1979 in France

Incumbents

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

  Events

• 1 January - Peugeot completes its takeover of Chrysler Europe, which includes the Simca factories in France and the former Rootes Group factories in Britain. The deal was agreed eight months ago. It is unclear whether the Chrysler brand on British market models will be replaced by Simca branding, or whether a new or different brand within the combine will replace it.
• 8 January - French tanker Betelgeuse explodes at the Gulf Oil terminal at Bantry in Ireland; 50 are killed.
• February - Peugeot becomes the first carmaker to offer a turbo-diesel engine, fitting the engine to their range-topping 604 saloon. The Simca Horizon is European Car of the Year for 1979.
• 18 March - Cantonales elections held.
• 25 March - Cantonales elections held.
• 6 – 8 April - Metz Congress of the French Socialist Party.
• May - Launch of the Peugeot 505, a large rear-wheel drive family saloon which will eventually replace the 504.
• 9 July - A car bomb destroys a Renault owned by "Nazi hunters" Serge and Beate Klarsfeld at their home in France. A note purportedly from ODESSA claims responsibility.
• 1 August - End of the Simca marque after 45 years; from now on, all former Simca and Chrysler cars will be sold as Talbots, following the takeover of Chrysler Europe by Peugeot last year.
• 20 September - French paratroopers help David Dacko to overthrow Bokassa in the Central African Republic.
• 16 October - A tsunami in Nice kills 23 people.
• 2 November - French police shoot dead gangster Jacques Mesrine in Paris.

  Arts and literature

Sport

• 14 January - the first running of the Paris–Dakar Rally is won by Alain Génestier, Joseph Terbiaut, and Cyril Neveu
• 27 June - Tour de France begins.
• 22 July - Tour de France ends, won by Bernard Hinault.
• 6 – 9 December - World Judo Championships held in Paris.

  Births

January to March

• 4 January - Tristan Gommendy, racing driver
• 7 January - Christophe Guénot, wrestler and Olympic medallist.
• 12 January - Laurent Gagnier, footballer.
• 13 January - Julien Baudet, footballer.
• 17 January - Grégory Carmona, footballer.
• 20 January - Jérôme Thomas, boxer.
• 21 January - Élodie Navarre, actress.
• 22 January - Stéphane Noro, footballer.
• 1 February - Anne-Sophie Mondière, judoka.
• 2 February - Virginie Lagoutte, golfer.
• 7 February - Nicolas Dieuze, footballer.
• 8 February - Lionel Cappone, footballer.
• 14 February:
• * Cédric Fauré, footballer.
• * Audrey Dana, actress.
• 16 February - Stéphane Dalmat, footballer.
• 28 February - Sébastien Bourdais, motor racing driver.
• 2 March - Damien Gregorini, footballer.
• 6 March - Arnaud Maire, footballer.
• 10 March - Laurent Quievreux, footballer.
• 14 March:
• * Nicolas Anelka, international footballer.
• * Emmanuel Duchemin, footballer.
• 15 March - Anthony Deroin, footballer.
• 20 March:
• * Christophe Lemaire, jockey.
• * Sébastien Mazure, footballer.
• * Patrice Quarteron, kickboxer and martial artist.
• 21 March - Cyril Chapuis, footballer.
• 22 March - Benoît Lecouls, rugby union player.
• 24 March - Philippe Gardent, rugby league player.
• 25 March - Pierre Planus, footballer.
• 31 March - Matthieu Bochu, footballer.

  April to June

• 2 April:
• * Salim Kéchiouche, actor.
• * Frédéric Lecanu, judoka.
• 4 April - Ludovic Roux, Nordic combined skier.
• 9 April - Olivier Sorlin, soccer player.
• 14 April:
• * Guillaume Beuzelin, soccer player.
• * Noé Pamarot, soccer player.
• 21 April - Édouard Fillias, classical-liberal activist.
• 23 April:
• * François Gonon, orienteering competitor.
• * Nicolas Portal, cyclist.
• 4 May - Marie Poissonnier, pole vaulter.
• 9 May - Éric Cubilier, soccer player.
• 13 May - Sid Ahmed Rezala, French serial killer
• 14 May - Mickaël Landreau, soccer player.
• 19 May - Nicolas Figère, hammer thrower.
• 21 May - Gaspard Augé, musician.
• 4 June - Anthony Charteau, cyclist.
• 5 June - François Sagat, model and pornographic actor.
• 9 June - Émilie Loit, tennis player.
• 12 June - Damien Traille, rugby union player.
• 16 June - Emmanuel Moire, singer.
• 25 June - Sébastien Joly, cyclist.
• 26 June - Christophe Humbert, judoka.
• 27 June - Benoît Poher, singer.
• 30 June - Sylvain Chavanel, cyclist.

