1923 in France
Events from the year 1923 in France.
Incumbents
Events
- 11 January – Occupation of the Ruhr begins by French and Belgian troops to force Germany to pay its reparation payments.
- September – Resultant strikes called off by German government and followed by a state of emergency.
- October – Rhenish Republic is proclaimed at Aachen.
Arts and literature
- March – Antigone by Jean Cocteau appears on a Paris stage. Settings by Pablo Picasso, music by Arthur Honegger, and costumes by Gabrielle Chanel. Antonin Artaud played the part of Tiresias.
Sport
- 26 May – The inaugural 24 hours of Le Mans race is won by André Lagache and René Léonard.
- 24 June – Tour de France begins.
- 22 July – Tour de France ends, won by Henri Pélissier.
Births
January to June
- 7 January – Jean Lucienbonnet, motor racing driver
- 9 February – André Gorz, journalist and social philosopher
- 13 February – Philippe de Chérisey, writer, radio humorist and actor
- 24 February – Lucien Braun, historian and philosopher
- 22 March – Marcel Marceau, mime artist
- 1 April – Jean Catoire, composer
- 5 April – Léon Fleuriot, linguist and historian
- 9 April – Albert Decourtray, Roman Catholic cardinal
- 9 May – Claude Piéplu, actor
- 10 May – Jean-Claude Pecker, astronomer
- 27 May – Nicole Stéphane, actress, producer and director
- 7 June – Jean Baratte, soccer player and manager
- 10 June – Madeleine Lebeau, film actress
- 16 June – Silvia Monfort, actress and theatre director
- 18 June – Jean Delumeau, historian
- 24 June
- * Geneviève Asse, painter
- * Marc Riboud, photographer
- 27 June – Jacques Berthier, composer
July to December
- 3 July – Charles Hernu, politician
- 6 July – Madame Claude, brothel keeper
- 23 July – Claude Luter, jazz clarinetist
- 1 August – Jean Prat, international rugby player
- 2 August – Jean Rosenthal, translator
- 23 August – Georges Perros, writer
- 2 September – René Thom, mathematician
- 13 September – Edouard Boubat, photographer
- 12 October – Bernard Pingaud, writer
- 30 October – Anne Beaumanoir, neurophysiologist
- 7 November – Gilles Lapouge, writer and journalist
- 16 November – Marc Camoletti, playwright
- 18 November – Jean Cluzel, politician
- 24 November – Paul Haeberlin, chef and restaurateur
- 29 November – Christian Beullac, politician and Minister
- 10 December – Simone Chrisostome, resistance member and holocaust survivor
- 13 December – Jacques Renaud, racing cyclist
- 25 December – Noël Vandernotte, coxswain
- 31 December – Michel de Salzmann, psychiatrist
Full date unknown
- François Ozenda, painter.
Deaths
- 19 February – Jean-Jules-Antoine Lecomte du Nouy, painter and sculptor
- 22 February – Théophile Delcassé, Statesman
- 26 March – Sarah Bernhardt, actress
- 28 March – Michel-Joseph Maunoury, military leader
- 10 June – Pierre Loti, sailor and writer
- 14 June – Isabelle Bogelot, philanthropist and campaigner
- 19 July – Auguste Bouché-Leclercq, historian
- 23 July – Charles Dupuy, politician, three times prime minister
- 6 August – Joséphine Berthault, artist
- 13 August – Bernard Gravier, Olympic fencer
- 13 October – Émile Bergerat, poet, playwright and essayist
- 5 November – Jacques d'Adelswärd-Fersen, aristocrat, novelist and poet
- 12 December – Raymond Radiguet, author
- 27 December – Gustave Eiffel, structural engineer and architect, designer of the Eiffel Tower
- 31 December – Édouard Stephan, astronomer
Full date unknown
- Charles Jean Baptiste Collin-Mezin, maker of violins, violas, cellos, basses and bows.