List of French people of immigrant origin

Below are lists of famous French people of immigrant origin (at least one great-grandparent).

Algeria

(including Maghrebi Jews and Berbers)

Actors and filmmakers

Isabelle Adjani

Dany Boon

• Isabelle Adjani, actress; holds the record for most César Awards for Best Actress, with five awards
• Daniel Auteuil (1950–), actor
• Jean-Pierre Bacri, actor
• Leïla Bekhti (1984–), actress, César Award for Most Promising Actress in 2011
• Catherine Belkhodja (1955–), artist, and her daughters Isild Le Besco and Maïwenn Le Besco, actress
• Yasmine Belmadi, actor
• Yamina Benguigui, film director, Junior Minister for French Nationals Abroad and Relations with La Francophonie (French-speaking countries worldwide) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Jean Benguigui, actor
• Richard Berry, actor
• Dany Boon (1966–), actor, comedian
• Rachid Bouchareb, film director
• Rachida Brakni, actress
• Alain Chabat, comedian, film director, scriptwriter and producer
• Élie Chouraqui, film director, producer and scriptwriter
• Farid Chopel (1952–2008), actor
• Abdel Raouf Dafri, scriptwriter
• Gérard Darmon, actor
• Samir Guesmi, actor
• Nora Hamdi (1968–), film director
• Roger Hanin, actor filmmaker
• Hafsia Herzi, actress
• Salim Kechiouche, actor
• Claude Lelouch, film director, producer, scriptwriter and actor
• Jalil Lespert, actor
• Maïwenn, actress, film director
• Kad Merad, actor
• Samy Naceri (1961–), actor
• Marie-José Nat, actress, Best Actress at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival for her performance in Les Violons du bal
• Mehdi Nebbou, French actor, Algerian father and German mother
• Safy Nebbou, French actor, Algerian father and German mother
• Daniel Prévost (1939–), actor and comedian and his son Sören Prévost, comedian
• Tahar Rahim (1981–), actor, César Award for Best Actor in 2010, European Film Award for Best Actor in 2009
• Sabrina Ouazani, actress
• Samy Seghir, actor
• Zinedine Soualem, actor
• Jacques Villeret (1951–2005), actor
• Michaël Youn, actor
• Claude Zidi, filmmaker
• Malik Zidi (1975–), actor

Singers and musicians

Amel Bent

• Chimène Badi, singer
• Amel Bent (1985–), singer
• Louis Bertignac (born to an Algerian Jewish father and a Spanish mother), musician
• Cheb Mami, singer
• Chico Bouchikhi, singer, co-founder of the Gipsy Kings
• Patrick Bruel, born Maurice Benguigui, singer
• Étienne Daho, singer
• Demon One, rapper
• DJ Mam's, DJ, music producer
• Quentin Elias, singer, part of Alliage
• Kenza Farah, singer
• Faudel, singer
• Imhotep, DJ, music producer
• Jenifer, singer
• Juliette, singer
• Khaled, singer
• Lacrim, rapper
• Sheryfa Luna, singer
• Melissa M, singer
• Enrico Macias, singer
• Médine, rapper
• Marcel Mouloudji (1922–1994), poet and singer
• Najim, singer
• Juliette Noureddine (1962–), singer, author and composer
• Ridan, singer
• Merwan Rim, singer
• Rim'K, rapper
• Sinik, rapper
• Skalp, DJ, music producer
• Sofiane, singer
• Martial Solal, jazz pianist

Sportsmen

• Robert Abdesselam, tennis player
• Karim Benzema (1987–), football player
• Alphonse Halimi, boxer
• Maxime Mermoz, French professional rugby union footballer
• Alfred Nakache, swimmer, water polo
• Samir Nasri (1987–), soccer player
• Alain Mimoun (1921–), Olympic marathon champion
• Zinedine Zidane, football player

