Famous People in the French Concession Quiz

Answer: Marion Cotillard

Marion Cotillard was born in the French city of Paris in 1975. She has acted in many major films both in French cinema and in English language films. In 2007 Cotillard played the famous French singer Edith Piaf in the French language biographical film 'La Vie en Rose', (called 'La Mome' in French). Cotillard won the Best Actress Oscar at the 2008 ceremony for her portrayal of Piaf which was the first acting Oscar awarded for a French language performance. Cotillard also won the British Academy Film Awards Best Leading Actress award and Best Actress at the Cesar Awards (France's national film awards) for playing Piaf.

Answer: David Guetta

David Guetta is a French music producer and DJ who was born in Paris in 1967. Guetta started his career DJing in clubs in Paris before releasing his first hit single in 2001. He has since sold over 10 million albums and 65 million singles world wide and won Producer of the Year at the 2023 Brit Awards.

The song 'Titanium' was released in 2011 and was featured on Guetta's fifth album, 'Nothing but the Beat'. The song was co-written by Guetta, Sia, Giorgio Tuinfort and Afrojack. The release of the track was somewhat controversial as the female vocal was originally meant to be by Mary J. Blige however Guetta then released the version featuring Sia's demo vocals without informing her in advance.

Answer: Johnny Depp

Vanessa Paradis was born in 1972 in the commune of Saint-Maur-des-Fosses in the Parisian suburbs. She first found fame as a singer at the age of 14 with her song 'Joe le Taxi' reaching the top 10 in many European countries. Alongside her music career she has also appeared in a number of French films and has modelled for many major magazines and the fashion house Chanel.

Depp and Paradis met while he was in France filming for the movie 'The Ninth Gate'. During their time together the pair had two children, Jack born in 2002 and Lily-Rose Depp who was born in 1999 and made her acting debut with a small role in the 2014 film 'Tusk'. Depp and Paradis announced their separation in 2012.

Answer: Football (Soccer)

Zinedine Zidane was born in 1972 in the French city of Marseille. A talented footballer he played for Cannes, Bordeaux, Juventus and Real Madrid - along with making 108 appearances for the French national side. Zidane became a national hero after scoring two goals in the 1998 FIFA World Cup final which saw France win their first ever FIFA World Cup.

This performance saw him awarded the Legion of Honour.

Answer: Shoes

Christian Louboutin was born in Paris in 1963. He originally worked as a freelance fashion designer before opening his own shoe salon in Paris in 1991. Louboutin is most well known for his women's shoes with stiletto heels and bright red, shiny soles that are his trademark.

Answer: Brigitte Bardot

Serge Gainsbourg was born in Paris in 1928 and had the birth name Lucien Ginsburg. He was a major figure in French pop music as a musician, singer and song writer and was responsible for a number of hit songs including "Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus" and "Pupee de Cire, Poupee de Son" with which France Gall won the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest, representing Luxembourg.

Brigitte Bardot was born in Paris in 1934 and was famous as an actress, singer and model and was regarded as a 'sex symbol' in the 1950s and 1960s. She stepped away from her entertainment career in 1973 and was subsequently involved in the animal rights movement.

Gainsbourg and Bardot had a brief affair in 1967 while Bardot was married to the German businessman Gunter Sachs. During this time Gainsbourg wrote the erotic duet "Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus" and recorded it with Bardot however Bardot's husband found out about the recording and asked for it to be withdrawn, Bardot also asked Gainsbourg not to release the song and he did not. In 1969 Gainsbourg recorded a version of the song with his then partner Jane Birkin and this version become the first foreign language number one single in the UK.

Answer: Daft Punk

Daft Punk formed in 1993 and were an electronic music duo who found success in the late 1990s as part of the French house music movement. The duo released their debut album, "Homework" in 1997 but had previously released a number of singles. Bangalter and de Homem-Christo used 'robot personas' and outfits including gloves and helmets to hide their identities when performing or appearing in the media.

The duo split in 2021 but have subsequently released anniversary re-issues of some of their work.

Answer: Andre the Giant

Andre Roussimoff was born in the commune of Coulommiers in north-central France in 1946. Roussimoff experienced the condition gigantism and as a result was 7ft 4in tall, he was taught professional wrestling by a promoter in Paris and wrestled professionally around the world before becoming a fixture of the WWF during the 1980s, winning the WWF Championship in 1988. Due to his size his main ring name was Andre the Giant and he was also referred to as 'The Eighth Wonder of the World'. Roussimoff died suddenly of heart failure in 1993 at the age of 46.

Answer: Audrey Tautou

Audrey Tautou was born in the commune of Beaumont in central France in 1976. She made her film debut in 1999 in the French film 'Venus Beauty Institute' and came to international fame following her performance of the title character in the 2001 film 'Amelie'.

This led to her appearing in a number of Hollywood movies including 'Dirty Pretty Things' and 'The Da Vinci Code'. She starred as French fashion designer Coco Chanel in the 2009 biographical film 'Coco Before Chanel' (called 'Coco Avant Chanel' in French) which saw her nominated for the Best Actress awards at the 2010 British Academy Film Awards and the 2010 French Cesar Awards.

Answer: Christine and the Queens

Heloise Adelaide Letissier was born in the city of Nantes in 1988. He started to learn the piano at the age of 4 and went on to study drama at the Lyon Regional Conservatory. On a trip to London in 2010 Letissier became inspired by drag queen musicians in Soho and he decided to create a musical project which become known as Christine and the Queens, with the Queens being a tribute to those who had inspired him in London.

Christine and the Queens' first album 'Chaleur Humaine' was released in 2014 and reached number 2 in the French and UK charts.