France is an incredibly multi-ethnic country by European standards. At the crossroads of Europe, it has an ancient Celtic, Latin, Basque and Germanic heritage. Over 10% of the population of France is foreign, and almost one fourth comes from recent immigration (i.e. including children or grand-children of immigrants). Here is a list of a few famous ones.
Writers & Philosophers
- Guillaume Apollinaire, born in Rome to a Polish mother and possibly Swiss-Italian father (birth name : Wilhelm Albert Vladimir Apollinaris Kostrowitzky)
- Emmanuel Lévinas,born in Lithuania of Jewish parents.
- Henri Troyat, son of Armenian immigrants from Russia (birth name : Levon Aslan Torossian)
- Jacques Derrida, born in Algeria, into a Sephardic Jewish family.
Politicians
Singers
- Édith Piaf, born of an Italian-Algerian mother and a French father.
- Charles Aznavour, son of Armenian immigrants (birth name : Shahnour Vaghinagh Aznavourian)
- Serge Gainsbourg, son of Jewish Russian immigrants.
- Claude François, Italian mother.
- Johnny Hallyday, born of a Belgian father and a French mother (birth name : Jean-Philippe Smet)
- Sylvie Vartan, born in Bulgaria, daughter of a Bulgarian father of Armenian descent and a Hungarian mother.
- Hélène Ségara, born of an Italian father and an Armenian mother (real name : Hélène Rizzo)
Actors/Comedians
- Yves Montand, naturalised French actor, born Ivo Livi in Italy of Italian parents.
- Jeanne Moreau, born in Paris to a French father and an English mother of Irish descent.
- Jean-Paul Belmondo, Sicilian father.
- Jean Reno, born of Spanish parents in Casablanca, Morocco (real name : Juan Moreno y Herrera Jiménez).
- Josiane Balasko, born in Paris in a Yugoslavian family of Croatian origin. (real name : Josiane Balaskovic)
- Isabelle Adjani, born to an Algerian father and a German mother.
- Samy Naceri, born to an Algerian father and French mother.
- Jamel Debbouze, born of Moroccan parents.
Sports people
... many other football players.
Check also: Famous French people