Categories
List of foreign-born French people
From Wikipedia - Reading time: 10 min
This is a list of notable French people who were born outside present-day Metropolitan France or Overseas France.
A
[edit]- Adel Abdessemed - contemporary artist, born in
Constantine, Algeria - Vincent Aka-Akesse – wrestler, born in
N'zi-Comoé, Côte d'Ivoire - Amine - singer, born in
Casablanca, Morocco - Florent Amodio - figure skating coach, and former competitor, born in
Sobral, Brazil - Manuel Anatol – footballer, born in
Irun, Spain - Anggun – singer-songwriter, born in
Jakarta, Indonesia - Guillaume Apollinaire - poet, playwright, writer, novelist, and art critic, born in
Rome, Italy - Rachid Arhab - journalist and a member of the Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA), born in
Larbaâ Nath Irathen, French Algeria (now Algeria) - Aure Atika - actress, writer, and director, born in
Estoril, Portugal - Arthur - TV presenter, born in Casablanca, Morocco
- Yvan Attal - actor, scriptwriter, and film director, born in
Tel Aviv, Israel - John James Audubon, self-trained artist, naturalist, and ornithologist, born in
Les Cayes, Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) - Anne of Austria - Queen of France from 1615 to 1643, born in
Valladolid, Kingdom of Spain (now Spain) - Marie Antoinette of Austria - Queen of France from 1774 to 1792, born in
Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, Holy Roman Empire (now Austria) - Daniel Auteuil - actor, and director, born in Algiers, French Algeria (now Algeria)
B
[edit]- Jean-Pierre Bacri - actor, and screenwriter, born in Bou Ismaïl, French Algeria (now Algeria)
- Mansour Bahrami – tennis player, born in
Arak, Iran - Josephine Baker - dancer, singer, and actress, born in
St. Louis, Missouri, United States - Édouard Balladur – former Prime Minister of France, born in
Izmir, Turkey - Isabeau of Bavaria - Queen of France from 1385 to 1422, born in
Munich, Electorate of Bavaria (now Germany) - Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria - Dauphine of France from 1680 to 1690, born in
Munich, Electorate of Bavaria (now Germany) - Guy Bedos - actor, screenwriter, and comedian, born in Algiers, French Algeria (now Algeria)
- Bérénice Bejo - actress, born in
Buenos Aires, Argentina - Abdelatif Benazzi - former rugby union player, born in Oujda, Morocco
- Astrid Bergès-Frisbey - actress, and model, born in
Barcelona, Spain - Serge Betsen - former rugby union player, born in
Kumba, Cameroon - Jane Birkin - actress, singer, and designer, born in
Marylebone, England, United Kingdom - Frida Boccara - singer, born in Casablanca, French Morocco (now Morocco)
- Aliette de Bodard - writer, born in New York City, New York, United States
- Isabelle Boni-Claverie - author, screenwriter, and film director, born in Tiassalé, Ivory Coast
- Michel Boujenah - actor, comedian, film director, and screenwriter, born in
Tunis, French Tunisia (now Tunisia) - Jean-Alain Boumsong - former footballer, born in Douala, Cameroon
- Didier Bourdon - actor, screenwriter, and film director, born in Algiers, French Algeria (now Algeria)
- Sofia Boutella - actress, dancer, and model, norn in Bab El Oued, Algeria
- Constantin Brâncuși – sculptor, painter, and photographer, born in
Hobița, Romania - Carla Bruni – model, singer, former first lady of France, born in Turin, Italy
- Ettore Bugatti - automobile designer, and manufacturer, born in
Milan, Kingdom of Italy (now Italy)
C
[edit]- Eduardo Camavinga - footballer, born in
Cabinda, Angola - Albert Camus - philosopher, writer, author, journalist, and political activist, born in Dréan, French Tunisia (now Algeria)
- Amira Casar - actress, born in London, England, United Kingdom
- Ana Cata-Chitiga - basketball player, born in Bucharest, Romania
- Alain Chabat - actor, comedian, director, screenwriter, producer and television presenter, born in Oran, French Algeria (now Algeria)
- Timothée Chalamet - actor, born in New York City, New York, United States
- Frédéric Chau - actor, born in
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - Jacques Cheminade – politician, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- François Cheng - academician, writer, peot, and calligrapher, born in