Others

Rachida Dati

Zinedine Zidane

• Alain Afflelou, Alain Afflelou SA is one of the leading optical retailers in France
• Fadela Amara, Secretary of State
• Kader Arif, Junior Minister for Veterans at the French Ministry of Defence
• Jacques Attali, economist, writer
• Amin Maalouf, author
• Alain Bashung (1947–), author, composer, performer and comedian
• Azouz Begag (1957), writer and politician
• Paul Bénichou, historian
• Nina Bouraoui (1967–), writer
• Jean Daniel BenSaïd (1920–), director of Le Nouvel Observateur
• Hélène Cixous, writer
• Annie Cohen-Solal, writer
• Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, physicist, Nobel Prize (1997)
• Jean-François Copé (his mother's name is Monique Ghanassia), politician
• Rachida Dati, Minister of Justice
• Jacques Derrida, philosopher
• Julien Dray, politician
• Jean-Pierre Elkabbach, journalist
• Pierre Fédida, psychanalyst
• Denis Guedj, writer and mathematician
• Bernard-Henri Lévy, writer and philosopher
• Arnaud Montebourg (his mother's name is Leïla Ould Cadi), France's Minister of Industrial Renewal since May 2012^[1]
• Salah, dancer
• Benjamin Stora, historian

Argentina

Bérénice Bejo

• Keny Arkana, singer and rap artist
• Bérénice Bejo, actress
• David Trezeguet, football player

Armenia

Charles Aznavour

Hélène Ségara

• Simon Abkarian, actor
• Rosy Armen, singer
• Serge Avédikian, producer
• Charles Aznavour, singer
• Édouard Balladur, former Prime Minister
• Alain Boghossian, soccer player
• Jean Carzou, painter
• Patrick Devedjian, ministre
• Youri Djorkaeff, soccer player
• Patrick Fiori, singer
• Georges Garvarentz, composer
• Robert Guédiguian, film director
• François Kevorkian, music producer, record label owner
• Philippe Vartan Khazarian, film director, producer, screenwriter
• Francis Kurkdjian, perfumer
• Marie Laforêt, actress
• Michel Legrand, musical composer, arranger, conductor, pianist and prolific film and television scores composer
• Missak Manouchian, poet, communist militant during World War II
• André Manoukian, composer, musician
• Mathieu Madénian, humorist, actor
• Alain Prost, racing driver
• Cyriaque Rivieyran, football player
• Hélène Ségara, singer
• Jean Ter-Merguerian, violinist
• Henri Troyat, writer
• Michael Vartan, actor
• Sylvie Vartan, singer
• Francis Veber, film director, screenwriter and producer and theater playwright of Armenian Jewish descent
• Henri Verneuil, filmmaker

Austria

• Nora Arnezeder, actress

Belgium

Johnny Hallyday

• Raymond Devos, humorist
• Johnny Hallyday, singer
• Yann Tiersen, musician

Benin

• Flora Coquerel, Miss France 2014

Bosnia

• Josiane Balasko, actress

Brazil

Florent Amodio

• Florent Amodio, figure skater
• Gil de Ferran, driver
• Jean-Louis de Rambures, journalist

Bulgaria

• Tzvetan Todorov, essayist and historian
• Sylvie Vartan, singer

Cambodia

Elodie Yung

• Frédéric Chau, actor
• Bérénice Marlohe, actress
• Elodie Yung, actress

Cameroon

• Dieudonné M'bala M'bala, humorist
• Yannick Noah, former tennis player and singer

Canada

Garou

• Deanna Durbin, actress and singer
• Mylène Farmer, singer
• Garou, singer
• Charlotte Le Bon, actress
• Axelle Lemaire, politician
• Jack Pickford, actor
• Mary Pierce, tennis player
• Natasha St-Pier, singer

