The greatest French people of all time
The top 3 according to 0 votes from people: Charles de Gaulle · Louis Pasteur · Abbé Pierre. (Updated Sep 24, 2026.)
The ranking from France 2's 2005 show, voted by viewers. General de Gaulle won ahead of Louis Pasteur and Abbé Pierre.
Automatically translated (original in Français). See the original
Top 20
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1
Charles de Gaulle
1890-1970. Leader of Free France and founder of the Fifth Republic.
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2
Louis Pasteur
1822-1895. Pasteurisation and the rabies vaccine.
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3
Abbé Pierre
1912-2007. Founder of Emmaus, a symbol of the fight against poverty.
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4
Marie Curie
1867-1934. Two-time Nobel laureate and pioneer of radioactivity.
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5
Coluche
1944-1986. Comedian and founder of the Restos du Cœur food charity.
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6
Victor Hugo
1802-1885. Author of Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
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7
Bourvil
1917-1970. Actor and singer, star of La Grande Vadrouille.
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8
Molière
1622-1673. Playwright of The Misanthrope and The Imaginary Invalid.
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9
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
1910-1997. Ocean explorer and co-inventor of the Aqua-Lung.
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10
Édith Piaf
1915-1963. The voice of La Vie en rose and Non, je ne regrette rien.
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11
Marcel Pagnol
1895-1974. Writer and filmmaker of Provence.
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12
Georges Brassens
1921-1981. Singer-songwriter.
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13
Fernandel
1903-1971. Actor, cinema's Don Camillo.
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14
Jean de La Fontaine
1621-1695. Author of the Fables.
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15
Jules Verne
1828-1905. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, Around the World in Eighty Days.
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16
Napoleon Bonaparte
1769-1821. Emperor of the French and author of the Civil Code.
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17
Louis de Funès
1914-1983. King of comedy, from the Gendarme films to Delusions of Grandeur.
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18
Jean Gabin
1904-1976. A giant of French cinema.
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19
Daniel Balavoine
1952-1986. Singer who died during the Paris-Dakar rally.
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20
Serge Gainsbourg
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.
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Comments (2)
L'abbé Pierre aussi haut, ça a vieilli quand on sait ce qu'on sait aujourd'hui.
De Gaulle premier et Coluche cinquième, c'est bien la France 😂