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The Greatest Frenchman

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Le Plus Grand Français de tous les temps ("The Greatest Frenchman of all Time") was a France 2 show of early 2005, based on an original series of Great Britons on the BBC. The show asked the French viewers who they thought was the Greatest Frenchman or Frenchwoman. It was presented by Michel Drucker and Thierry Ardisson, and the final episode was broadcast at the French Senate.

The winner was the former president and leader of the Free French movement, Charles de Gaulle.[1]

The show was criticized by some historians in that it focused only on personalities of recent French history. Key figures of French history who contributed to the founding of the French nation, such as the national heroine Joan of Arc, the kings Philip Augustus, Saint Louis, and Louis XIV or French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte were largely ignored.

Rank Personality Notability Nomination defended by Ref.
1 Charles De Gaulle
(1890-1970)
General and president. Leader of the French resistance movement during World War II. President of France between 1944 and 1946 and between 1958 and 1969. Admired for giving post-war France international prestige and independence in their foreign policy. Maurice Druon, historian [2] [2]
2 Louis Pasteur
(1822-1895)
Chemist. Discovered vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization. Developed vaccines against rabies and anthrax. [2]
3 Abbé Pierre
(1912-2007)
Priest who was a member of the Resistance movement during World War II. Founder of the Emmaus movement, who help poor and homeless people. [2]
4 Marie Skłodowska-Curie
(1867-1934)
Polish physicist and chemist. Co-discoverer of radioactivity, radium and polonium. First woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physics (1903) and Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1911) and the only person to have won both. [2]
5 Coluche
(1944-1986)
Comedian, actor and humanitarian activist. Founder of the Restaurants du Coeur, a non-profit charity movement who distribute food to the needy and help people out with finding housing. [2]
6 Victor Hugo
(1802-1885)
Novelist, poet and playwright. Author of internationally famous and beloved works, such as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables. Also campaigned for freedom of the press and against the death penalty and social injustice. Max Gallo, novelist.[2] [2]
7 Bourvil
(1917-1970)
Comedian, actor and singer. His films and songs are still classics in France today and beloved in other countries too. [2]
8 Molière
(1612-1673)
Playwright. Creator of internationally renowned comedy plays such as Tartuffe, The Miser and The Misanthrope. Praised for his satirical wit, socially critical themes and vivid characters. Considered the most important and influential French-language author of all time. [2]
9 Jacques Cousteau
(1910-1997)
Explorer, inventor, documentary maker and oceanographer. Co-inventor of the Aqua-lung, which introduced modern underwater diving. Explored the oceans and made numerous documentaries about them. Championed for marine conservation. [2]
10 Edith Piaf
(1915-1963)
Singer. Internationally famous and beloved for tragic and passionate songs, such as La Vie en Rose, Hymne à l'amour, Milord and Non, je ne regrette rien, which have been covered by numerous artists since. [2]