Cape Verde

Patrice Evra

• Patrice Evra, footballer

Chile

• Sergio Coronado, politician
• Marisol Touraine, politician

China

Frédéric Chau

• Frédéric Chau, actor
• Mylène Jampanoï, actress
• Bérénice Marlohe, actress
• Jean Pasqualini, journalist
• Dai Sijie, author and filmmaker
• Gao Xingjian, novelist
• Yiqing Yin, designer

Comores

• Rohff, rapper
• Soprano, singer

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

• Steve Mandanda, footballer
• Maître Gims, rapper

Congo, Republic of the

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

• Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, tennis player

Cyprus

• Diam's, singer

Egypt

• Richard Anthony
• Guy Béart, author, composer and performer
• Emmanuelle Béart, actress
• Andrée Chedid, poet and novelist
• Louis Chedid, singer
• Matthieu Chedid, author, composer, and rock performer
• Nagui, TV and radio personality

England

Emma Watson

Olivia de Havilland

• Jane Birkin, actress
• Claudette Colbert, actress
• Olivia de Havilland, actress
• Delilah, singer
• Charlotte Gainsbourg, actress
• François Grosjean, psycholinguist and specialist on bilingualism
• Emily Loizeau, singer
• Michael Lonsdale, actor
• Jeanne Moreau, actress and singer
• Charlotte Rampling, actress
• Matthew Raymond-Barker, singer
• Uffie, singer
• Emma Watson, actress

Georgia

• Dimitri Amilakhvari, colonel of French army
• Mamuka Gorgodze, rugby player
• Victoria Ravva, volleyball player

Germany

Jean-Jacques Goldman

• Isabelle Adjani, actress
• Daniel Cohn-Bendit, politician
• Laurent Fabius (maternal grandmother from Frankfurt), politician
• Jean-Jacques Goldman, singer
• Robert Guédiguian, film director
• Stéphane Hessel, diplomat, writer
• Gérard Lenorman, singer
• Eugène Schueller, pharmacist

Greece

Nikos Aliagas

• Vassilis Alexakis, writer
• Nikos Aliagas, talk show host, singer
• Kostas Axelos, philosopher
• Adele Exarchopoulos, actress
• Gilles Marini, actor
• Georges Moustaki, singer
• Iannis Xenakis, composer

Guinea

• Black M, rapper
• MHD (rapper),

Haiti

• Edgar Degas, artist
• Wagneau Eloi, football player
• Kery James, rapper
• Johny Placide, football player
• Charles Terres Weymann, areoplane racing pilot

Hungary

Nicolas Sarkozy

• Lorànt Deutsch, actor and writer
• Michel Jonasz, singer
• Mathieu Kassovitz, film director
• Joseph Kosma, composer
• Nicolas Sarkozy, French president
• Béatrice Schönberg, journalist
• Sylvie Vartan, singer

Iran

• Robert Hossein, actor, filmmaker
• Yasmina Reza, filmmaker
• Aravane Rezaï, tennis player
• Marjane Satrapi, cartoonist and film director

Ireland

Oscar Wilde

• Samuel Beckett, novelist and writer
• Margaret Kelly, dancer
• Oscar Wilde, writer

Italy

Jules Bianchi

Edith Piaf

• Dalida, singer
• Roberto Alagna, tenor
• Jean Alesi, racing driver
• Claude Bartolone, President of the National Assembly
• Jean-Paul Belmondo, actor
• Jules Bianchi, motor racing driver
• Georges Brassens, singer
• Calogero, singer
• Laetitia Casta, actress and model
• François Cavanna, writer
• Francis Cabrel, singer
• Lorenzo Callegari, football player
• Philippe Candeloro, patineur
• Eric Cantona, actor and footballer
• Benjamin Castaldi, television personality
• Coluche, humorist
• Laurence Ferrari, journalist
• Léo Ferré, singer
• Aurélie Filippetti, Minister of Culture and Communication
• Geneviève Fioraso, Minister of Higher Education and Research
• Marina Foïs, actress
• Florence Foresti, comedian and actress
• Raymond Forni, politician
• Claude François, singer
• Joseph Gallieni, marshal of France
• Max Gallo, writer and historian
• Léon Gambetta, statesman
• Jean Giono, writer
• Fabrice Luchini, actor
• Jean-Baptiste Lully, composer
• Elsa Lunghini, singer
• Léon Gambetta, politician
• Gilles Marini, actor
• Chiara Mastroianni, actress
• Yves Montand (Ivo Livi), actor
• Edith Piaf, singer
• Roger Piantoni, soccer player
• Michel Platini, soccer player
• Serge Reggiani, actor
• Hélène Ségara, actress
• Sylvie Testud, actress
• Albert Uderzo, writer, humorist and cartoonist, creator of Asterix
• Émile Zola, writer

