun-1822 |
Founder of crystallography |
| Jacques René Hébert |
Activist |
15-Nov-1757 |
24-Mar-1794 |
Revolutionary of the Paris Commune |
| Sadeq Hedayat |
Author |
17-Feb-1903 |
9-Apr-1951 |
The Blind Owl |
| Heinrich Heine |
Poet |
13-Dec-1797 |
17-Feb-1856 |
Buch der Lieder |
| Sonja Henie |
Figure Skating |
8-Apr-1912 |
12-Oct-1969 |
Norwegian figure skater |
| Henri II |
Royalty |
31-Mar-1519 |
10-Jul-1559 |
King of France, 1547-59 |
| Henri IV |
Royalty |
13-Dec-1553 |
14-May-1610 |
King of France, 1589-1610 |
| Myron T. Herrick |
Politician |
9-Oct-1854 |
31-Mar-1929 |
Governor of Ohio, 1904-06 |
| Robert Hersant |
Publisher |
30-Jan-1920 |
21-Apr-1996 |
Le Papivore |
| Arthur Honegger |
Composer |
10-Mar-1892 |
27-Nov-1955 |
Pacific 231 |
| Jean-Antoine Houdon |
Sculptor |
20-Mar-1741 |
15-Jul-1828 |
French Rococo sculptor |
| Pierre-Daniel Huet |
Religion |
8-Feb-1630 |
26-Jan-1721 |
Bishop of Avranches |
| Hugh Capet |
Royalty |
938 AD |
24-Oct-996 AD |
King of France 987-96 AD |
| Victor Hugo |
Author |
26-Feb-1802 |
23-May-1885 |
Les Miserables |
| Joris-Karl Huysmans |
Author |
5-Feb-1848 |
12-May-1907 |
Decadent author, À Rebours |
| Jacques Ibert |
Composer |
15-Aug-1890 |
5-Feb-1962 |
Escales |
| Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres |
Painter |
29-Aug-1780 |
14-Jan-1867 |
Odalisque |
| Eugène Ionesco |
Playwright |
26-Nov-1912 |
28-Mar-1994 |
The Bald Soprano |
| Edmond Jabès |
Poet |
6-Apr-1912 |
2-Jan-1991 |
The Book of Resemblances |
| Pierre Janet |
Psychologist |
30-May-1859 |
24-Feb-1947 |
Founder of Automatic Psychology |
| Alfred Jarry |
Playwright |
8-Sep-1873 |
1-Nov-1907 |
Ubu roi |
| Jean Jaurès |
Politician |
3-Sep-1859 |
31-Jul-1914 |
French socialist leader |
| Russell Johnston |
Politician |
28-Jul-1932 |
27-Jul-2008 |
Liberal MP from Inverness, 1964-97 |
| Eugene Jolas |
Editor |
26-Oct-1894 |
26-May-1952 |
transition |
| Irène Joliot-Curie |
Physicist |
12-Sep-1897 |
17-Mar-1956 |
Artificial radioactivity |
| John Paul Jones |
Military |
6-Jul-1747 |
18-Jul-1792 |
Has not yet begun to fight |
| Leon Jouhaux |
Labor Leader |
1-Jul-1879 |
28-Apr-1954 |
Union leader, Nobel Prize recipient |
| Jean-Baptiste Jourdan |
Military |
29-Apr-1762 |
23-Nov-1833 |
Forced Austrians over the Rhine |
| Louis Jouvet |
Actor |
24-Dec-1887 |
16-Aug-1951 |
The Strange Adventures of Doctor Molyneaux |
| Gaston Julia |
Mathematician |
3-Feb-1893 |
19-Mar-1978 |
Creator of the Julia Sets |
| Aly Khan |
Royalty |
13-Jun-1911 |
12-May-1960 |
Jet-set Ismaili playboy prince |
| Abbas Kiarostami |
Film Director |
22-Jun-1940 |
4-Jul-2016 |
Taste of Cherry |
| Alfred Kroeber |
Anthropologist |
11-Jun-1876 |
5-Oct-1960 |
Pioneer in American Anthropology |
| Jean de la Fontaine |
Poet |
8-Jul-1621 |
13-Apr-1695 |
Fables and Contes |
| Nicolas Louis de Lacaille |
Astronomer |
15-May-1713 |
21-Mar-1762 |
Coelum Australe Stelliferum |
