2001 in France
The following lists events from the year 2001 in France.
Incumbents
- President: Jacques Chirac
- Prime Minister: Lionel Jospin
Events
- March – The Renault Vel Satis is launched at the Geneva Motor Show.
- 8 March – Cantonales Elections are held.
- 11 March – Cantonales Elections are held.
- 11 March – Municipal Elections are held.
- 18 March – Municipal Elections are held.
- April – PSA Peugeot Citroën replaces two of its longest running cars – the Citroën Xantia and Peugeot 306 – with the Citroën C5 and Peugeot 307 respectively.
- September – Citroën launches the all-new C3 hatchback at the Frankfurt Motor Show as a replacement for the outdated Saxo.
- 15 September – Santé Diabète organization is created in Grenoble.
- 21 September – The AZote Fertilisant chemical factory in Toulouse, explodes, killing 29 and seriously wounding over 2500.
- November – The Peugeot 307 is voted European Car of the Year.
Sport
- 15 April – Paris–Roubaix cycle race won by Servais Knaven of the Netherlands.
- 1 July – French Grand Prix won by Michael Schumacher of Germany.
- 7 July – Tour de France begins.
- 29 July – Tour de France ends, won by Lance Armstrong of the United States.
Births
- 26 January – Kenza Fortas, actress
- 24 March – William Saliba, footballer
- 5 April – Thylane Blondeau, model and the daughter of soccer player Patrick Blondeau
Deaths
January to March
- 10 January – Jacques Marin, actor.
- 21 January – Jean-Marie Goasmat, cyclist.
- 30 January
- * Jean-Pierre Aumont, actor.
- * Michel Marcel Navratil, last French survivor and male survivor of the Titanic disaster
- 5 February – Louise Moreau, politician
- 8 February – Raymond Polin, philosopher.
- 18 February – Balthus, artist.
- 19 February – Charles Trenet, singer and songwriter.
- 4 March – Jean René Bazaine, painter, stained glass window designer and writer.
April to June
- 10 April – Jean-Gabriel Albicocco, film director.
- 19 April – André du Bouchet, poet.
- 20 April – Maurice Lauré, creator of taxe sur la valeur ajoutée .
- 6 May – René Bondoux, fencer
- 14 May – Paul Bénichou, writer, critic and literary historian.
- 15 May
- *Jean-Philippe Lauer, architect and Egyptologist.
- *Sacha Vierny, cinematographer.
- 17 May – Jacques-Louis Lions, mathematician.
- 6 June – Marie Brémont, supercentenarian, the oldest recognized person in the world from November 2000 until her death.
- 11 June – Pierre Eyt, cardinal.
- 13 June – Louis de Maigret, Military officer.
- 15 June – Henri Alekan, cinematographer.
- 18 June – René Dumont, agronomist, sociologist and environmental politician.
- 23 June – Corinne Calvet, actress.
July to September
- 1 July – Hélène de Beauvoir, painter.
- 3 August – Jeanne Loriod, musician.
- 4 August – Michel de Salzmann, psychiatrist.
- 12 August – Pierre Klossowski, writer, translator and artist.
- 15 August – Raymond Abescat, oldest man in France and oldest veteran in France at the time of his death.
- 25 August – Philippe Léotard, actor and singer.
- 4 September – Simone de la Chaume, golfer.
October to December
- 18 October – Micheline Ostermeyer, athlete and pianist.
- 31 October – Régine Cavagnoud, alpine skier.
- 11 November – Pierre Billaud, radio reporter and journalist, killed in Afghanistan.
- 12 December – Jean Richard, actor.
- 18 December – Gilbert Bécaud, singer, composer and actor.
- 19 December – Marcel Mule, classical saxophonist.
Full date unknown
- Édouard Artigas, fencer.
- Marcel Bleibtreu, Trotskyist activist and theorist.
- Pierre Chevalier, caver and mountaineer.
- André Pascal, songwriter and composer.