1964 in France

Incumbents

• President: Charles de Gaulle
• Prime Minister: Georges Pompidou

  Events

• 27 January – France and the People's Republic of China announce their decision to establish diplomatic relations.
• 11 February – The Republic of China drops diplomatic relations with France because of French recognition of the People's Republic of China.
• 8-15 March – Cantonal elections held.
• 23 May – Mrs. Madeleine Dassault, 63, wife of French plane manufacturer and politician Marcel Dassault, is kidnapped while leaving her car in front of her Paris home; she is found unharmed the next day in a farmhouse 27 miles from Paris.

  The arts

• 19 February – Jacques Demy's musical film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is released.

  Sport

• 22 June – Tour de France begins.
• 14 July – Tour de France ends, won by Jacques Anquetil.

  Births

January to March

• 6 January – Loïc Courteau, tennis player
• 7 January – Hervé Balland, cross-country skier
• 10 January – Claude Morinière, long jumper
• 11 January – Albert Dupontel, actor and film director
• 24 January – Gérald Passi, soccer player
• 1 February – Philippe Casado, cyclist
• 12 February – Stéphane Franke, athlete
• 14 February – Frédéric Delcourt, swimmer and Olympic medallist
• 17 February – Thierry Laurey, soccer player
• 27 February – Christian Penigaud, beach volleyball player
• 28 February – Pierre Hantaï, conductor and harpsichordist
• 1 March – Paul Le Guen, soccer manager
• 5 March – Bertrand Cantat, singer and songwriter
• 9 March – Juliette Binoche, actress
• 16 March – Franck Fréon, motor racing driver
• 24 March – Chantal Mauduit, alpinist
• 30 March – Christophe Robert, soccer player

  April to June

• 2 April – Didier Tholot, soccer manager
• 14 April – Emmanuel Villaume, conductor
• 5 May – Jean-François Copé, politician
• 10 May – Emmanuelle Devos, actress
• 12 May – Pierre Morel, film director and cinematographer
• 23 May – Laurent Naouri, bass-baritone
• 27 May – Yves Caumon, film director
• 31 May – Stéphane Caristan, athlete
• 3 June – Jérôme Pradon, actor and singer
• 5 June – Jean-François Remésy, golfer
• 11 June – Jean Alesi, motor racing driver
• 12 June – Philippe Bouvatier, cyclist.
• 21 June – Patrice Bailly-Salins, biathlete and Olympic medallist
• 24 June – Philippe Fargeon, soccer player
• 27 June – Serge Le Dizet, soccer player, coach

  July to September

• 1 July – Bernard Laporte, rugby union player and coach, Secretary of State for Sport
• 3 July – Yeardley Smith, voice actress
• 13 July – Pascal Hervé, cyclist
• 21 July – Fabrice Colas, cyclist
• 4 August – Sebastian Roché, actor
• 24 August – Éric Bernard, motor racing driver
• September – Olivier Zahm, art critic, curator, fashion editor, and art director
• 2 September – Jean-Christophe Spinosi, conductor and violinist
• 14 September – Laurent Fournier, soccer player, manager
• 16 September – Nicolas Hénard, sailor and Olympic gold medallist

  October to December

• 16 October – Jean-Christophe Thomas, soccer player
• 19 October – Agnès Jaoui, screenwriter, film director, actress and singer
• 8 December – Éric Aubijoux, motorcycle racer
• 8 December – Laurent Croci, soccer player
• 19 December – Béatrice Dalle, actress
• 24 December – Jean-Paul Civeyrac, film director
• 30 December – Pascal Baills, soccer player

  Full date unknown

• Éric Chevillard, novelist
• Stéphane Cornicard, actor and director
• Philippe Graffin, violinist and recording artist
• Jean-Michel Othoniel, artist
• Jérôme Soimaud, painter

  Deaths

January to June

• 11 January – André-Damien-Ferdinand Jullien, cardinal
• 13 January – Pierre Yvert, philatelic editor
• 10 February – Paul Baudouin, banker and politician
• 15 February – Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, Catholic theologian
• 17 February – Philippe Cattiau, fencer and Olympic gold medallist
• 25 February – Maurice Farman, motor racing driver, aviator, aircraft manufacturer and designer
• 17 May – Honoré Barthélemy, cyclist
• 30 May – René-Yves Creston, artist, designer and ethnographer
• 17 June – René Crabos, rugby union player

  July to December

• 1 July – Pierre Monteux, conductor
• 7 July – Charles Bozon, alpine skier and world champion
• 11 July – Maurice Thorez, communist politician
• 21 July – Jean Fautrier, painter and sculptor
• 4 September – Clément-Emile Roques, cardinal
• 7 September – Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu, Admiral
• 9 September – Maurice Le Boucher, organist, composer, and pedagogue
• 20 September – Lazare Lévy, pianist, composer and teacher
• 27 October – Gabriel Benoist, writer
• 8 November – Fernand Baldet, astronomer
• 22 December – Paul Tournon, architect

  Full date unknown

• Georges Andrique, painter.
• Pierre Brissaud, illustrator, painter and engraver
• Jean Dupas, painter, designer, poster artist and decorator