| Jacques Lacan |
Psychiatrist |
13-Apr-1901 |
9-Sep-1981 |
The Mirror Stage as Formative of the I |
| Marquis de Lafayette |
Military |
6-Sep-1757 |
20-May-1834 |
French revolutionary in America |
| Jules Laforgue |
Poet |
16-Aug-1860 |
20-Aug-1887 |
Pessimistic poet who inspired T. S. Eliot |
| Joseph-Louis Lagrange |
Mathematician |
25-Jan-1736 |
10-Apr-1813 |
Mécanique Analytique |
| Édouard Lalo |
Composer |
27-Jan-1823 |
22-Apr-1892 |
Le Roi d'Ys |
| Jean-Baptiste Lamarck |
Biologist |
1-Aug-1744 |
18-Dec-1829 |
Early invertebrate biologist, evolutionary theorist |
| Alphonse de Lamartine |
Poet |
21-Oct-1790 |
28-Feb-1869 |
Bland French poet, failed politician |
| Paul Langevin |
Physicist |
23-Jan-1872 |
19-Dec-1946 |
Studied piezoelectricity |
| Jean Langlais |
Composer |
15-Feb-1907 |
8-May-1991 |
Organist and composer |
| Pierre-Simon Laplace |
Mathematician |
23-Mar-1749 |
5-Mar-1827 |
Traité du Mécanique Céleste |
| Victor de Laprade |
Poet |
13-Jan-1812 |
13-Dec-1883 |
Les Muses d'État |
| Georges Lautner |
Film Director |
24-Jan-1926 |
22-Nov-2013 |
The Professional |
| Comte de Lautréamont |
Poet |
4-Apr-1846 |
24-Nov-1870 |
Les Chants de Maldoror |
| Alphonse Laveran |
Doctor |
18-Jun-1845 |
18-May-1922 |
Found the parasite that causes malaria |
| Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier |
Chemist |
26-Aug-1743 |
8-May-1794 |
Father of modern chemistry |
| Jacques Le Goff |
Historian |
1-Jan-1924 |
1-Apr-2014 |
Historian of the Middle Ages |
| Maurice Leblanc |
Novelist |
11-Dec-1864 |
6-Nov-1941 |
Creator of Arsène Lupin |
| Ginette Leclerc |
Actor |
9-Feb-1912 |
2-Jan-1992 |
Le Corbeau |
| Fernand Ledoux |
Actor |
24-Jan-1897 |
21-Sep-1993 |
La Bête Humaine |
| Anne Lefèvre |
Scholar |
1654 |
17-Aug-1720 |
Translator of Homer into French |
| Adrien-Marie Legendre |
Mathematician |
18-Sep-1752 |
10-Jan-1833 |
Traité des Fonctions Elliptiques |
| Emmanuel Levinas |
Philosopher |
12-Jan-1906 |
25-Dec-1995 |
Totality and Infinity |
| Max Linder |
Actor |
16-Dec-1883 |
31-Oct-1925 |
Seven Years Bad Luck |
| James Lord |
Author |
27-Nov-1922 |
23-Aug-2009 |
Giacometti: A Biography |
| Louis Philippe Joseph, duc d'Orléans |
Royalty |
13-Apr-1747 |
6-Nov-1793 |
Philippe Égalité |
| Louis XVI |
Royalty |
23-Aug-1754 |
21-Jan-1793 |
King of France, 1774-91 |
| Louis XVII |
Royalty |
27-Mar-1785 |
8-Jun-1795 |
Dauphin, Titular King of France |
| Louis XVIII |
Royalty |
17-Nov-1755 |
16-Sep-1824 |
King of France, 1814-15 & 1815-24 |
| Jean-Baptiste Louvet |
Author |
12-Jun-1760 |
25-Aug-1797 |
Mémoires de Louvet de Couvrai |
| Jean-Baptiste Lully |
Composer |
28-Nov-1632 |
22-Mar-1687 |
Founder of French opera |
| Jean-Marie Lustiger |
Religion |
17-Sep-1926 |
5-Aug-2007 |
Archbishop of Paris, 1981-2005 |
| André Lwoff |
Scientist |
8-May-1902 |
30-Sep-1994 |
Operon theory of genetic control |
| Jean-François Lyotard |
Philosopher |
