Le Plus Grand Français de tous les temps ("The Greatest Frenchman of all Time") was a France 2 show of early 2005, based on an original series of Great Britons on the BBC. The show asked the French viewers who they thought was the Greatest Frenchman or Frenchwoman. It was presented by Michel Drucker and Thierry Ardisson, and the final episode was broadcast at the French Senate.
The winner was the former president and leader of the Free French movement, Charles de Gaulle.[1]
The show was criticized by some historians in that it focused only on personalities of recent French history. Key figures of French history who contributed to the founding of the French nation, such as the national heroine Joan of Arc, the kings Philip Augustus, Saint Louis, and Louis XIV or French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte were largely ignored.
| Rank | Personality | Notability | Nomination defended by | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Charles De Gaulle (1890-1970) |
General and president. Leader of the French resistance movement during World War II. President of France between 1944 and 1946 and between 1958 and 1969. Admired for giving post-war France international prestige and independence in their foreign policy. | Maurice Druon, historian [2] | [2] |
| 2 | 
|
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) |
Chemist. Discovered vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization. Developed vaccines against rabies and anthrax. | [2] | |
| 3 | 
|
Abbé Pierre (1912-2007) |
Priest who was a member of the Resistance movement during World War II. Founder of the Emmaus movement, who help poor and homeless people. | [2] | |
| 4 | 
|
Marie Skłodowska-Curie (1867-1934) |
Polish physicist and chemist. Co-discoverer of radioactivity, radium and polonium. First woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physics (1903) and Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1911) and the only person to have won both. | [2] | |
| 5 | Coluche (1944-1986) |
Comedian, actor and humanitarian activist. Founder of the Restaurants du Coeur, a non-profit charity movement who distribute food to the needy and help people out with finding housing. | [2] | ||
| 6 | 
|
Victor Hugo (1802-1885) |
Novelist, poet and playwright. Author of internationally famous and beloved works, such as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables. Also campaigned for freedom of the press and against the death penalty and social injustice. | Max Gallo, novelist.[2] | [2] |
| 7 | 
|
Bourvil (1917-1970) |
Comedian, actor and singer. His films and songs are still classics in France today and beloved in other countries too. | [2] | |
| 8 | _-_Google_Art_Project_(cropped).jpg)
|
Molière (1612-1673) |
Playwright. Creator of internationally renowned comedy plays such as Tartuffe, The Miser and The Misanthrope. Praised for his satirical wit, socially critical themes and vivid characters. Considered the most important and influential French-language author of all time. | [2] | |
| 9 | .jpg)
|
Jacques Cousteau (1910-1997) |
Explorer, inventor, documentary maker and oceanographer. Co-inventor of the Aqua-lung, which introduced modern underwater diving. Explored the oceans and made numerous documentaries about them. Championed for marine conservation. | [2] | |
| 10 | 
|
Edith Piaf (1915-1963) |
Singer. Internationally famous and beloved for tragic and passionate songs, such as "La Vie en Rose", "Hymne à l'amour", "Milord" and "Non, je ne regrette rien", which have been covered by numerous artists since. | [2] | |