  July to September

• 1 July - Sylvain Calzati, cyclist.
• 3 July - Ludivine Sagnier, actress.
• 4 July - Anthony Basso, soccer player.
• 5 July - Amélie Mauresmo, tennis player.
• 6 July:
• * Fabrice Abriel, soccer player.
• * Cédric Kanté, soccer player.
• 11 July - Eric Abidal, soccer player.
• 13 July - Alexis Tomassian, dubbing actor.
• 16 July - Rudy Bourguignon, decathlete.
• 18 July - Mélina Robert-Michon, discus thrower.
• 19 July - Yves Desmarets, soccer player.
• 24 July - Anne-Gaëlle Sidot, tennis player.
• 27 July:
• * Sidney Govou, international soccer player.
• * Julien Poueys, soccer player.
• 8 August - Benjamin Boyet, rugby union player.
• 10 August - Rémy Martin, rugby union player.
• 11 August - Nicolas Seube, soccer player.
• 14 August:
• * Jérémie Bréchet, soccer player.
• * Séverine Brémond, tennis player.
• * Renaud Guigue, rugby league player.
• 17 August - Julien Escudé, soccer player.
• 9 September - Freddy Bichot, cyclist.
• 10 September - Sébastien Grimaldi, soccer player.
• 19 September - Noémie Lenoir, model and actress.
• 24 September - Yvan Bourgis, soccer player.
• 25 September - Jean-René Lisnard, tennis player.
• 26 September - Jean-Baptiste Poux, rugby union player.

  October to December

• 14 October:
• * Olivier Bernard, soccer player.
• * Auriol Guillaume, soccer player.
• 18 October - Fabrice Levrat, soccer player.
• 27 October - Jean-Luc Delpech, cyclist.
• 1 November - Christophe Edaleine, cyclist.
• 8 November - Corinne Maîtrejean, foil fencer.
• 10 November - Anthony Réveillère, soccer player.
• 13 November - Manuela Montebrun, hammer thrower.
• 14 November - Cédric Hervé, cyclist.
• 15 November - François Masson, soccer player.
• 19 November - Boumedienne Allam, rugby union player.
• 24 December:
• * Hervé Duclos-Lassalle, cyclist.
• * Virginie Arnold, archer.
• 25 December - Laurent Bonnart, soccer player.

  Full date unknown

• Éric Bourdon, painter and writer.
• Christophe Dumaux, classical countertenor.
• Élise Fouin, designer.

  Deaths

January to March

• 16 January - André Couder, optician and astronomer.
• 18 January - Maurice Challe, General.
• 26 January - Paul Amiot, actor.
• 12 February - Jean Renoir, film director.
• 9 March - Jean-Marie Villot, Cardinal.
• 16 March - Jean Monnet, architect of European Unity.
• 19 March - Pierre Schneiter, politician.

  April to June

• 1 April - Bruno Coquatrix, songwriter and music impresario.
• 4 April - Joseph Alcazar, international soccer player.
• 7 April - Marcel Jouhandeau, writer.
• 12 May - Pierre Brunet, rowing coxswain and Olympic medallist.
• 28 June - Philippe Cousteau, oceanographer.

  July to September

• 3 July - Louis Durey, composer.
• 5 July - Émile Dewoitine, aviation engineer and industrialist.
• 15 July - Georges Jean Marie Darrieus, aeronautical engineer.
• 27 August - Paul Coste-Floret, politician.
• 2 September - Jacques Février, pianist.
• 10 September - Charles Fauvel, aircraft designer.
• 20 September - Pierre Goldman, left-wing intellectual, convicted of several robberies and assassinated.
• 27 September - Pascal Pia, writer, journalist, illustrator and scholar.

  October to December

• 3 October - André Godinat, cyclist.
• 10 October - Paul Paray, conductor, organist and composer.
• 17 October - Pierre Bernac, baritone.
• 22 October - Nadia Boulanger, composer and conductor.
• 27 October - Germaine Lubin, soprano.
• 29 October - Robert Boulin, politician.
• 2 November - Jacques Mesrine, gangster.
• 7 November - Christine Renard, writer.
• 8 November - Yvonne de Gaulle, wife of Charles de Gaulle.
• 26 November - Marcel L'Herbier, writer, producer and director of films.
• 4 December - Maurice Dorléac, actor.

  Full date unknown

• Jean Charlot, painter and illustrator.
• Maryse Choisy, philosophical writer.
• Lise Deharme, writer.
• François Fontan, politician.
• Émile Gagnan, engineer and inventor.
• Albert Gilles, copper craftsman.
• Gaston Heuet, athlete and Olympic medallist.