1959 in France

• President: Rene Coty (until 8 January), Charles de Gaulle (starting 8 January)
• Prime Minister: Charles de Gaulle (until 8 January), Michel Debré (starting 8 January)

• 8 January – Charles de Gaulle inaugurated as the first president of French Fifth Republic.
• 2 December – The Malpasset Dam collapses and floods the town of Fréjus, killing 412.{{Cite web |date=22 November 2019 |title=60 ans après la catastrophe - A Fréjus, les 423 morts du Malpasset hantent toujours les survivants |url=https://www.lamontagne.fr/paris-75000/actualites/a-frejus-les-423-morts-du-malpasset-hantent-toujours-les-survivants_13690660/ |access-date=22 November 2019 |website=www.lamontagne.fr}}

• 11 March – Eurovision Song Contest held in Cannes.{{cite news |date=6 March 1959 |title=Television Programmes – Wednesday Evening |page=19 |work=Radio Times |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/page/c8aefef6129d465cbeae688ba652025b?page=19 |access-date=11 June 2022}}
• 29 October – Astérix the Gaul makes a first appearance in the first regular issue of the comic magazine Pilote.{{Cite web|work=BDoubliées|title=Les BD oubliées D'Astérix|url=http://bdoubliees.com/journalpilote/series1/asterix.htm|language=fr|access-date=2013-10-03}}

• 25 June – 1959 Tour de France begins.
• 18 July – 1959 Tour de France ends, won by Federico Bahamontes of Spain, the first Spanish cyclist to win the Tour de France.

• 1 January – Michel Onfray, philosopher and author
• 7 February – Christine Angot, novelist and playwright{{cite web |date=6 November 1999 |title=Christine_Angot |url=http://igrs.sas.ac.uk/research/CWWF/Christine_Angot.htm |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717134450/http://igrs.sas.ac.uk/research/CWWF/Christine_Angot.htm |archivedate=17 July 2011 |accessdate=24 April 2011 |publisher=Igrs.sas.ac.uk}}
• 18 March – Luc Besson, film director, writer and producer
• 1 May – Yasmina Reza, playwright, actress, novelist and screenwriter{{cite book|url=https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb120662778|title=Notice de personne|language=fr|website=BNF|access-date=2023-02-26}}
• 11 May – Didier Guillaume, politician (died 2025)
• 14 May – Patrick Bruel, singer and actor
• 28 May – Steve Jeltz, baseball player
• 19 June – Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris
• 6 July – Richard Dacoury, basketball player
• 15 July
• Christian Dornier, murderer
• Vincent Lindon, actor and filmmaker
• 7 September – Pierre Nanterme, business executive (died 2019)
• 19 October – Marie-Luce Brasier-Clain, politician

• 21 January – Yves Le Febvre, writer and politician (born 1874)
• 17 April – Paul Dujardin, water polo player and Olympic medallist (born 1894)
• 5 May – Georges Grente, cardinal (born 1872)
• 14 May – Sidney Bechet, African American jazz saxophonist (born 1897)
• 15 May – Jeanne de Flandreysy, writer (born 1874)
• 22 June – Félix Guignot, physician (born 1882)
• 23 June – Boris Vian, writer, poet and musician (born 1920)
• 25 November
• Jean Grémillon, film director (born 1901)
• Gérard Philipe, actor (born 1922)

• 1959 in French television
• List of French films of 1959

{{reflist}}

{{France year nav}}

{{Year in Europe|1959}}

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Category:1950s in France