Françoise Giroud facts for kids

Françoise Giroud (born Lea France Gourdji) was a famous French journalist, writer, and politician. She was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, on September 21, 1916. She passed away in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, on January 19, 2003. Françoise Giroud was known for her strong opinions and her important work in both media and government.

About Françoise Giroud's Early Life

Françoise Giroud was born to parents who had moved from Turkey. Her father, Salih Gourdji Al Baghdadi, was in charge of a telegraph agency in Geneva.

Education and Family

She went to school at Lycée Molière and Collège de Groslay. Françoise Giroud did not finish university. She got married and had two children, a son and a daughter.

Françoise Giroud's Career in Media

Françoise Giroud started her career working in movies. She was a script-girl for director Marc Allégret in 1932. Later, in 1936, she worked with Jean Renoir on the film La Grande Illusion.

Writing and Editing Work

She became a successful screenwriter, writing many movie scripts. She also wrote 30 books, which included both fiction and non-fiction stories. Françoise Giroud wrote columns for newspapers too.

From 1946 to 1953, she was the editor of Elle magazine. In 1953, she and Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber started a new French news magazine called L'Express. She was the editor of L'Express until 1971. After that, she became its director until 1974.

Later Contributions

From 1983 until her death, she wrote a weekly column for Le Nouvel Observateur. She also worked as a literary critic for Le Journal du Dimanche. Françoise Giroud passed away at the American Hospital of Paris after a fall.

Françoise Giroud's Political Role

In 1974, the French President, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, asked Françoise Giroud to join the government.

Serving in Government

She became the Secretary of State for Women's Rights. She held this job from July 16, 1974, to August 27, 1976. Her role was to work on improving the rights and conditions for women in France.

After that, she was appointed Minister of Culture. She held this position until March 1977. In total, she served in the government for 32 months. She worked under Prime Ministers Jacques Chirac and Raymond Barre. Françoise Giroud was a member of the Radical Party. On official documents, she always listed her job as "journalist."

Other Important Activities

Françoise Giroud received the Légion d'honneur, which is a very high award in France. From 1984 to 1988, she was the president of ACF (Action Internationale contre la Faim). This is a charity that helps people who are hungry around the world.

Her Views on France and America

Françoise Giroud often said that she wanted to help France "get out of its rut." She believed that Americans had a good way of thinking because they didn't get stuck in old ways.

After World War II, she visited New York City for the first time. She was very impressed by the "optimism and excitement" she found there. She always believed that "There is a strength in the United States that we in Europe constantly tend to underestimate."

Television Appearances

Even when she was in her 80s, Françoise Giroud appeared on French television. She was on a show called 100 Ans, which talked about living to be a hundred years old. She even appeared with bandages on her face and hands from a fall she had just before filming. When asked about a diet for a long life, she joked, "chopped steak and salads."

Many newspaper articles written after her death mentioned her wonderful sense of humor. A special issue of L'Express magazine, which she helped create, covered her death. It said that "Women everywhere have lost something. Ms. Giroud defended them so intelligently and so strongly."

Books by Françoise Giroud

• Françoise Giroud vous présente le Tout-Paris (1953)
• Nouveaux portraits (1954)
• La Nouvelle vague: portraits de la jeunesse (1958)
• I give you my word (1973)
• La comédie du pouvoir (1977)
• Ce que je crois (1978)
• Le Bon Plaisir (1983)
• Une Femme honorable (1981) (published in English as Marie Curie: A Life (1986))
• Le Bon Plaisir (screenplay) (1984)
• Dior (1987)
• Alma Mahler, ou l'art d'être aimée (1988)
• Leçons particulières (ISBN: 978-2-213-02598-8, 1990)
• Marie Curie, une Femme honorable (television series)(1991)
• Jenny Marx ou le femme du diable (1992)
• Les Hommes et les femmes (with Bernard-Henri Lévy, 1993).
• Journal d'une Parisienne (1994)
• La rumeur du monde: journal, 1997 et 1998 (1999)
• On ne peut pas être heureux tout le temps: récit (2000)
• C'est arrivé hier: journal 1999 (2000)
• Profession journaliste: conversations avec Martine de Rabaudy (2001)
• Demain, déjà: journal, 2000-2003 (2003)

See also

In Spanish: Françoise Giroud para niños