Jamaica

• Zita Hanrot, actress

Japan

Kenzo Takada

• Kenzō Takada, designer
• Megumi Satsu, singer
• Morio Matsui, artist
• Uffie, singer

Lebanon

Amin Maalouf

Mika

• Louis Chedid, singer, songwriter
• Matthieu Chedid, aka -M-, rock guitarist
• Gilbert Collard, writer, barrister and politician; one of his great grandfathers, Fatallah Tarrazi, was from Lebanon
• Carlos Ghosn, chairman and CEO of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance
• Omar Harfouch, businessman
• Eid Hourany, nuclear physicist
• Antoine Karam, politician, President of the Regional Council of French Guiana
• Vénus Khoury-Ghata, writer, poet
• Thomas Langmann, film producer, actor of Lebanese Jewish descent
• Amin Maalouf, author, novelist
• Ibrahim Maalouf, musician, trumpet player, composer
• Robert Mazlo, art jeweller and goldsmith
• Pierre-Antoine Melki, aka Nius, music producer
• Mika (singer), singer
• RAmez, rapper
• Jean-Pierre Rassam, film producer
• Julien Rassam, film actor
• Jacques Saadé, businessman
• Gabriel Yacoub, guitarist, singer
• Gabriel Yared, music composer
• Ycare, singer, songwriter

Lithuania

• Joseph Kessel, writer
• Emmanuel Levinas, philosopher

Mauritius

• Willy William, singer

Mexico

• Carlos de Beistegui, art collector and decorator
• Dominique Fernandez, writer
• Adan Jodorowsky, actor and musician

Moldova

• Cécilia Attias, second wife of Nicolas Sarkozy

Morocco

Jamel Debbouze

Gad Elmaleh

Amir

• Fu'ad Aït Aattou, actor
• Richard Anconina, actor
• Pierre Assouline, journalist
• Aure Atika (1970–), actress
• Robert Benayoun, movie critic
• José Bénazéraf, film director, scriptwriter and producer
• Rachida Dati, politician
• Jamel Debbouze, humorist
• Gad Elmaleh, humorist
• Nadia Farès, actress
• David Guetta, house music DJ
• Saïda Jawad (1970–), actress
• Roger Karoutchi (his mother's name is Solange Fedida), politician
• Yasmine Lafitte (née Hafida El Khabchi), pornstar
• Salah, dancer
• Élie Semoun, humorist
• Saïd Taghmaoui, actor
• Elisa Tovati, actress
• Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, French Minister of Women's Rights and spokesperson for the government since May 2012
• Roschdy Zem (1965–), actor

Singers and musicians

• Amel Bent, singer
• Amine, singer
• Amir, singer
• Frida Boccara, singer
• Booba, rapper
• Canardo, rapper
• Cut Killer, DJ
• DJ Abdel, DJ
• Kamelanc', rapper
• Larusso, singer
• Édith Piaf (1915–1963), singer^[2]
• La Fouine, rapper, singer
• Mister You, rapper
• Nessbeal, rapper
• Sapho, singer
• Zifou, rapper