Nanchang, China - Frédéric François Chopin - composer and virtuoso pianist, born in
, Żelazowa Wola, Poland - William Christie – musician, born in
Buffalo, New York, United States - Julio Cortázar - novelist, short story writer, poet, essayist, and translator, born in
Ixelles, Belgium - Cristina Córdula - television presenter, fashion consultant, and former fashion model, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Sergio Coronado - politician, born in
Osorno, Chile - Carlos Curbelo – footballer, born in
San José de Mayo, Uruguay - Marie Curie – physicist, chemist, born in
Warsaw, Kingdom of Poland (now Poland)
D
[edit]- Vencelas Dabaya – weightlifter, born in Kumba, Cameroon
- Dalida – singer, born in
Cairo, Egypt (now Egypt) - Joe Dassin - singer, and songwriter, born in New York City, New York, United States
- Anne-Marie David - singer, born in Casablanca, French Morocco (now Morocco)
- Hind Dehiba - runner, born in Bejaâd, Morocco
- Marcel Desailly - former footballer, born in
Accra, Ghana - Fatou Dieng – basketball player, born in
Kayar, Senegal - Antoinette Nana Djimou - heptathlete and pentathlete, born in Douala, Cameroon
- Cédric Doumbé - professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer, born in Douala, Cameroon
- Didier Drogba – footballer, born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
- Thomas-Alexandre Dumas - army officier, born in Jérémie, Saint-Domingue (now Haiti)
- Marguerite Duras - novelist, playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and experimental filmmaker, born in Saigon, French Cochinchina (now Vietnam)
E
[edit]- Wagneau Eloi - former footballer, born in
Port-au-Prince, Haiti - Myriam El Khomri - politician, born in Rabat, Morocco
- Gad Elmaleh - comedian, and actor, born in Casablanca, Morocco
- Boughera El Ouafi - athlete, born in Ouled Djellal, French Algeria (now Algeria)
- Zineb El Rhazoui - journalist, born in Casablanca, Morocco
- Gévrise Émane - judoka, born in Yaounde, Cameroon
- Henrietta of England - Duchess of Orléans, born in
Exeter, England (now United Kingdom) - Deniz Gamze Ergüven - film director, born in Ankara, Turkey
- Sofia Essaïdi - singer, and actress, born in Casablanca, Morocco
- Patrice Evra – footballer, born in Dakar, Senegal
F
[edit]- Mylène Farmer - singer, and songwriter, born in
Montreal, Canada - Luis Fernandez - football manager, and former footballer, born in Tarifa, Spain
- Tsuguharu Foujita - painter, born in
Tokyo, Japan - Claude François - singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, drummer, and dancer, born in Ismailia, Egypt (now Egypt)
G
[edit]- Charlotte Gainsbourg - singer, and actress, born in London, England, United Kingdom
- Erol Gelenbe - computer scientist, electronic engineer, and applied mathematician, born in Istanbul, Turkey
- Romain Genevois - former footballer, born in L'Estère, Haiti
- Franz-Olivier Giesbert - journalist, author, and TV presenter, born in Wilmington, Delaware, United States
- Chantal Goya - singer, and actress, born in Saigon, French Cochinchina (now Vietnam)
- Greg – cartoonist, born in Ixelles, Belgium
- Élisabeth Guigou – politician, born in Marrakesh, French Morocco (now Morocco)
H
[edit]- Youssouf Hadji - former footballer, born in Ifrane Atlas-Saghir, Morocco
- Gisèle Halimi - lawyer, politician, essayist, and feminist, Tunis, French Tunisia (now Tunisia)
- Olivia de Havilland - actress, born in Tokyo, Japan (to British parents)
- Anne Hidalgo – Mayor of Paris, born in San Fernando, Spain
I
[edit]- Eugène Ionesco – playwright, born in Slatina, Romania
J
[edit]- Vanessa James - pair skater, born in Scarborough, Canada
- Alejandro Jodorowsky - filmmaker, born in Tocopilla, Chile
- Eva Joly – politician, born in
Grünerløkka, Oslo, Norway - Lloyd Jones – ice skater, born in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
K
[edit]- Anna Karina - actress, model, director, writer, and singer, born in
Frederiksberg, Denmark - Roger Karoutchi - politician, and teacher, born in Casablanca, French Morocco (now Morocco)
- Tchéky Karyo - actor, and musician, born in Istanbul, Turkey
- Abdellatif Kechiche - film director, screenwriter, and actor, born in Tunis, Tunisia
