France is an old and proud nation, and has produced some of the most celebrated artists, politicians, and military leaders in history and in the modern day.
There are dozens of famous people from France that you will undoubtedly have heard of no matter where you come from, but many equally influential French people that you may never have heard of.
Today, we’re going to look at a broad range of influential French people, so let’s dive into it.
Napoleon Bonaparte
When most of us think of a famous French person, no doubt this is one of the first places our minds go to.
Napoleon is one of the most famous figures of world military history, not just of French history.
He was Corsican born in 1769 but to French parents and came to be well known in France and indeed the rest of Europe during the French Revolution.
As First Consul, between 1799 and 1804, he was effectively the country’s leader, and even today his tactics and exploits are still studied in military academies across the world.
Though he was eventually defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, he is still regarded as one of the greatest leaders in history.
Joan of Arc
Hailing from a much earlier period but no less mythic in her status because of it, Joan of Arc is another of the most famous people that people associate with France.
A patron saint of France today, she was born around 1412 and played a big role in the Hundred Years’ War, insisting on the coronation of King Charles VII.
She transcended the incredibly rigid gender roles of the medieval period to become a great military leader and was involved heavily in the Siege of Orleans,
She was famously burned at the stake in 1431 aged only around 19, martyring her for all of history.
René Descartes
Though not a fighter, Descartes played no small role in the development of modern though not just in France but the whole world.
Widely considered the father of modern philosophy, Descartes pursued countless disciplines and developed principles of epistemology, mathematics, science and of course philosophy.
His work Meditations posited the enduring notion of “I think, therefore I am,” the notion that the experiencer of the universe can be certain of their own existence based purely on the fact of their own thinking.
He died in 1650 after a lifelong career of contributions to science and knowledge.
Charlemagne
During Charlemagne’s life, France, as we know it today, did not exist.
Charlemagne was a European “emperor” who united large swathes of western and central Europe, and was King of the Franks and the Lombards in the 8th Century AD.
He took the role of King of the Franks following the death of his father in 768, and today is often thought of as the “father of Europe”.
Though his empire covered large parts of northern Europe, he is widely claimed by the French today.
He died around the year 814 after a long, successful military career.
Coco Chanel
Jumping ahead to the modern world, if France in the modern day is famous for one thing it is its fashion designers.
The founder of the iconic Chanel brand, she popularized a sporty, casual aesthetic in fashion and replaced incredibly dominant and entrenched styles that had come before that.
She was heavily criticized for collaboration with the Nazis during the occupation of the Second World War, and though she was never charged with collaborating, it certainly tainted her reputation.
She died in 1971 at the age of 87 at the Hotel Ritz, where she had lived for over thirty years.
Serge Gainsbourg
A titan of modern French music, Serge Gainsbourg is to many French people the single most famous French figure in music.
He also worked as an actor and director but was mostly known as a titan of modern French pop music.
His releases were often considered scandalous and inflammatory, and public opinion was often deeply divided on his work.
He worked across many genres, from jazz to funk, reggae and electronica.
He died in 1991, just short of his 63rd birthday.
Jean Reno
One of the most prolific French actors in world cinema, Jean Reno is another of the most recognizable French actors in the world today.
He has worked across many different languages in Europe, such as French, Italian, Spanish, English and even Japanese cinema.
He was originally born in Morocco, and later moved to France at the age of 17.
He has performed many iconic roles over the years, such as 1994’s Leon and even turned down the role of Agent Smith in The Matrix.
Luc Besson
Another monolith of French cinema is Luc Besson, perhaps the world’s best known French director and screenwriter.
He was born in 1959 in Paris to parents who worked as scuba-diving instructors.
Over the course of his career he has been involved in over 50 films, including oscar winner The Fifth Element, as well as many others like The Subway, The Big Blue, and the Joan of Arc biopic The Messenger: the Story of Joan of Arc.
Léa Seydoux
Léa Seydoux is one of the most prominent French actors working today, and has starred in many iconic roles in recent years.
She was born in Paris, and got her acting debut in 2006’s Girlfriends, and won considerable praise for her roles in many films leading up to 2010.
Over the course of the next decade, she made a name for herself as an international actor, in films such as Inglorious Basterds, and the Bond films Spectre and No Time to Die.
Omar Sy
Another of France’s most well-known modern actors, Omar Sy gained fame for his roles in sketch comedy on French television between 2005 and 2012.
He became the first black actor to receive the Cesar Award for Best Actor, and went on to star in many Hollywood films such as X-Men: Days of Future Past, Jurassic World, and Inferno.
From the furthest reaches of French history right up to the modern day, famous French people have been among the most influential in world history.
From actors, to directors, to musicians and military leaders, the nation has produced icon after icon, and we can only expect that trend to continue into the future.
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@PollyWebster
Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.
Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.
Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.