# The greatest French people of all time

The ranking from France 2's 2005 show, voted by viewers. General de Gaulle won ahead of Louis Pasteur and Abbé Pierre.

- 0 votes · 20 items
- Sep 24, 2026 · madameinternaute
- https://even.best/en/l/682/the-greatest-french-people-of-all-time

## Top 20

1. **Charles de Gaulle** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1890-1970. Leader of Free France and founder of the Fifth Republic.
2. **Louis Pasteur** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1822-1895. Pasteurisation and the rabies vaccine.
3. **Abbé Pierre** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1912-2007. Founder of Emmaus, a symbol of the fight against poverty.
4. **Marie Curie** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1867-1934. Two-time Nobel laureate and pioneer of radioactivity.
5. **Coluche** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1944-1986. Comedian and founder of the Restos du Cœur food charity.
6. **Victor Hugo** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1802-1885. Author of Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
7. **Bourvil** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1917-1970. Actor and singer, star of La Grande Vadrouille.
8. **Molière** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1622-1673. Playwright of The Misanthrope and The Imaginary Invalid.
9. **Jacques-Yves Cousteau** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1910-1997. Ocean explorer and co-inventor of the Aqua-Lung.
10. **Édith Piaf** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1915-1963. The voice of La Vie en rose and Non, je ne regrette rien.
11. **Marcel Pagnol** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1895-1974. Writer and filmmaker of Provence.
12. **Georges Brassens** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1921-1981. Singer-songwriter.
13. **Fernandel** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1903-1971. Actor, cinema's Don Camillo.
14. **Jean de La Fontaine** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1621-1695. Author of the Fables.
15. **Jules Verne** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1828-1905. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, Around the World in Eighty Days.
16. **Napoleon Bonaparte** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1769-1821. Emperor of the French and author of the Civil Code.
17. **Louis de Funès** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1914-1983. King of comedy, from the Gendarme films to Delusions of Grandeur.
18. **Jean Gabin** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1904-1976. A giant of French cinema.
19. **Daniel Balavoine** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1952-1986. Singer who died during the Paris-Dakar rally.
20. **Serge Gainsbourg** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1928-1991. Songwriter, from La Javanaise to Je t'aime… moi non plus.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.