2001 in France

← 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 2001 in France → 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events in 2001 History of France · Timeline · Years

The following lists events from the year 2001 in France.

• President: Jacques Chirac
• Prime Minister: Lionel Jospin

• March – The Renault Vel Satis is launched at the Geneva Motor Show.
• 8 March – Cantonales Elections are held.
• 11 March – Cantonales Elections are held.
• 11 March – Municipal Elections are held.
• 18 March – Municipal Elections are held.
• April – PSA Peugeot Citroën replaces two of its longest running cars – the Citroën Xantia and Peugeot 306 – with the Citroën C5 and Peugeot 307 respectively.^[1]
• September – Citroën launches the all-new C3 hatchback at the Frankfurt Motor Show as a replacement for the outdated Saxo.
• 15 September – Santé Diabète organization is created in Grenoble.^[2]
• 21 September – The AZote Fertilisant chemical factory in Toulouse, explodes, killing 29 and seriously wounding over 2500.
• November – The Peugeot 307 is voted European Car of the Year.^[3]

• 15 April – Paris–Roubaix cycle race won by Servais Knaven of the Netherlands.
• 1 July – French Grand Prix won by Michael Schumacher of Germany.
• 7 July – Tour de France begins.
• 29 July – Tour de France ends, won by Lance Armstrong of the United States.

• 26 January – Kenza Fortas, actress
• 24 March – William Saliba, footballer
• 5 April – Thylane Blondeau, model and the daughter of soccer player Patrick Blondeau

• 10 January – Jacques Marin, actor (b. 1919).
• 21 January – Jean-Marie Goasmat, cyclist (b. 1913).
• 30 January
  • Jean-Pierre Aumont, actor (b. 1911).
  • Michel Marcel Navratil, last French survivor and male survivor of the Titanic disaster (b. 1908)^[4]
• 8 February – Raymond Polin, philosopher (b. 1910).
• 18 February – Balthus, artist (b. 1908).
• 19 February – Charles Trenet, singer and songwriter (b. 1913).
• 4 March – Jean René Bazaine, painter, stained glass window designer and writer (b. 1904).

• 10 April – Jean-Gabriel Albicocco, film director (b. 1936).
• 19 April – André du Bouchet, poet (b. 1924).
• 20 April – Maurice Lauré, creator of taxe sur la valeur ajoutée (TVA) (b. 1917).
• 6 May – René Bondoux, fencer (b. 1905)
• 14 May – Paul Bénichou, writer, critic and literary historian (b. 1908).
• 15 May
  • Jean-Philippe Lauer, architect and Egyptologist (b. 1902).
  • Sacha Vierny, cinematographer (b. 1919).
• 17 May – Jacques-Louis Lions, mathematician (b. 1928).
• 6 June – Marie Brémont, supercentenarian, the oldest recognized person in the world from November 2000 until her death (b. 1886).
• 11 June – Pierre Eyt, cardinal (b. 1934).
• 13 June – Louis de Maigret, Military officer (b. 1914).
• 15 June – Henri Alekan, cinematographer (b. 1909).
• 18 June – René Dumont, agronomist, sociologist and environmental politician (b. 1904).
• 23 June – Corinne Calvet, actress (b. 1925).

• 1 July – Hélène de Beauvoir, painter (b. 1910).
• 3 August – Jeanne Loriod, musician (b. 1928).
• 4 August – Michel de Salzmann, psychiatrist (b. 1923).
• 12 August – Pierre Klossowski, writer, translator and artist (b. 1905).
• 15 August – Raymond Abescat, oldest man in France and oldest veteran in France at the time of his death (b. 1891).
• 25 August – Philippe Léotard, actor and singer (b. 1940).
• 4 September – Simone de la Chaume, golfer (b. 1908).

• 18 October – Micheline Ostermeyer, athlete and pianist (b. 1922).
• 31 October – Régine Cavagnoud, alpine skier (b. 1970).
• 11 November – Pierre Billaud, radio reporter and journalist, killed in Afghanistan (b. 1970).
• 12 December – Jean Richard, actor (b. 1921).
• 18 December – Gilbert Bécaud, singer, composer and actor (b. 1927).
• 19 December – Marcel Mule, classical saxophonist (b. 1901).

• Édouard Artigas, fencer (b. 1915).
• Marcel Bleibtreu, Trotskyist activist and theorist (b. 1918).
• Pierre Chevalier, caver and mountaineer (b. 1905).
• André Pascal, songwriter and composer (b. 1932).

• 2001 in French television
• List of French films of 2001