1953 in France

Incumbents

• President: Vincent Auriol
• President of the Council of Ministers:
• * until 8 January: Antoine Pinay
• * 8 January – 28 June: René Mayer
• * starting 28 June: Joseph Laniel

  Events

• 4 January – Operation Bretagne ends, with French victory over the Viet Minh in Vietnam.
• 9 May – France agrees to the provisional independence of Cambodia with the king Norodom Sihanouk.
• 5 July – First meeting of the assembly of the European Economic Community in Strasbourg.
• 17 July – Miss France Christiane Martel Won Miss Universe 1953
• 28 July – Operation Camargue, further French military action against the Viet Minh, begins.
• 10 August – Operation Camargue ends.
• 13 August – 4 million workers go on strike in France to protest against austerity measures.
• 25 August – General strike ends in France.
• 9 November – Cambodia becomes independent from France.
• 20 November – Operation Castor, airborne operation to establish a fortified airhead in Điện Biên Province, starts.
• 22 November – Operation Castor ends.

  Arts and literature

• 4 January – En Attendant Godot premiered at

  Sport

• 3 July – Tour de France begins.
• 27 July – Tour de France ends, won by Louison Bobet.

  Births

• 28 January – Anicée Alvina, singer and actress
• 9 February – Michèle Rivasi, politician
• 20 February – Gérard Araud, diplomat
• 4 March – Rose Laurens, singer-songwriter
• 16 March – Isabelle Huppert, actress
• 15 July – Jean-Luc Fichet, politician
• 8 August – Jean Hélène, journalist
• 19 August – Benoît Régent, actor
• 22 September – Ségolène Royal, politician
• 12 October – Serge Lepeltier, politician
• 14 November – Dominique de Villepin, politician, Prime Minister of France
• 23 November – Francis Cabrel, singer-songwriter
• 29 November – Christine Pascal, actress, writer and director
• 1 December – Antoine de Caunes, television presenter, actor, writer and film director

  Deaths

• 24 March – Paul Couturier, priest and promoter of the concept of Christian unity
• 4 April – Rachilde, author
• 4 July – Jean Becquerel, physicist
• 9 August – Auguste Giroux, rugby union player
• 29 November – Henri Gance, weightlifter and Olympic gold medalist
• 30 November – Francis Picabia, painter and poet