10-Aug-1924 |
21-Apr-1998 |
Founder of Postmodernism |
| Rowland H. Macy |
Business |
30-Aug-1822 |
29-Mar-1877 |
Founder of Macy's department stores |
| Angus Maddison |
Economist |
6-Dec-1926 |
24-Apr-2010 |
Contours of the World Economy, 1-2030 AD |
| Nicolas Malebranche |
Philosopher |
6-Aug-1638 |
13-Oct-1715 |
De la recherche de la vérité |
| François de Malherbe |
Poet |
1555 |
16-Oct-1628 |
Larmes de Saint Pierre |
| André Malraux |
Novelist |
3-Nov-1901 |
23-Nov-1976 |
La Condition Humaine |
| Étienne Louis Malus |
Physicist |
23-Jun-1775 |
23-Feb-1812 |
Polarization of light by reflection |
| Edouard Manet |
Painter |
23-Jan-1832 |
30-Apr-1883 |
French Realist/Impressionist painter |
| François Mansart |
Architect |
Jan-1598 |
Sep-1666 |
17th c. French Baroque architect |
| Jean-Paul Marat |
Activist |
24-May-1743 |
13-Jul-1793 |
French revolutionary |
| Marcel Marceau |
Performance Artist |
22-Mar-1923 |
22-Sep-2007 |
Mime, created Bip the clown |
| Gabriel Marcel |
Philosopher |
7-Dec-1889 |
8-Oct-1973 |
French existential philosopher |
| Margaret of Valois |
Royalty |
14-May-1553 |
27-Mar-1615 |
Consort of Henry of Navarre |
| Marie Antoinette |
Royalty |
2-Nov-1755 |
16-Oct-1793 |
Cake proponent |
| Edme Mariotte |
Scientist |
c. 1620 |
12-May-1684 |
Discovered eye's blind spot |
| Pierre Marivaux |
Novelist |
4-Feb-1688 |
12-Feb-1763 |
Marianne |
| Chris Marker |
Film Director |
29-Jul-1921 |
29-Jul-2012 |
La jetée |
| Jean Martinon |
Conductor |
10-Jan-1910 |
1-Mar-1976 |
Music Director, Chicago Symphony, 1963-68 |
| André Masséna |
Military |
6-May-1758 |
4-Apr-1817 |
Napoleon's greatest marshal |
| Jules Massenet |
Composer |
12-May-1842 |
13-Aug-1912 |
Manon |
| Marcello Mastroianni |
Actor |
28-Sep-1924 |
19-Dec-1996 |
The Pizza Triangle |
| Guy de Maupassant |
Author |
5-Aug-1850 |
6-Jul-1893 |
French short story writer |
| François Mauriac |
Novelist |
11-Oct-1885 |
1-Sep-1970 |
Le Noeud de Vipères |
| André Maurois |
Author |
26-Jul-1885 |
9-Oct-1967 |
French biographer |
| Pierre Mauroy |
Head of State |
5-Jul-1928 |
7-Jun-2013 |
Prime Minister of France, 1981-84 |
| Marcel Mauss |
Sociologist |
10-May-1872 |
10-Feb-1950 |
The Gift |
| Ilya Mechnikov |
Scientist |
16-May-1845 |
16-Jul-1916 |
Researched the immune system |
| Maurice Merleau-Ponty |
Philosopher |
14-Mar-1908 |
4-May-1961 |
Phenomenology of Perception |
| Marin Mersenne |
Mathematician |
8-Sep-1588 |
1-Sep-1648 |
L'Harmonie universelle |
| Charles Messier |
Astronomer |
26-Jun-1730 |
12-Apr-1817 |
Cataloguer of M objects |
| Pierre Messmer |
Head of State |
20-Mar-1916 |
29-Aug-2007 |
Prime Minister of France, 1972-74 |
| Giacomo Meyerbeer |
Composer |
5-Sep-1791 |
2-May-1864 |
Robert le Diable |
| André Michelin |
Business |
16-Jan-1853 |
4-Apr-1931 |
Founder of Michelin Group |
| Octave Mirbeau |
Novelist |
16-Feb-1850 |
16-Feb-1917 |
Le Jardin des supplices |
