1978 in France

Incumbents

• President: Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
• Prime Minister: Raymond Barre

  Events

• February – Launch of the Horizon front-wheel drive hatchback by Chrysler Europe, which will be built in France as a Simca and sold in Britain as a Talbot.
• 1 February – Hollywood film director Roman Polanski skips bail and flees to France, after pleading guilty to charges of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old girl.
• 12 March – Legislative Election held.
• 19 March – Legislative Election held.
• April – Launch of the Renault 18 saloon and estates, replacement for the Renault 12.
• 4 May – Communist activist Henri Curiel is murdered in Paris.
• 10 May – Two years after buying Citroën, carmaker Peugeot makes another takeover by purchasing the European operations of American car giant Chrysler, owners of the French Simca and British Chrysler brands.
• 16 May – Amoco Cadiz runs aground off the coast of Brittany, split in two and spilled of oil.
• 18–19 May – Belgian and French paratroopers fly to Zaire to aid the fight against the rebels.
• 27 May – Brittany Ferries inaugurate a regular service between Roscoff and Cork in the Republic of Ireland.
• 26 June – Bombing by Breton nationalists causes destruction in Palace of Versailles.
• December – The Simca Horizon is voted European Car of the Year.
• 31 December – Disappearance of Danielle Judic.
• unknown date – The Trâ Armânami Association of French Aromanians is founded.

  Births

January to March

• 5 January – Franck Montagny, motor racing driver.
• 6 January – Renaud Dion, cyclist.
• 11 January – Stéphane Morisot, soccer player.
• 14 January – Éric Sitruk, soccer player.
• 17 January
• * Stéphane Pasquier, jockey.
• * Aboubacar Sankhare, soccer player.
• 21 January – David Coulibaly, soccer player.
• 30 January – Sébastien Sansoni, soccer player.
• 7 February – Nicolas Ardouin, soccer player.
• 8 February – Loïc Jean-Albert, parachuter.
• 11 February – Aurélien Cologni, rugby league player.
• 16 February – Nicolas Florentin, soccer player.
• 26 February – Stéphane Bonnes, soccer player.
• 28 February – Jeanne Cherhal, singer-songwriter
• 5 March – Stéphane Martine, soccer player.
• 13 March – Faustine Merret, windsurfer and Olympic gold medallist.
• 22 March – Arnaud Le Lan, soccer player.
• 26 March – Cédric Mouret, soccer player.
• 27 March – Amélie Cocheteux, tennis player.
• 28 March – Fabien Audard, soccer player.
• 30 March – Édouard Cissé, soccer player.
• 31 March – Jérôme Rothen, international soccer player.

  April to June

• 5 April – Boussad Houche, soccer player.
• 5 April – Arnaud Tournant, cyclist.
• 8 April – Mathieu Assou-Ekotto, soccer player.
• 11 April – David Ducourtioux, soccer player.
• 2 May – Didier Domi, soccer player.
• 5 May – Bruno Cheyrou, soccer player.
• 6 May – Tony Estanguet, canoeist
• 11 May – Laetitia Casta, supermodel and actress.
• 15 May – Sébastien Chabbert, soccer player.
• 15 May – Yohan Demont, soccer player.
• 27 May – Jacques Abardonado, soccer player.
• 29 May – Sébastien Grosjean, tennis player.
• 2 June – Nicolas Bal, Nordic combined skier and Olympic medallist.
• 6 June – Faudel, singer.
• 11 June – Julien Rodriguez, soccer player.
• 15 June – Jérôme Moïso, basketball player.
• 17 June – Isabelle Delobel, ice dancer.
• 17 June – Véronique Delobel, ice dancer.
• 23 June – Frédéric Leclercq, bassist.
• 28 June – Clarisse Albrecht, singer-songwriter, actress and former model

  July to September

• 17 July – Émilie Simon, singer and composer.
• 18 July – Mélissa Theuriau, journalist and news anchor.
• 20 July – Cédric Heymans, rugby union player.
• 26 July – Matthieu Bataille, judoka.
• 28 July – Yannick Jauzion, rugby union player.
• 29 July – Julien Laharrague, rugby union player.
• 4 August – Emmanuelle Boidron, actress.
• 7 August – Alexandre Aja, film director.
• 8 August – Louis Saha, association football player
• 9 August – Audrey Tautou, actress.
• 14 August – Pascal Delhommeau, soccer player.
• 19 August – François Modesto, soccer player.
• 19 August – Sebastien Tortelli, twice World Champion motocross racer.
• 27 August – Franck Queudrue, soccer player.
• 29 August – Yves Deroff, soccer player.
• 31 August – Philippe Christanval, soccer player.
• 1 September – Coralie Clément, singer.
• 9 September – Alioune Touré, soccer player.
• 11 September – Laurent Courtois, soccer player.
• 13 September – Sonia Huguet, cyclist.
• 20 September – Julien Bonnaire, rugby union player.
• 23 September – Frédéric Daquin, soccer player.
• 23 September – Ingrid Jacquemod, alpine skier.
• 27 September – Jean-Joël Perrier-Doumbé, soccer player.

  October to December

• 5 October – Fabien Boudarène, soccer player.
• 29 October – Jérôme Guisset, rugby league player.
• 22 November – Mélanie Doutey, actress.
• 28 November – Denis Flahaut, cyclist.
• 7 December – Jean Bouilhou, rugby union player.
• 10 December – Grégory Proment, soccer player.
• 11 December – Eric Borel, spree killer.
• 16 December – Sylvain Distin, soccer player.

  Full date unknown

• Valérie Crunchant, actress.
• Damien Luce, pianist.

  Deaths

January to April

• 8 January – André François-Poncet, politician and diplomat.
• 16 January – Jean Gounot, gymnast and Olympic medallist.
• 22 January – Léon Damas, poet and politician.
• 24 January – Georges Perros, writer.
• 31 January – Marie-Louise Damien, singer and actress.
• 24 February – Georges Bénézé, philosopher.
• 2 March – Alix Combelle, swing jazz tenor saxophonist, clarinetist and bandleader.
• 11 March – Hélène Bouvier, operatic mezzo-soprano.
• 11 March – Claude François, singer and songwriter.
• 15 March – Jacques Forestier, rheumatologist.
• 18 March – François Duprat, negationist writer.
• 19 March – Gaston Julia, mathematician.
• 20 March – Jacques Brugnon, tennis player.
• 23 April – Jacques Rueff, economist and adviser to the French Government.
• 29 April – Robert Debré, physician.

  May to December

• 4 May – Henri Curiel, political activist, assassinated.
• 14 May – Henri Chapron, automobile coachbuilder.
• 24 June – Robert Charroux, writer.
• 14 July – Gaston Ragueneau, athlete and Olympic medallist.
• 22 July – André Chapelon, mechanical engineer and designer of steam locomotives.
• 23 July – Danielle Collobert, author, poet and journalist.
• 25 August – Olivier Hussenot, actor.
• 26 August – Charles Boyer, actor.
• 6 September – Max Décugis, tennis player.
• 8 September – Jean Nicolas, international soccer player.
• 19 September – Étienne Gilson, Thomistic philosopher and historian of philosophy.
• 16 November – Claude Dauphin, actor.
• 5 December – Bernard Faÿ, historian.
• 21 December – Roger Caillois, writer and intellectual.

  Full date unknown

• Camille Le Mercier d'Erm, poet, historian and Breton nationalist.