Famous French People a to z

Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat and philosopher who became notorious for acts of sexual cruelty in his writings as well as in his own life.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a 19th century French artist known for works like “The Streetwalker” and “At the Moulin Rouge.”

Embracing nontraditional scales and tonal structures, Claude Debussy became one of the most highly regarded composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is seen as the founder of musical impressionism.

Painter and sculptor Edgar Degas was a highly celebrated 19th-century French Impressionist whose work helped shape the fine art landscape for years to come.

Eugène Delacroix, considered one of the greatest French Romantic painters, was influential in the development of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting.

André Derain was a French painter of the Fauvist school and a book illustrator. He was friends with Henri Matisse.

Jacques Derrida was an influential postmodern French philosopher who developed the analytic method known as Deconstruction.

Philosopher and mathematician René Descartes is regarded as the father of modern philosophy for defining a starting point for existence, “I think; therefore I am.”

French bicyclist Henri Desgrange is best known for organizing the first Tour de France.

Joseph Di Mambro and Luc Jouret formed the Order of the Solar Temple and allegedly set fire to Swiss OST buildings, killing themselves and 46 others.

Christian Dior was a French fashion designer whose post–World War II creations were wildly popular, and whose legacy continues to influence the fashion industry.

Alfred Dreyfus was a French army officer who was wrongly convicted of treason based primarily on anti-semitism. The scandal was known as the Dreyfus Affair.

Alexandre Dumas was a 19th-century French novelist and playwright whose best known works are The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo.

Gustave Eiffel was a French engineer who designed and oversaw construction of the Eiffel Tower in 1889.

French novelist Gustave Flaubert, born in 1821, is best known for his masterpiece Madame Bovary and is renowned as a classic French realist writer.

Jean Foucault was a French physicist and inventor best known for inventing the Foucault pendulum.

French artist Paul Gauguin's bold colors, exaggerated body proportions and stark contrasts helped him achieve broad success in the late 19th century.

Jean-Paul Gaultier is a French designer known for his influential designs, especially the creation of Madonna’s infamous conical bras for her 1990 Blond Ambition tour.

Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye is best known for his explorations of the northern U.S. and Canadian provinces.

A pioneer in early filmmaking, Léon Gaumont saw the possibilities of what moving pictures could be and making film equipment unavailable for the masses, establishing what is now the oldest surviving film company.

Jean-Leon Gerome was a French painter, sculptor, and teacher. His best-known works are scenes inspired by his travels in Egypt.

Jean-Luc Godard is a French-Swiss film director and critic who was a leader of the French New Wave in film during the 1950s-60s.

An early 20th century filmmaking pioneer and one of the first to make a narrative fiction film, Alice Guy-Blaché made more than 1,000 films and ran her own film studio in New Jersey, experimenting with sound syncing, color tinting, interracial casting and special effects.

Henry IV was King of France 1589–1610. The first monarch of France’s Bourbon Dynasty, he issued The Edict of Nantes, granting religious freedom to Protestants.

François Hollande is the 24th president of France, and a member of the Socialist Party. He succeeded Nicolas Sarkozy in 2012.

Poet, playwright and novelist Victor Hugo was the heart of French Romanticism, with works such as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables.

Martyr, saint and military leader Joan of Arc, acting under divine guidance, led the French army to victory over the British during the Hundred Years' War.

Russian-born painter Wassily Kandinsky is credited as a leader in avant-garde art as one of the founders of pure abstraction in painting in the early 20th century.

Jean-Claude Killy is a French former champion alpine skier who won three gold medals at the 1968 Winter Olympics.

Julia Kristeva is a psychoanalyst, critic and novelist, known for her writings in structuralist linguistics, psychoanalysis and philosophical feminism.

Member of the legendary Four Musketeers of French tennis, Renee Lacoste also invented the metal tennis racket and was founder of the Lacoste line of sportswear.

In addition to his own label, fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has been a major creative force behind such well-known brands as Tommy Hilfiger, Chanel, and Fendi.

Suzanne Lenglen was a French tennis player who won 31 championship titles between 1914 and 1926. She is largely credited as the first female tennis star.

Singer Claudine Longet recorded seven albums from 1966 to 1972 and user her popularity to transition into an acting career. She murdered her boyfriend in 1976.

Fashion designer Christian Louboutin has developed an international following for his distinctive red-soled footwear.

Louis I succeeded his father, Charlemagne, as emperor, serving as ruler of the Franks for 26 years.

Louis VII was king of France who pursued a long rivalry with Henry II of England.

Louis XII was king of France from 1498 and was noted for his disastrous Italian wars and his domestic popularity.

King Louis XIV of France led an absolute monarchy during France’s classical age. He revoked the Edict of Nantes and is known for his aggressive foreign policy.

Louis XV was king of France from 1715 to 1774. He is best known for contributing to the decline of royal authority that led to the French Revolution in 1789.

Louis XVI was the last king of France (1774–92) in the line of Bourbon monarchs preceding the French Revolution of 1789. He was executed for treason by guillotine in 1793.

A leading twentieth century philosopher, Jean-Francois Lyotard was noted for his analysis of postmodernity and its impact on humankind.

Dora Maar was a French artist and poet best known as Pablo Picasso's lover and muse.

Aristide Maillol was a French artist, mostly known as a sculptor of monumental statues of female nudes.

Edouard Manet was a French painter who depicted everyday scenes of people and city life. He was a leading artist in the transition from realism to impressionism.

Marcel Marceau was best known for his work as a mime artist in France.

French-American actor and model, Gilles Marini, finished second place on the eighth season of dance-competition show Dancing with the Stars.

French explorer Jacques Marquette is best known as the first European to see and map the northern portion of the Mississippi River.

Henri Matisse was a revolutionary and influential artist of the early 20th century, best known for the expressive color and form of his Fauvist style.

Maurice Merleau-Ponty was a French philosopher and man of letters, the leading exponent of phenomenology in France.

Thomas Merton was a Trappist monk who was a revered pacifist and author, with works like Seven Storey Mountain and Thoughts in Solitude.

Jean-Francois Millet was a French painter who is well known for his paintings of peasants and the labors of rural life.

Catalan painter Joan Miró combined abstract art with Surrealist fantasy to create his lithographs, murals, tapestries, and sculptures for public spaces.

Moliere was a renowned 17th century French dramatist, actor, director and all-around artist known for his innovative stage comedies.