| François Mitterrand |
Head of State |
26-Oct-1916 |
8-Jan-1996 |
President of France, 1981-95 |
| Amedeo Modigliani |
Sculptor |
12-Jul-1884 |
24-Jan-1920 |
Cubist Italian sculptor and painter |
| Gaston Modot |
Actor |
30-Dec-1887 |
24-Feb-1970 |
Age of Gold |
| Henri Moissan |
Chemist |
28-Sep-1852 |
20-Feb-1907 |
Isolated fluorine |
| Molière |
Playwright |
15-Jan-1622 |
17-Feb-1673 |
Tartuffe, Le Misanthrope |
| Édouard Molinaro |
Film Director |
31-May-1928 |
7-Dec-2013 |
La cage aux folles |
| Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu |
Philosopher |
18-Jan-1689 |
10-Feb-1755 |
De l'Esprit des Lois |
| Maria Montez |
Actor |
6-Jun-1912 |
7-Sep-1951 |
The Exile |
| Berthe Morisot |
Painter |
14-Jan-1841 |
2-Mar-1895 |
French Impressionist painter |
| Jim Morrison |
Singer/Songwriter |
8-Dec-1943 |
3-Jul-1971 |
Lead singer and songwriter, The Doors |
| Alfred de Musset |
Poet |
11-Dec-1810 |
2-May-1857 |
Les Caprices de Marianne |
| Levy Mwanawasa |
Head of State |
3-Sep-1948 |
19-Aug-2008 |
President of Zambia, 2002-08 |
| Gérard de Nerval |
Poet |
22-May-1808 |
26-Jan-1855 |
Unbalanced French romantic poet |
| Michel Ney |
Military |
10-Jan-1769 |
7-Dec-1815 |
Napoleonic General |
| Max Nordau |
Critic |
29-Jul-1849 |
23-Jan-1923 |
Zionist and cultural critic, Degeneration |
| Rudolf Nureyev |
Dancer |
17-Mar-1938 |
6-Jan-1993 |
Defected to France from Kirov Ballet |
| Jacques Offenbach |
Composer |
20-Jun-1819 |
5-Oct-1880 |
Inventor of the the opérette |
| Felice Orsini |
Assassin |
1819 |
13-Mar-1858 |
Attempted assassin of Napoleon III |
| Nicolas-Charles Oudinot |
Military |
25-Apr-1767 |
13-Sep-1847 |
Napoleonic General |
| Marcel Pagnol |
Screenwriter |
28-Feb-1895 |
18-Apr-1974 |
Jean de Florette |
| Robert Palmer |
Singer |
19-Jan-1949 |
26-Sep-2003 |
Addicted To Love |
| Maurice Papon |
Criminal |
3-Sep-1910 |
17-Feb-2007 |
Vichy war criminal |
| Ambroise Paré |
Doctor |
1510 |
20-Dec-1590 |
Prominent 16th c. French surgeon |
| Blaise Pascal |
Mathematician |
19-Jun-1623 |
19-Aug-1662 |
French thinker and mathematician |
| Étienne Pasquier |
Author |
7-Jun-1529 |
30-Aug-1615 |
Recherches de la France |
| Étienne-Denis Pasquier |
Politician |
21-Apr-1767 |
5-Jul-1862 |
Last Chancellor of France |
| Jean Passerat |
Poet |
18-Oct-1534 |
14-Sep-1602 |
Satyre ménippée |
| Frédéric Passy |
Economist |
20-May-1822 |
12-Jun-1912 |
International League for Permanent Peace |
| Pedro II |
Royalty |
2-Dec-1825 |
5-Dec-1891 |
Emperor of Brazil, 1831-89 |
| Jean-Charles-Athanase Peltier |
Physicist |
22-Feb-1785 |
27-Oct-1845 |
Peltier Effect |
| François Périer |
Actor |
10-Nov-1919 |
29-Jun-2002 |
Nights of Cabiria |
| Charles Perrault |
Author |
12-Jan-1628 |
16-May-1703 |
Tales of Mother Goose |
| Dionysius Petavius |
Religion |
21-Aug-1583 |
11-Dec-1652 |
De Theologicis Dogmatibus |
| Peter Lombard |
Religion |
c. 1100 |
21-Aug-1160 |
