List of French people
Actors/Actresses
A
B-C
D-L
M-V
Architects
Authors
See also: French language authors , French language poets , French novelists
A
B
C-E
F-I
L
M-N
P-R
S-Z
Aviators
Business
Bernard Arnault (born 1949), entrepreneur
Liliane Bettencourt , cosmetics, richest person in France
Marcel Bich , (1914-1994), Bic pens
Vincent Bolloré (born 1952), transportation and engineering
Ettore Bugatti (1881-1947), automobile manufacturer
André Citroën (1878-1935), automobile manufacturer
Marcel Dassault (1892-1986), aviation
Alexandre Darracq (1855-1931), automotive pioneer
Louis Delâge (1874-1947) automotive pioneer
Emile Delahaye (1843-1905), automotive pioneer
Philippe Camus Former EADS co-CEO
Gerard Louis-Dreyfus (born 1932), agricultural commodities
Eleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours (1771-1834), founder of DuPont
Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817), entrepreneur
Jacques Foccart (1901-1956), import-export
Léon Gaumont , pioneer film inventor
Paul-Louis Halley (1934-2004), supermarket tycoon
Max Hymans (1900-1961), aviation
Jean-Marie Messier (born 1957), former Vivendi CEO
Charles Pathé , pioneer of film industry
François Pinault (born 1936), entrepreneur
Jacques-Donatien Le Ray (1726-1803), shipping magnate and a "Father of the American Revolution "
Marcel Renault (1872-1903), automobile manufacturer
James Mayer Rothschild (1792-1868), banker
Philippe de Rothschild (1902-1988), wine maker
Eugene Schueller (1881-1954), founder of L'Oreal
Bernard Tapie (born 1943), entrepreneur
Colonial administrators
Composers
Criminals
For Collaboration with Nazi Germany see also the politicians section.
Dancers
See also Moulin Rouge and Folies Bergeres
Economists
Fashion
Fictional characters
Filmmakers
Humorists
Monarchs
See also French monarchs , members of the French Royal Families
Musicians, singers
Painters
Philosophers
Politicians
See also: Prime Ministers of France , Presidents of France
Popes
See List of French popes
Resistance workers
See also French Resistance
Lucie Samuel-Aubrac (born 1912), human rights activist
Raymond Aubrac (born 1914), statesman
Robert Benoist (1895-1944), SOE operative, champion race car driver
Denise Bloch (1915-1945), SOE operative: King's Commendation for Brave Conduct, Legion of Honor, French Resistance Medal
Andrée Borrel (1919-1944), SOE operative: Croix de Guerre
Madeleine Damerment (1917-1944), SOE operative: Legion of Honor, Croix de Guerre, Médaille combattant volontaire de la Résistance
Marie Louise Dissard
William Grover-Williams (1903-1945), SOE operative, champion race car driver
Cecily Lefort (1900-1945), SOE operative: Croix de Guerre
Pierre Mendès-France (1907-1982), lawyer, statesman
Jean Moulin (1899-1943), statesman
Abbé Pierre (1912- ), Priest and founder of Emmaus
Christian Pineau (1904-1995), statesman
Eliane Plewman (1917-1944), SOE operative: Croix de Guerre
Germaine Ribière
Elise Rivet (1890-1945), nun executed by Nazis for aiding the resistance
Lilian Rolfe (1914-1945), SOE agent executed by the Nazis
Odette Sansom (1912-1995), SOE operative: George Cross, MBE, Legion of Honor
Suzanne Spaak , Belgian-born agent: "Red Orchestra" intelligence network; executed 1944
Violette Szabo (1921-1945), SOE operative: George Cross, Croix de Guerre
Jean-Pierre Wimille (1908-1949), SOE operative, champion race car driver
Scientists
A-C
D-M
P-V
Denis Papin
Louis Pasteur -- scientist
Blaise Pascal -- mathematician and philosopher
Étienne Pascal -- mathematician
Henri Poincaré -- mathematician and physicist
Simeon Poisson -- mathematician and physicist
Michel Rolle -- mathematician
Jean Rostand
Albert Soboul -- historian
Jean-Pierre Vernant -- historian
Pierre Vidal-Naquet -- historian and Civil Rights activist
Pierre Vilar , historian
Christophe Victor -- geographer
Paul-Emile Victor -- ethnologist
Sculptors
Social Activists
Soldiers
Sportsmen and -women
Tariq Abdul-Wahad -- NBA player (born Olivier Saint-Jean)
Louis Acaries -- boxer, former world title challenger, now promoter
Jacques Anquetil -- cyclist
Fabien Barthez -- football player
Serge Blanco -- Venezuela born French citizen, rugby player
Louison Bobet -- cyclist
Surya Bonaly -- figure skater
Andrée Brunet & Pierre Brunet -- 1928 & 1932 Olympic skating Gold Medalists
Philippe Candeloro - figure skater
Eric Cantona -- football player
Georges Carpentier -- world champion boxer
Marcel Cerdan -- world champion boxer
Eugene Criqui -- world champion boxer
Jean Cruguet -- jockey of Seattle Slew
Emile Delahaye -- race car pioneer
Marcel Desailly -- Ghana born French citizen, football player
David Douillet -- judo
Laurent Fignon -- cyclist
Just Fontaine -- football player
Lucien Gaudin -- fencer
Thierry Henry -- football player
Bernard Hinault -- cyclist
Cristobal Huet -- hockey player
Constant Huret -- cyclist
Olivier Jacque -- motorcycle rider
Rene Jacquot -- boxer, underdog who became world champion
Laurent Jalabert -- cyclist
Jean-Claude Killy -- skier
Raymond Kopa -- football player
Suzanne Lenglen -- tennis player
Bixente Lizarazu - football player
Jeannie Longo -- cyclist
Laure Manaudou -- swimmer
Amélie Mauresmo -- tennis player
Jose Meiffret -- cyclist
Alain Mimoun -- athlete
Antoine Monteiro -- boxer, lost to Santos Laciar for the world title
Carole Montillet -- skier
Hellé Nice -- pioneer female race car driver
Yannick Noah -- tennis player
Tony Parker -- Belgian born French citizen, NBA player
Marie-José Perec -- athlete
Mary Pierce -- Canadian born French citizen, tennis player
Julien Pillet -- fencer
Michel Platini -- football player
Alain Prost -- automobile racer
Georges Stern -- thoroughbred racing jockey
Marcel Thil -- world champion boxer
Christophe Tiozzo -- world champion boxer
Fabrice Tiozzo -- world champion boxer, Christophe's brother
Damien Touya -- fencer
Patrick Vieira -- Senegal born French citizen, football player
Richard Virenque -- Morocco born French citizen, cyclist
Jean-Pierre Wimille , race car driver
Zinédine Zidane -- football player
Theologians
O.P. (Ordo Praedicatorum ) is the abbreviation used to indicate that someone is/was a member of Dominican order , a Catholic religious order .
S.J. (Societas Iesu ) is the abbreviation used to indicate that someone is/was a member of the Society of Jesus , which is a Catholic religious order too.
Others
See also