- Jirès Kembo Ekoko - former footballer, born in
Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) - Khaled - singer, musician, and songwriter, born in Oran, French Algeria (now Algeria)
- Lyna Khoudri - actress, born in Algiers, Algeria
- Margaret Kelly - dancer, born in
Dublin, Ireland - Pom Klementieff - actress, born in Quebec City, Canada
- Olga Kurylenko - actress, born in
Berdiansk, Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine)
L
[edit]- Ariane Labed - actress, and film director, born in
Athens, Greece - Joseph-Louis Lagrange - mathematician, physicist, and astronomer, born in
Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia (now Italy) - Joël Lautier - chess grandmaster, born in Scarborough, Canada
- Jena Lee - singer, and songwriter, born in Santiago, Chile
- Pierre Lellouche – politician, born in Tunis, French Tunisia (now Tunisia)
- Axelle Lemaire – lawyer and former politician, born in Ottawa, Canada; mother is French
- Marie Leszczyńska - Queen of France from 1725 to 1768, born in
Trzebnica, Duchy of Oels (now Poland) - Jean-Baptiste Lully - composer, dancer, and instrumentalist, born in
Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany (now Italy) - Bonne of Luxembourg - wife of the Crown Prince of France, born in
Prague, Bohemia (now Czech Republic)
M
[edit]- Amin Maalouf - author, born in
Beirut, Lebanon - Enrico Macias - singer, songwriter, and musician, born in Constantine, French Algeria
- Aïssa Maïga - actress, director, writer, producer, and activist, born in Dakar, Senegal
- Claude Makélélé - former footballer, born in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- Steve Mandanda - footballer, born in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- Véronique Mang - track and field sprint athlete, born in Douala, Cameroon
- Roxana Maracineanu - politician, born in Bucharest, Romania
- Guy Mardel - singer, born in Oran, French Algeria (now Algeria)
- Sara Martins - actress, born in , Faro, Portugal
- Jeanne Mas - singer, born in Alicante, Spain
- Cardinal Mazarin - Catholic prelate, diplomat and politician, born in
Pescina, Kingdom of Naples (now Italy) - Loïc Mbe Soh - footballer, born in Nanga Eboko, Cameroon
- Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin - French Crown Princess from 1837 to 1842, born in
Ludwigslust, Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (now Germany) - Mounia Meddour - film director, born in
Moscow, Soviet Union (now Russia) - Elli Medeiros - singer, and actress, born in Montevideo, Uruguay
- Catherine de'Medici - Queen of France from 1547 to 1559, born in
Florence, Republic of Florence (now Italy) - Marie de' Medici - Queen of France from 1600 to 1610, born in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany (now Italy)
- Jean-Luc Mélenchon – politician, born in
Tangier International Zone (now Tangier, Morocco) - Kad Merad - actor, and writer, born in Sidi Bel Abbès, French Algeria (now Algeria)
- Radu Mihăileanu - film director, and screenwriter, born in Bucharest, Romania
- Yves Montand - singer, and actor, born in Monsummano Terme, Kingdom of Italy (now Italy)
- Eugénie de Montijo - Empress of the French from 1853 to 1870, born in Granada, Spain
- Marie Myriam - singer, born in
Kananga, Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo)
N
[edit]- Aya Nakamura - singer, and songwriter, born in
Bamako, Mali - Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily - Queen of the French from 1830 to 1846, born in Caserta, Kingdom of Naples (now Italy)
- Joakim Noah - former basketball player, born in New York City, New York, United States
- Francis Ngannou - professional mixed martial artist, and professional boxer, born in Batié, Cameroon
O
[edit]- Michael Olise - footballer, born in London, England, United Kingdom
- Ferdinand-Philippe of Orléans - French Crown Prince from 1830 to 1842, born in
Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily (now Italy) - La Belle Otero - actress, dancer, and courtesan, born in Valga, Spain
P
[edit]- La Païva - courtesan, born in
Moscow, Russian Empire (now Russia) - Elizabeth Charlotte of Palatinate - Duchess of Orléans, born in