Netherlands

Vincent van Gogh

• Mata Hari, exotic dancer and a spy
• Tony Parker, basketball player
• Vincent van Gogh, painter

Norway

• Eva Joly, politician and former judge
• Alexis Pinturault, alpine ski racer
• Yann Tiersen, musician

Poland

M. Pokora

Juliette Binoche

Guillaume Apollinaire

• Guillaume Apollinaire, writer
• Robert Badinter, lawyer, academic, essayist and politician
• Claude Berri, film director
• Juliette Binoche, actress
• Marie-George Buffet, politician
• Alain Finkielkraut, philosopher, writer and essayist
• Jean-Pierre Foucault, television personality
• Romain Gary, romancier
• Jean-Jacques Goldman, singer
• René Goscinny, writer, humorist, known around the world for the Asterix books
• Michel Jazy, middle distance runner
• Raymond Kopa, football player
• Laurent Koscielny, football player
• Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, politician
• Henri Krasucki, politician
• Jean-Marie Lustiger, Archbishop of Paris
• Jean Malaquais, writer
• Frédéric Michalak, rugby player
• Jean-Pierre Mocky, film director
• Ludovic Obraniak, football player
• Georges Pérec, writer
• Damien Perquis, football player
• M. Pokora, singer
• Roman Polanski, film director
• Michel Poniatowski, politician
• Régine, artist
• Catherine Ringer, singer
• Simone Signoret, actress
• Michel Wieviorka, sociologue
• Georges Wolinski, cartoonist and comics writer

Portugal

Antoine Griezmann

• Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, musician (Daft Punk member)
• Linda de Suza, singer
• Kevin Gameiro, footballer
• Antoine Griezmann, footballer; his mother is from Portugal
• Bruno Lopes, aka Kool Shen, French rapper and producer
• Corentin Martins, footballer
• Marie Myriam, singer
• Morgan Parra, rugby player
• Robert Pirès, footballer

Romania

Michèle Laroque

• Jean-François Copé, politician
• Claude Berri, film director
• Marcel Dalio, actor
• Michel Drucker, French journalist and TV host
• Eugène Ionesco, writer
• Cyprien Iov, YouTube celebrity
• Michèle Laroque, actress
• Pierre Moscovici, politician
• Cédric Pioline, former tennis player
• Élisabeth Roudinesco, historian
• Maria Schneider, actress
• Paul-Loup Sulitzer, writer
• Pierre Vassiliu, singer

Russia

Serge Gainsbourg

• Carlos, singer
• Marc Chagall, painter
• Joe Dassin, singer
• Sacha Distel, singer
• François Feldman, singer
• Serge Gainsbourg, singer, poet, actor, and director of Jewish descent
• Judith Godrèche, actress
• Émile Meyerson, philosopher
• Gérard Oury, film director
• Léon Poliakov, historian
• Michel Polnareff, singer
• Maxime Rodinson, historian
• Thierry Roland, TV commentator
• Nathalie Sarraute, writer
• Pierre-André Taguieff, philosopher
• Jacques Tati, film director and actor
• Marina Vlady, actress
• Léon Zitrone, journalist

Rwanda

Sonia Rolland

• Sonia Rolland, actress and Miss France 2000

Scotland

• Brice Lalonde, politician

Senegal

Omar Sy

• Booba, rapper
• Pape Diouf, journalist, former President of Olympique de Marseille, politician
• Patrice Evra, footballer
• Bafétimbi Gomis, footballer
• MC Solaar, rap and hip hop artist
• Omar Sy, actor
• Patrick Vieira, footballer
• Rama Yade, politician

Serbia

Kristina Mladenovic

• Michel Auclair, actor
• Pierre Marinovitch, World War I flying ace
• Kristina Mladenovic, tennis player
• Sebastian, musician and DJ
• Vladimir Veličković, painter

South Africa

• Pieter de Villiers, rugby player
• Brian Liebenberg, rugby player
• Gerhard Vosloo, rigby player