Sententiarum Libri Quatuor |
| Armand Peugeot |
Business |
26-Mar-1849 |
2-Jan-1915 |
Built the first Peugeot automobiles |
| William Pfaff |
Author |
29-Dec-1928 |
30-Apr-2015 |
Barbarian Sentiments |
| Philippe V |
Royalty |
1293 |
3-Jan-1322 |
King of France 1316-22 |
| Maurice Pialat |
Film Director |
21-Aug-1925 |
11-Jan-2003 |
À nos amours |
| Francis Picabia |
Painter |
22-Jan-1879 |
30-Nov-1953 |
Cubist, Dadaist |
| Philippe Pinel |
Psychiatrist |
20-Apr-1745 |
25-Oct-1826 |
Unchained the insane |
| Sacha Pitoëff |
Actor |
11-Mar-1920 |
21-Jul-1990 |
Last Year at Marienbad |
| Henri Poincaré |
Mathematician |
29-Apr-1854 |
17-Jul-1912 |
Poincaré Conjecture |
| Georges Pompidou |
Head of State |
5-Jul-1911 |
2-Apr-1974 |
President of France, 1969-74 |
| Francis Poulenc |
Composer |
7-Jan-1899 |
30-Jan-1963 |
Les dialogues des Carmélites |
| Marcel Proust |
Author |
10-Jul-1871 |
18-Nov-1922 |
In Search of Lost Time |
| Pip Pyle |
Drummer |
4-Apr-1950 |
28-Aug-2006 |
Prominent Canterbury drummer |
| Raymond Queneau |
Novelist |
21-Feb-1903 |
25-Oct-1976 |
Zazie dans le métro |
| François Rabelais |
Author |
c. 1494 |
9-Apr-1553 |
Gargantua and Pantagruel |
| Jean Racine |
Playwright |
20-Dec-1639 |
21-Apr-1699 |
Phèdre |
| Raymond Radiguet |
Novelist |
18-Jun-1903 |
12-Dec-1923 |
Le Diable au Corps |
| Jean-Philippe Rameau |
Composer |
25-Sep-1683 |
12-Sep-1764 |
Hippolyte et Aricie |
| Petrus Ramus |
Scholar |
1515 |
26-Aug-1572 |
Scholarum mathematicarum |
| Maurice Ravel |
Composer |
7-Mar-1875 |
28-Dec-1937 |
Bolero |
| Man Ray |
Photographer |
27-Aug-1890 |
18-Nov-1976 |
Dadaist photographer |
| Odilon Redon |
Artist |
22-Apr-1840 |
6-Jul-1916 |
Symbolist charcoal artist |
| Serge Reggiani |
Musician |
2-May-1922 |
22-Jul-2004 |
French singer, actor, painter |
| Louis Renault |
Engineer |
15-Feb-1877 |
24-Oct-1944 |
Founder of Renault |
| Alain Resnais |
Film Director |
3-Jun-1922 |
1-Mar-2014 |
Hiroshima mon amour |
| Charles Richet |
Scientist |
26-Aug-1850 |
4-Dec-1935 |
Studied anaphylaxis and ectoplasm |
| Emmanuelle Riva |
Actor |
24-Feb-1927 |
27-Jan-2017 |
Amour |
| Jacques Rivette |
Film Director |
1-Mar-1928 |
29-Jan-2016 |
La Belle Noiseuse |
| Yves Robert |
Film Director |
21-Jun-1920 |
10-May-2002 |
My Father's Glory |
| Gilles Personne de Roberval |
Mathematician |
8-Aug-1602 |
27-Oct-1675 |
Geometry of curves |
| Robespierre |
Head of State |
6-May-1758 |
28-Jul-1794 |
Presided over the Reign of Terror |
| François de la Rochefoucauld |
Author |
15-Sep-1613 |
16-Mar-1680 |
Maxims |
| Auguste Rodin |
Sculptor |
12-Nov-1840 |
17-Nov-1917 |
Sculptor in bronze |
| Éric Rohmer |
Film Director |
4-Apr-1920 |
11-Jan-2010 |
Ma Nuit chez Maud |
| Jeanne-Marie Roland |
Relative |
17-Mar-1754 |
8-Nov-1793 |
French woman of intrigue |
| Maurice Ronet |
Actor |
13-Apr-1927 |
14-Mar-1983 |
Elevator to the Gallows |
| Edmond Rostand |