Heidelberg, Electoral Palatinate (now Germany) - Tony Parker - former basketball player, born in Bruges, Belgium
- Fleur Pellerin – politician, born in
Seoul, South Korea - Mary Pierce - former tennis player, born in Montreal, Canada
- Julie Pietri - singer, born in Algiers, French Algeria (now Algeria)
- Camille Pissarro - painter, born in
Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands, Danish West Indies (now U.S. Virgin Islands) - Jean-Vincent Placé - politician, born in Seoul, South Korea
- Axel Poniatowski - politician, born in Rabat, French Morocco (now Morocco)
- Carlo Ponti – film producer, born in Magenta, Lombardy, Italy
- Elvira Popescu - actress, born in Bucharest, Romania
Q
[edit]R
[edit]- Jean Reno - actor, born in Casablanca, French Morocco (now Morocco)
- Sonia Rolland - actress, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss France 2000, born in
Kigali, Rwanda - Ségolène Royal – politician, born in Dakar, French West Africa (now Senegal)
S
[edit]- Yves Saint-Laurent - fashion designer, born in Oran, French Algeria (now Algeria)
- Brice Samba - footballer, born in
Linzolo, Republic of the Congo - Megumi Satsu - singer, born in Sapporo, Japan
- Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, explorer, born in
Rome, Papal States (now Italy) - Marie Adélaïde of Savoy - Dauphine of France from 1711 to 1712, born in
Turin, Savoyard state (now Italy) - Marie Joséphine of Savoy - Countess of Provence, and titular Queen of France from 1795 to 1910, born in Turin, Savoyard state (now Italy)
- Maria Theresa of Savoy - Countess of Artois, born in Turin, Savoyard state (now Italy)
- Maria Josepha of Saxony - Dauphine of France from 1747 to 1765, born in
Dresden, Electorate of Saxony (now Germany) - Countess of Ségur - Writer, born in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire (now Russia)
- Simone Signoret - actress, born in
Wiesbaden, Weimar Republic (now Germany) - Maria Theresa of Spain - Queen of France from 1660 to 1683, born in Madrid, Kingdom of Spain (now Spain)
- María Teresa Rafaela of Spain - Dauphine of France from 1744 to 1746, born in Madrid, Kingdom of Spain (now Spain)
- Igor Stravinsky – composer, born in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire (now Russia)
- Linda de Suza - singer, born in Beringel, Portugal
T
[edit]- Kenzō Takada – fashion designer, born in Himeji, Hyōgo, Japan
- Carlos Takam - boxer, born in Douala, Cameroon
- Tal - singer, born in Hadera, Israel
- Henri de Tonti - military officer, and explorer, born in Gaeta, Kingdom of Naples
- Tristan Tzara - journalist, playwright, literary and art critic, composer, and film director, born in Moinești, Romania
U
[edit]- Uffie - singer, songwriter, rapper, and DJ, born in Miami, Florida, United States
- Samuel Umtiti - footballer, born in Yaoundé, Cameroon
V
[edit]- Najat Vallaud-Belkacem – politician, born in Bni Chiker, Morocco
- Manuel Valls – former Prime Minister of France, born in Barcelona, Spain
- Agnès Varda - film director, screenwriter and photographer, born in Ixelles, Belgium
- Sylvie Vartan - singer, and actress, born in
Iskrets, Bulgaria - Patrick Vieira - football manager, and former footballer, born in Dakar, Senegal
- Marthe Villalonga - actress, born in Bordj El Kiffan, French Algeria (now Algeria)
- Valentina Visconti - Duchess of Orléans, born in
Pavia, Duchy of Milan (now Italy)
W
[edit]- Mami Watta - drag performer, born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
- Charles Terres Weymann - aeroplane racing pilot, and businessman, born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
- Georges Wolinski - cartoonist, and comics writer, born in Tunis, French Tunisia (now Tunisia)
X
[edit]Y
[edit]- Rama Yade – politician, born in Ouakam, Dakar, Senegal
- Youssoupha - rapper, born in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Z
[edit]- Zhang Chongren – artist and sculptor, born in
Xujiahui, Shanghai, China
References
[edit]Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 | Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_foreign-born_French_people27 views | Status: cached on July 29 2025 23:00:27↧ Download as ZWI file
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