List of Famous people born in France

Arnulf of Metz was a Frankish bishop of Metz and advisor to the Merovingian court of Austrasia. He later retired to the Abbey of Remiremont. In French he is also known as Arnoul or Arnoulf. In English he is known as Arnold.

Géraldine Martineau is a French actress, originally from Nantes, France. She started acting when she was 8 years old. At the age of 17, she was accepted into the Cours Florent and started a course in the Classe Libre, before she entered the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique two years later. She has acted on stage, on television and in movies.

René Beeh was a German draughtsman and painter from Alsace. He was held in high esteem by his contemporaries and called "the coming genius" by art historian Wilhelm Hausenstein, but with his having died prematurely, he has been mostly forgotten.

Elif Shafak FRSL is a Turkish-British writer, storyteller, essayist, academic, public speaker, and women's rights activist. In English, she publishes under the anglicised spelling of her pen-name 'Elif Shafak'.

François Charles Mauriac was a French novelist, dramatist, critic, poet, and journalist, a member of the Académie française, and laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature (1952). He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur in 1958. He was a lifelong Catholic.

Gérald Mossé is a jockey in thoroughbred horse racing. He began riding professionally in April 1983 and his success during his apprenticeship under Patrick-Louis Biancone led to an offer to ride for renowned trainer François Boutin and his stable of horses belonging to Jean-Luc Lagardère. Mossé went on to become one of his country's top jockeys, winning the 1990 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. In 1991, he rode Arazi to five straight wins in France then spent 1992 and part of 1993 racing in Hong Kong.

Jeanne Hébuterne was a French painter and art model best known as the frequent subject and common-law wife of the artist Amedeo Modigliani. She took her own life two days after Modigliani died, and is now buried beside him.

Cyril Collard was a French author, filmmaker, composer, musician and actor. He is known for his unapologetic portrayals of bisexuality and HIV in art, particularly his autobiographical novel and film Les Nuits Fauves. Openly bisexual, Collard was also one of the first French artists to speak openly about his HIV-positive status.

Christian Dumont was a French biathlete. He competed at the 1988 Winter Olympics and the 1992 Winter Olympics. He died of a heart attack during a bicycle ride, aged 58.

Benoît Badiashile Mukinayi is a French professional footballer who plays as a defender for Ligue 1 club Monaco.