List of Famous people born in France

Gilles Deleuze was a French philosopher who, from the early 1950s until his death in 1995, wrote on philosophy, literature, film, and fine art. His most popular works were the two volumes of Capitalism and Schizophrenia: Anti-Oedipus (1972) and A Thousand Plateaus (1980), both co-written with psychoanalyst Félix Guattari. His metaphysical treatise Difference and Repetition (1968) is considered by many scholars to be his magnum opus. An important part of Deleuze's oeuvre is devoted to the reading of other philosophers: the Stoics, Leibniz, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, and Bergson, with particular influence derived from Spinoza. A. W. Moore, citing Bernard Williams's criteria for a great thinker, ranks Deleuze among the "greatest philosophers". Although he once characterized himself as a "pure metaphysician", his work has influenced a variety of disciplines across the humanities, including philosophy, art, and literary theory, as well as movements such as post-structuralism and postmodernism.

Guy Sorman is a French-American professor, columnist, author, and public intellectual in economics and philosophy.

Louis Dega is the name of a character in Henri Charrière's novel Papillon. In the 1973 film this character was played by Dustin Hoffman and in the 2017 film the role was played by Rami Malek. Purportedly an autobiography, few of the characters and events in Papillon could be corroborated and it is perhaps best regarded as a narrative novel, combining and embellishing the adventures of Charrière and several fellow inmates, in particular of René Belbenoît and Charles Brunier.

Jean-Baptiste Drouet was a French politician of the Revolution and the Empire, best known for his key role in the arrest of King Louis XVI and his family during the Flight to Varennes.

Rénelle Lamote is a French middle-distance runner.

Charles V, called the Wise, was King of France from 1364 to his death. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War, with his armies recovering much of the territory held by the English, and successfully reversed the military losses of his predecessors.

Gabriel Bacquier was a French operatic baritone. One of the leading baritones of the 20th century and particularly associated with the French and Italian repertoires, he was considered a fine singing actor equally at home in dramatic or comic roles and gave regular song recitals. He was a long-term member of the Opéra-Comique and the Paris Opera, but forged a long career internationally at leading opera houses in Europe and the U.S. His large discography spans five decades, and he was considered as “the ambassador of French song”.

Jean-Pierre Filiu is a French professor of Middle East studies at Sciences Po, Paris School of International Affairs. A historian and an Arabist, he has also been visiting professor at Columbia University and Georgetown University. He has been invited as a guest speaker to various American universities and think tanks, including the Harvard Kennedy School and the James Baker Institute. His "Apocalypse in Islam" was awarded the main prize (Augustin-Thierry) by the French History convention, held every October in the city of Blois.

Louis François Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, duc de Richelieu, was a French soldier, diplomat and statesman. He joined the army and participated in three major wars. He eventually rose to the rank of Marshal of France.

René Girard is a French football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of Ligue 2 side Paris FC.