From 11 to 102

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  1. Marcel Pagnol (1895-1974) – novelist, playwright and film director
  2. Georges Brassens (1921-1981) – singer and songwriter
  3. Fernandel (1903-1971) – singer, actor and comedian
  4. Jean de la Fontaine (1621-1695) – poet and fabulist
  5. Jules Verne (1828-1905) – science fiction author
  6. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) – military leader and emperor
  7. Louis de Funès (1914-1983) – actor and comedian
  8. Jean Gabin (1904-1976) – actor
  9. Daniel Balavoine (1952-1986) – singer, songwriter and musician
  10. Serge Gainsbourg (1928-1991) – singer and songwriter
  11. Zinedine Zidane (1972-) – footballer
  12. Charlemagne (748-814) – emperor
  13. Lino Ventura (1919-1987) – actor
  14. François Mitterrand (1916-1996) – president
  15. Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923) – architect
  16. Émile Zola (1840-1902) – novelist
  17. Emmanuelle Cinquin (1908-2008) – religious sister and humanitarian
  18. Jean Moulin (1899-1943) – leader of French resistance during World War II
  19. Charles Aznavour (1924-2018) – singer, songwriter and actor
  20. Yves Montand (1921-1991) – actor and singer
  21. Jeanne d’Arc (1412-1431) – military leader
  22. Général Leclerc (1902-1947) – military leader
  23. Voltaire (1694-1778) – philosopher and novelist
  24. Johnny Hallyday (1943-2017) – singer
  25. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944) – aviator, novelist and poet
  26. Claude Francois (1939-1978) – singer
  27. Christian Cabrol – cardiologist and surgeon
  28. Jean-Paul Belmondo (1933-2021) – actor
  29. Jules Ferry (1832-1893) – politician and prime minister
  30. Louis Lumière – inventor, film director
  31. Michel Platini (1955-) – footballer
  32. Jacques Chirac (1932-2019) – president and prime minister
  33. Charles Trenet (1913-2001) – singer and songwriter
  34. Georges Pompidou (1911-1974) – president and prime minister
  35. Michel Sardou (1947-) – singer
  36. Simone Signoret (1921-1985) – actress
  37. Haroun Tazieff (1914-1998) – vulcanologist
  38. Jacques Prévert (1900-1977) – poet
  39. Éric Tabarly (1931-1998) – sailor
  40. Louis XIV (1638-1715) – king
  41. David Douillet (1969-) – judoka
  42. Henri Salvador (1917-2008) – singer and comedian
  43. Jean-Jacques Goldman (1951-) – singer, songwriter and musician
  44. Jean Jaurès (1859-1914) – politician
  45. Jean Marais (1913-1998) – actor and comedian
  46. Yannick Noah (1960-) – tennis player
  47. Albert Camus (1913-1960) – author and philosopher
  48. Dalida (1933-1987) – singer
  49. Léon Zitrone (1914-1995) – journalist
  50. Nicolas Hulot (1955-) – journalist
  51. Simone Veil (1927-2017) – politician
  52. Alain Delon (1935-2024) – actor
  53. Patrick Poivre d'Arvor (1947-) – journalist
  54. Aimé Jacquet (1941-) – footballer
  55. Francis Cabrel (1953-) – singer and songwriter
  56. Brigitte Bardot (1934-) – actress
  57. Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) – author
  58. Alexandre Dumas, père (1802-1870) – author and playwright
  59. Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850) – novelist
  60. Paul Verlaine (1844-1896) – poet
  61. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) – author and philosopher
  62. Maximilien de Robespierre (1758-1794) – political leader
  63. Renaud (1952-) – singer and songwriter
  64. Bernard Kouchner (1938-) – politician and humanitarian
  65. Claude Monet (1840-1926) – painter
  66. Michel Serrault (1928-2007) – actor
  67. Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) – painter
  68. Michel Drucker (1942) – journalist
  69. Raimu (1883-1946) – actor and comedian
  70. Vercingetorix (c.82BC-46BC) – chieftain who led resistance against the Roman army
  71. Raymond Poulidor (1936-2019) – cyclist
  72. Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) – poet
  73. Pierre Corneille (1606-1684) – playwright
  74. Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) – poet
  75. Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929) – prime minister, and journalist
  76. Gilbert Bécaud (1927-2001) – singer, songwriter and musician
  77. José Bové (1953-) – syndicalist
  78. Jean Ferrat (1930-2010) – singer and songwriter
  79. Lionel Jospin (1937-) – prime minister
  80. Jean Cocteau (1889-1963) – dramatist, poet, playwright and filmmaker
  81. Luc Besson (1959-) – film director
  82. Tino Rossi (1907-1983) – singer
  83. Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937) – educator and founder of the modern Olympic Games
  84. Jean Renoir (1894-1979) – film director
  85. Gérard Philipe (1922-1959) – actor and comedian
  86. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) – philosopher, novelist and playwright
  87. Catherine Deneuve (1943-) – actress
  88. Serge Reggiani (1922-2004) – actor, singer and comedian
  89. Gérard Depardieu (1948-) – actor
  90. Françoise Dolto (1908-1988) – psychoanalyst
  91. René Descartes (1596-1650) – philosopher, mathematician, and scientist
  92. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) – mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic theologian

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "De Gaulle plus grand Français de tous les temps - Culture - Nouvelobs.com". Tempsreel.nouvelobs.com. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "De Gaulle plébiscité par les téléspectateurs de France 2". Le Monde. 5 April 2005. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
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