List of foreign-born French people

This is a list of notable French people who were born outside present-day Metropolitan France or Overseas France.

Contents

* A
* B
* C
* D
* E
* F
* G
* H
* I
* J
* K
* L
* M
* N
* O
* P
* Q
* R
* S
* T
* U
* V
* W
* X
* Y
* Z

## A

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* 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

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* 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

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* 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

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* 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

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* 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

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* 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

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* 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

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* 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

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* 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

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* 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

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* 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

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* 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

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* 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

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* 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

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* 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

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* 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

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