1953 in France

Incumbents

• President: Vincent Auriol
• President of the Council of Ministers:
• * until 8 January: Antoine Pinay
• * 8 January-28 June: René Mayer
• * starting 28 June: Joseph Laniel

  Events

• 4 January - Operation Bretagne ends, with French victory over the Viet Minh in Vietnam.
• 24 March - Death of Paul Couturier, architect of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
• 9 May – France agrees to the provisional independence of Cambodia with the king Norodom Sihanouk.
• 5 July - First meeting of the assembly of the European Economic Community in Strasbourg.
• 17 July - Miss France Christiane Martel Won Miss Universe 1953
• 28 July - Operation Camargue, further French military action against the Viet Minh, begins.
• 10 August - Operation Camargue ends.
• 13 August - 4 million workers go on strike in France to protest against austerity measures.
• 25 August - General strike ends in France.
• 9 November - Cambodia becomes independent from France.
• 20 November - Operation Castor, airborne operation to establish a fortified airhead in Điện Biên Province, starts.
• 22 November - Operation Castor ends.

  Arts and literature

• 4 January - En Attendant Godot premiered at Théâtre de Babylone

  Sport

• 3 July - Tour de France begins.
• 27 July - Tour de France ends, won by Louison Bobet.

  Births

• 28 January - Anicée Alvina, singer and actress
• 20 February - Gérard Araud, diplomat
• 16 March - Isabelle Huppert, actress
• 8 August - Jean Hélène, journalist
• 19 August - Benoît Régent, actor
• 22 September - Ségolène Royal, politician
• 12 October - Serge Lepeltier, politician
• 14 November - Dominique de Villepin, politician, Prime Minister of France
• 23 November - Francis Cabrel, singer-songwriter
• 29 November - Christine Pascal, actress, writer and director
• 1 December - Antoine de Caunes, television presenter, actor, writer and film director

  Deaths

• 24 March - Paul Couturier, priest and promoter of the concept of Christian unity
• 4 April - Rachilde, author
• 4 July - Jean Becquerel, physicist
• 9 August - Auguste Giroux, rugby union player
• 30 November - Francis Picabia, painter and poet