Playwright |
1-Apr-1868 |
2-Dec-1918 |
Cyrano de Bergerac |
| Georges Rouault |
Painter |
27-May-1871 |
13-Feb-1958 |
Expressionist painter of clowns, Christs |
| Henri Rousseau |
Painter |
21-May-1844 |
2-Sep-1910 |
French painter of the exotic |
| Théodore Rousseau |
Painter |
15-Apr-1812 |
22-Dec-1867 |
French landscape painter |
| Raúl Ruiz |
Film Director |
25-Jul-1941 |
19-Aug-2011 |
Three Crowns of the Sailor |
| Mário de Sá-Carneiro |
Poet |
19-May-1890 |
26-Apr-1916 |
Dispersão |
| Yves Saint Laurent |
Fashion Designer |
1-Aug-1936 |
1-Jun-2008 |
Christian Dior protege |
| Henri de Saint-Simon |
Author |
17-Oct-1760 |
19-May-1825 |
Nouveau Christianisme |
| Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve |
Critic |
23-Dec-1804 |
13-Oct-1869 |
Portraits contemporains |
| Victorien Sardou |
Playwright |
5-Sep-1831 |
8-Nov-1908 |
Les Pattes de Mouche |
| Severo Sarduy |
Author |
25-Feb-1937 |
8-Jun-1993 |
De donde son los Cantantes |
| Nathalie Sarraute |
Novelist |
18-Jul-1900 |
19-Oct-1999 |
Portrait of a Man Unknown |
| Jacques Sarrazin |
Painter |
1588 |
3-Dec-1660 |
Painted western dome of the Louvre |
| Jean-Paul Sartre |
Philosopher |
21-Jun-1905 |
15-Apr-1980 |
Nausea, No Exit |
| Erik Satie |
Composer |
17-May-1866 |
1-Jul-1925 |
Messe des Pauvres |
| Maria Schneider |
Actor |
27-Mar-1952 |
3-Feb-2011 |
Last Tango in Paris |
| Romy Schneider |
Actor |
23-Sep-1938 |
29-May-1982 |
La Passante du Sans-Souci |
| Jean Seberg |
Actor |
13-Nov-1938 |
8-Sep-1979 |
Saint Joan |
| Jorge Semprún |
Novelist |
10-Dec-1923 |
7-Jun-2011 |
Screenplay for Z |
| Georges Seurat |
Painter |
2-Dec-1859 |
29-Mar-1891 |
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte |
| Hugh Sidey |
Journalist |
3-Sep-1927 |
21-Nov-2005 |
Time magazine |
| Claude Simon |
Novelist |
10-Oct-1913 |
6-Jul-2005 |
Le Tricheur |
| Simone Simon |
Actor |
23-Apr-1910 |
22-Feb-2005 |
Cat People |
| Wallis Simpson |
Royalty |
19-Jun-1896 |
24-Apr-1986 |
Duchess of Windsor |
| Georges Sorel |
Philosopher |
2-Nov-1847 |
29-Aug-1922 |
Reflections on Violence |
| Chaim Soutine |
Painter |
1894 |
8-Aug-1944 |
Expressionist painter, Carcass of Beef |
| Madame de Staël |
Author |
22-Apr-1766 |
14-Jul-1817 |
Important French romanticist |
| Stendhal |
Author |
23-Jan-1793 |
23-Mar-1842 |
Le Rouge et le Noir |
| Joseph Strick |
Film Director |
6-Jul-1923 |
1-Jun-2010 |
Ulysses |
| Charles François Sturm |
Mathematician |
29-Sep-1803 |
18-Dec-1855 |
Sturm's Theorem |
| Sir John Suckling |
Poet |
1609 |
1642 |
Fragmenta Aurea |
| Paul Taffanel |
Musician |
16-Sep-1844 |
22-Nov-1908 |
Flautist, French Flute School |
| Germaine Tailleferre |
Musician |
19-Apr-1892 |
7-Nov-1983 |
Sole female of Les Six |
| Hippolyte Taine |
Historian |
21-Apr-1828 |
5-Mar-1893 |
Origines de la France Contemporaine |
| Gédéon Tallemant des Réaux |
Author |
2-Oct-1619 |
10-Nov-1692 |
Historiettes |
