1971 in France

Incumbents

• President: Georges Pompidou
• Prime Minister: Jacques Chaban-Delmas

  Events

• 14 March – Municipal elections held.
• 21 March – Municipal elections held.
• 3 July – American singer Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors, dies from a heart attack in the bathtub of his Paris hotel room. He was 27 years old.
• 3 September – Four Power Agreement on Berlin is signed.
• 10 December – Renault unveils its new R5 model, a small three-door hatchback similar in concept to the recently launched Italian Fiat 127, which will go on sale in the new year.

  Births

January to March

• 4 January – Sébastien Foucras, freestyle skier and Olympic medallist
• 17 January – Sylvie Testud, actress, writer and director
• 20 January – Catherine Marsal, road racing cyclist
• 2 February
• *Ludovic Auger, cyclist
• *Stéphane Pédron, soccer player
• 5 February – Michel Breistroff, NHL ice hockey player
• 7 February – Emmanuel Curtil, actor
• 11 February – Christian Labit, rugby union player
• 15 February – Brigitte Guibal, slalom canoer and Olympic medallist
• 21 February – Pierre Raschi, rugby union player
• 26 February – Hélène Ségara, singer
• 28 February – Tristan Louis, author and internet entrepreneur
• 20 March – Stéphane Heulot, cyclist
• 29 March – Alexandre Brasseur, actor.

  April to June

• 3 April – Emmanuel Collard, motor racing driver.
• 7 April – Guillaume Depardieu, actor.
• 8 April – Christophe Lamaison, international rugby union player.
• 9 April – Jérôme Dreyfus, judoka.
• 12 April – Christophe Moreau, cyclist.
• 13 April – Franck Esposito, swimmer.
• 16 April – Jean-Michel Bazire, Harness racing driver.
• 27 April – François Bégaudeau, journalist, novelist and actor
• 4 May – Sébastien Denis, hurdler.
• 8 May – Dominique Casagrande, soccer player.
• 9 May – Nicolas Ghesquière, fashion designer.
• 11 May – Dominique Arribagé, soccer player.
• 15 May – Anthony Bancarel, soccer player.
• 24 May – Habib Sissoko, soccer player.
• 28 May
• *Isabelle Carré, actress.
• *Lilian Martin, soccer player.
• 5 June – Stéphane Clamens, sport shooter.
• 9 June – Jean Galfione, pole vaulter and Olympic gold medallist.
• 10 June – Bruno Ngotty, soccer player.
• 12 June
• *Félicia Ballanger, cyclist.
• *Jérôme Romain, athlete.
• 25 June – Sébastien Levicq, decathlete.
• 28 June
• *Fabien Barthez, international soccer player.
• *Guillaume de Fondaumière, video game designer.
• *Sébastien Gattuso, athlete.
• 29 June – Stéphan Bignet, triathlete.

  July to September

• 21 July – Emmanuel Bangué, long jumper.
• 4 August – Christophe Mendy, boxer.
• 6 August – Stéphane Lecat, swimmer.
• 11 August – Djamel Bouras, judoka and Olympic gold medallist.
• 25 August – Louis-Karim Nébati, actor.
• 4 September – Lilian Laslandes, soccer player.
• 4 September – Isabelle Périgault, French politician
• 9 September – Francis Llacer, soccer player.
• 27 September – Cédric Penicaud, swimmer.
• 29 September – Lilian Nalis, soccer player.

  October to December

• 1 October – Stéphane Breitwieser, art thief.
• 14 October – Frédéric Guesdon, cyclist.
• 26 October – Olivier Galzi, television journalist.
• 28 October
• *Jimmy Algerino, soccer player.
• *Nicolas Ouédec, soccer player.
• 9 November – Sabri Lamouchi, soccer player.
• 16 November – Laurent Wolf, music producer and DJ.
• 19 November
• *Pascal Edmond, golfer.
• *Cécile Lignot-Maubert, hammer thrower.
• 24 November
• *Franck Avitabile, jazz pianist.
• *Stéphane Denève, conductor.
• 29 November – Olivier Quint, soccer player.
• 8 December – Stéphane Poulat, triathlete.
• 17 December – Antoine Rigaudeau, basketball player.
• 21 December – Matthieu Chedid, singer-songwriter.
• 28 December – Olivier Enjolras, soccer player.

  Full date unknown

• Sylvain Chauveau, musician and composer.
• Fabrice Hadjadj, writer and philosopher.
• Olivier Manchion, musician.

  Deaths

January to March

• 5 January – Émilienne Moreau-Evrard, hero of World War I and in French resistance during World War II.
• 10 January – Coco Chanel, fashion designer.
• 13 January – Henri Tomasi, composer and conductor.
• 8 February – Louis Antoine, mathematician.
• 26 February – Fernandel, actor.
• 2 March – Rita Jolivet, actress.
• 10 March – Jean Follain, author, poet and lawyer.
• 31 March – Alfred Desenclos, composer.

  April to June

• 3 April – Jacques Ochs, artist, épée and foil fencer and Olympic gold medallist.
• 11 April – Marcel Gromaire, painter.
• 30 May – Marcel Dupré, organist, pianist and composer.
• 5 June – André Trocmé, pastor who aided Jewish refugees.
• 12 June – Jules Dewaquez, soccer player.
• 25 June – Charles Vildrac, playwright and poet.

  July to September

• 10 July – Laurent Dauthuille, boxer.
• 19 July – Arsène Roux, Arabist and Berberologist.
• 27 July – Jacques Lusseyran, author.
• 31 July – Michel Saint-Denis, actor, theatre director, and drama theorist.
• 24 August – René Paul Raymond Capuron, botanist.
• 30 August – Louis Armand, engineer.
• 10 September – Roland de Vaux, priest and archaeologist.

  October to December

• 10 October – Philippe Hériat, novelist, playwright and actor.
• 27 October – Charlotte de La Trémoille, noblewoman.
• 16 November – Lucien Chopard, entomologist.
• 15 December – Paul Lévy, mathematician.

  Full date unknown

• Louis Lecoin, militant pacifist.
• André Lesauvage, sailor and Olympic gold medallist.