1964 in France

Incumbents

• President: Charles de Gaulle
• Prime Minister: Georges Pompidou

  Events

• 27 January - France and the People's Republic of China announce their decision to establish diplomatic relations.
• 11 February - The Republic of China drops diplomatic relations with France because of French recognition of the People's Republic of China.
• 8 March - Cantonal elections held.
• 15 March - Cantonal elections held.
• 23 May - Mrs. Madeleine Dassault, 63, wife of French plane manufacturer and politician Marcel Dassault, is kidnapped while leaving her car in front of her Paris home; she is found unharmed the next day in a farmhouse 27 miles from Paris.

  Sport

• 22 June - Tour de France begins.
• 14 July - Tour de France ends, won by Jacques Anquetil.

  Births

January to March

• 6 January - Loïc Courteau, tennis player
• 7 January - Hervé Balland, cross-country skier
• 10 January - Claude Morinière, long jumper
• 11 January - Albert Dupontel, actor and film director
• 24 January - Gérald Passi, soccer player
• 1 February - Philippe Casado, cyclist
• 12 February - Stéphane Franke, athlete
• 14 February - Frédéric Delcourt, swimmer and Olympic medallist
• 17 February - Thierry Laurey, soccer player
• 27 February - Christian Penigaud, beach volleyball player
• 28 February - Pierre Hantaï, conductor and harpsichordist
• 1 March - Paul Le Guen, soccer manager
• 5 March - Bertrand Cantat, singer and songwriter
• 9 March - Juliette Binoche, actress
• 16 March - Franck Fréon, motor racing driver
• 24 March - Chantal Mauduit, alpinist
• 30 March - Christophe Robert, soccer player

  April to June

• 2 April - Didier Tholot, soccer manager
• 14 April - Emmanuel Villaume, conductor
• 5 May - Jean-François Copé, politician
• 10 May - Emmanuelle Devos, actress
• 23 May - Laurent Naouri, bass-baritone
• 27 May - Yves Caumon, film director
• 31 May - Stéphane Caristan, athlete
• 3 June - Jérôme Pradon, actor and singer
• 5 June - Jean-François Remésy, golfer
• 11 June - Jean Alesi, motor racing driver
• 12 June - Philippe Bouvatier, cyclist.
• 21 June - Patrice Bailly-Salins, biathlete and Olympic medallist
• 24 June - Philippe Fargeon, soccer player
• 27 June - Serge Le Dizet, soccer player, coach

  July to September

• 1 July - Bernard Laporte, rugby union player and coach, Secretary of State for Sport
• 3 July - Yeardley Smith, voice actress
• 13 July - Pascal Hervé, cyclist
• 21 July - Fabrice Colas, cyclist
• 4 August - Sebastian Roché, actor
• 24 August - Éric Bernard, motor racing driver
• September - Olivier Zahm, art critic, curator, fashion editor, and art director
• 2 September - Jean-Christophe Spinosi, conductor and violinist
• 14 September - Laurent Fournier, soccer player, manager
• 16 September - Nicolas Hénard, sailor and Olympic gold medallist

  October to December

• 16 October - Jean-Christophe Thomas, soccer player
• 19 October - Agnès Jaoui, screenwriter, film director, actress and singer
• 8 December - Éric Aubijoux, motorcycle racer
• 8 December - Laurent Croci, soccer player
• 19 December - Béatrice Dalle, actress
• 24 December - Jean-Paul Civeyrac, film director
• 30 December - Pascal Baills, soccer player

  Full date unknown

• Éric Chevillard, novelist
• Stéphane Cornicard, actor and director
• Philippe Graffin, violinist and recording artist
• Jean-Michel Othoniel, artist

  Deaths

January to June

• 11 January - André-Damien-Ferdinand Jullien, Cardinal
• 13 January - Pierre Yvert, philatelic editor
• 10 February - Paul Baudouin, banker and politician
• 15 February - Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, Catholic theologian
• 17 February - Philippe Cattiau, fencer and Olympic gold medallist
• 25 February - Maurice Farman, motor racing driver, aviator, aircraft manufacturer and designer
• 17 May - Honoré Barthélemy, cyclist
• 30 May - René-Yves Creston, artist, designer and ethnographer
• 17 June - René Crabos, rugby union player

  July to December

• 1 July - Pierre Monteux, conductor
• 7 July - Charles Bozon, alpine skier and world champion
• 11 July - Maurice Thorez, communist politician
• 21 July - Jean Fautrier, painter and sculptor
• 4 September - Clément-Emile Roques, Cardinal
• 7 September - Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu, Admiral
• 9 September - Maurice Le Boucher, organist, composer, and pedagogue
• 20 September - Lazare Lévy, pianist, composer and teacher
• 27 October - Gabriel Benoist, writer
• 8 November - Fernand Baldet, astronomer
• 22 December - Paul Tournon, architect

  Full date unknown

• Georges Andrique, painter.
• Pierre Brissaud, illustrator, painter and engraver
• Jean Dupas, painter, designer, poster artist and decorator