| Charles Maurice de Talleyrand |
Diplomat |
2-Feb-1754 |
17-May-1838 |
Preeminent French diplomat |
| Jean-Lambert Tallien |
Politician |
23-Jan-1767 |
16-Nov-1820 |
French Revolutionary |
| Gabriel Tarde |
Sociologist |
12-Mar-1843 |
13-May-1904 |
Group mind, Theory of Imitation |
| Andrei Tarkovsky |
Film Director |
4-Apr-1932 |
28-Dec-1986 |
Solaris |
| Jacques Tati |
Film Director |
9-Oct-1907 |
4-Nov-1982 |
Mr. Hulot's Holiday |
| Laurent Terzieff |
Actor |
27-Jun-1935 |
2-Jul-2010 |
Tu Ne Tueras Point |
| Louis-Jacques Thénard |
Chemist |
4-May-1777 |
21-Jun-1857 |
Traité de Chimie élémentaire |
| Alice B. Toklas |
Relative |
30-Apr-1877 |
7-Mar-1967 |
Gertrude Stein's lover |
| Tristan Tzara |
Poet |
16-Apr-1896 |
24-Dec-1963 |
Founded the Dada movement |
| Roger Vadim |
Film Director |
26-Jan-1928 |
11-Feb-2000 |
Barbarella |
| Paul Valéry |
Poet |
30-Oct-1871 |
20-Jul-1945 |
La Jeune Parque |
| Louis Le Vau |
Architect |
1612 |
1670 |
Architect for Louis XIV |
| Sébastien de Vauban |
Engineer |
15-May-1633 |
30-Mar-1707 |
Mastermind of the siege |
| Jacques Vergès |
Attorney |
5-Mar-1925 |
15-Aug-2013 |
Attorney specializing in defense of monsters |
| Paul Verlaine |
Poet |
30-Mar-1844 |
8-Jan-1896 |
Leader of symbolist poetry movement |
| Howard Vernon |
Actor |
15-Jul-1914 |
25-Jul-1996 |
The Awful Dr. Orloff |
| Odile Versois |
Actor |
14-Jun-1930 |
23-Jun-1980 |
Le Crabe-Tambour |
| Boris Vian |
Novelist |
10-Mar-1920 |
23-Jun-1959 |
L'Écume des jours |
| Eugène François Vidocq |
Government |
23-Jul-1775 |
11-May-1857 |
Criminal-turned-criminologist |
| Alfred de Vigny |
Poet |
27-Mar-1797 |
17-Sep-1863 |
Chatterton |
| Jean Vigo |
Film Director |
26-Apr-1905 |
5-Oct-1934 |
L'Atalante |
| St. Vincent de Paul |
Religion |
24-Apr-1576 |
27-Sep-1660 |
Filles de la Charité |
| La Voisin |
Paranormal |
? |
20-Feb-1680 |
French sorceress, affaire des poisons |
| Sir Richard Wallace |
Aristocrat |
26-Jul-1818 |
20-Jul-1890 |
The Wallace Collection |
| Lucy Walter |
Relative |
c. 1630 |
1658 |
Mistress of English king Charles II |
| Charles Wheatstone |
Physicist |
6-Feb-1802 |
19-Oct-1875 |
Inventor of the telegraph |
| Charles-Marie Widor |
Composer |
21-Feb-1844 |
12-Mar-1937 |
Toccata |
| Robert Wiene |
Film Director |
24-Apr-1873 |
17-Jul-1938 |
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari |
| Oscar Wilde |
Playwright |
16-Oct-1854 |
30-Nov-1900 |
The Picture of Dorian Gray |
| Daniel Wildenstein |
Business |
11-Sep-1917 |
23-Oct-2001 |
Wildenstein & Company |
| William of Auvergne |
Religion |
c. 1180 |
1249 |
Bishop of Paris, 1228-49 |
| Richard Wright |
Author |
4-Sep-1908 |
28-Nov-1960 |
Native Son |
| Iannis Xenakis |
Composer |
9-May-1922 |
4-Feb-2001 |
Avant-garde composer |
| Hector Zazou |
Composer |
11-Jul-1948 |
8-Sep-2008 |
Electronic and World music composer |
| Émile Zola |
Novelist |
2-Apr-1840 |
29-Sep-1902 |
J'Accuse |