South Korea

• Daul Kim, model
• Fleur Pellerin, Ministry of Culture
• Jean-Vincent Placé, politician

Spain

Albert Camus

Manuel Valls

• Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, actress
• Albert Camus, Nobel Prize-winning author
• Eric Cantona, actor and footballer
• Manu Chao, singer and musician
• Michel del Castillo, writer
• Raymond Domenech, former Manager of the French national soccer team
• Luis Fernández, football player
• Louis de Funès, actor
• José Garcia, actor
• Anne Hidalgo, politician
• Raphaël Ibañez, rugby player
• Virginie Ledoyen, actress
• Frédéric Lopez, television host
• Olivier Martinez, actor
• Jean-Luc Mélenchon, politician
• Paloma Picasso, fashion designer
• Robert Pirès, footballer
• David Pujadas, journalist
• Jean Reno, actor
• Olivia Ruiz, singer
• Jaime Semprun, essayist and translator
• André Téchiné, film director
• Mathieu Valbuena, footballer
• Manuel Valls, French Socialist Party (PS) politician, Minister of the Interior
• Ray Ventura, jazz bandleader

Sweden

Eva Green

• Eva Green, actress
• Mathilda May, actress
• Max von Sydow, actor

Switzerland

• Jean-Luc Godard, film director
• Romain Grosjean, racing driver
• Le Corbusier, architect
• Quentin Mosimann, musician
• Manuel Valls, politician

Tunisia

Danny Brillant

Michel Boujenah

• Adel Bencherif, actor
• Sami Bouajila, actor
• Michel Boujenah, humorist
• Paul Boujenah, director
• Dany Brillant, singer
• David Charvet, actor
• Georges Cravenne, founder of the César Award
• Marcel Dadi, guitar player
• Pierre Darmon, tennis player
• Mabrouk El Mechri, film director
• Félix Gray, singer
• Gisèle Halimi, lawyer
• Serge Halimi, journalist
• Cyril Hanouna, television presenter, producer and comedian
• Agnès Jaoui, actress
• David Jemmali, soccer player
• Abdellatif Kechiche, film director
• Lââm, singer
• Pierre Lellouche, politician
• Alain Mamou-Mani, producer
• Didier Marouani, composer and musician
• Albert Memmi, writer
• Serge Moati, journalist and film director
• Yael Naim, singer
• Dominique Strauss-Kahn (his mother's name is Jacqueline Fellus), politician
• Jacqueline Taïeb, singer
• Maurice Taieb, geologist
• Ariel Zeitoun, film director, scriptwriter and producer
• Tunisiano, rapper

Turkey

Tchéky Karyo

• Édouard Balladur, politician of Armenian descent
• Françoise Giroud, journalist, writer and politician of Jewish descent
• Tchéky Karyo, actor
• Mathilda May, actress

Ukraine

• Pierre Bérégovoy, politician
• Serge Lifar, dancer and choreographer
• Oksana Shachko, artist and activist
• Alexandra Shevchenko, artist and activist

United States

Lily-Rose Depp

Tony Parker

• Josephine Baker, dancer
• Mickey Baker, guitarist
• Sidney Bechet, jazz saxophonist
• Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, actress
• Alexa Davalos, actress
• Lily-Rose Depp, actress
• Isadora Duncan, dancer
• Carole Fredericks, singer
• Anastasia Griffith, actress
• Chloé Mortaud, actress and Miss France 2009
• Tony Parker, basketball player
• Mary Pierce, tennis player
• Nina Simone, singer
• Yeardley Smith, actress and voice actress

Uruguay

• Elli Medeiros, singer

Vietnam

Linh Dan Pham

• Linh Dan Pham, actress
• Anh Duong, actress and model
• Nikolai Kinski, actor
• France Nuyen, actress
• François Trinh-Duc, rugby player

See also

• Immigration to France

References