About

Known credits:
46
Birthday:
1916-10-26
Place of birth:
Jarnac, Charente, France
Website:
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François Mitterrand

Overview

François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 1916 – 8 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he was the first left-wing politician to assume the presidency under the Fifth Republic.

Reflecting family influences, François Mitterrand started political life on the Catholic nationalist right. He served under the Vichy Regime during its earlier years. Subsequently he joined the Resistance, moved to the left, and held ministerial office several times under the Fourth Republic. Mitterand opposed Charles de Gaulle's establishment of the Fifth Republic. Although at times a politically isolated figure, he outmanoeuvered rivals to become the left's standard bearer in the 1965 and 1974 presidential elections, before being elected president in the 1981 presidential election. He was re-elected in 1988 and remained in office until 1995.

François Mitterrand invited the Communist Party into his first government, which was a controversial decision at the time. In the event, the Communists were boxed in as junior partners and, rather than taking advantage, saw their support erode. They left the cabinet in 1984. Early in his first term, he followed a radical left-wing economic agenda, including nationalisation of key firms, but after two years, with the economy in crisis, he reversed course. He pushed a socially liberal agenda with reforms such as the abolition of the death penalty, the 39-hour work week, and the end of a government monopoly in radio and television broadcasting. His foreign and defense policies built on those of his Gaullist predecessors, except as regards their reluctance to support European integration, which he reversed. His partnership with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl advanced European integration via the Maastricht Treaty, and he reluctantly accepted German reunification. During his time in office, he was a strong promoter of culture and implemented a range of costly "Grands Projets". He was the first French President to appoint a female Prime Minister, Édith Cresson, in 1991. François Mitterrand was twice forced by the loss of a parliamentary majority into "cohabitation governments" with conservative cabinets led, respectively, by Jacques Chirac (1986–1988), and Édouard Balladur (1993–1995). Less than eight months after leaving office, he died from the prostate cancer he had successfully concealed for most of his presidency.

Beyond making the French Left electable, François Mitterrand presided over the rise of the Socialist Party to dominance of the left, and the decline of the once-mighty Communist Party (As a share of the popular vote in the first presidential round, the Communists shrank from a peak of 21.27% in 1969 to 8.66% in 1995, at the end of François Mitterrand's second term.) ...

Source: Article "François Mitterrand" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Known for

Acting

2023 La Revanche de Bernadette Chirac Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2022 TGV, génie français du rail Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2022 Cent jours Actor Self 59
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2022 De Charles de Gaulle à Emmanuel Macron, les gardiens de l'empire Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2022 La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2021 François Mitterrand & Anne Pingeot: Pieces of a Love Story Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2021 Mitterrand, président culturel Actor Self (archive footage) N/A
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2021 Mitterrand et la télé Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2021 10 mai 1981 : Changer la vie ? Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2021 10 mai 1981, le jour du grand soir Actor Self (archive footage) N/A
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2020 Congrès de Tours 1920: The Birth of the French Communist Party Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2020 Entretien politique : Histoire et mode d'emploi Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2019 Laboratory Greece Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2019 1974, l'alternance Giscard Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2019 Un peu, beaucoup, passionnément... Les Présidents et les Français Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2019 Danielle Mitterrand, une certaine idée de la France Actor Self (archive footage) N/A
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2018 1958: Those Who Said No Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2018 Gare du Nord : La Plus Grande Gare d'Europe Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2018 Roland Dumas, le mauvais garçon de la république Actor self N/A
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2017 The Incredible Mr. Piccoli Actor Self - Politician (archive footage) 59
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2017 François Mitterrand: Bâtisseur de mystères Actor François Mitterrand ( Archives ) N/A
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2017 De Gaulle, the Last King of France Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2017 Mr & Mme Adelman Actor Self (archive footage) 66
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2016 Stupor Mundi: Livre 2, Les Hommes qui mangèrent la montagne Actor Self (archive footage) N/A
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2016 Mitterrand, the impossible legacy Actor self N/A
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2015 François Mitterrand, la maladie au secret Actor François Mitterrand N/A
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2015 Les vendredis d'Apostrophes Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2015 Laissez-faire Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2014 Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles Actor Self - Politician (archive footage) 59
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2013 Un mort à L'Elysée: François de Grossouvre Actor François Mitterrand (Archives) N/A
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2012 De Gaulle, le géant aux pieds d'argile Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2012 Owners of Portugal Actor Self - President of France (archive footage) N/A
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2011 François Mitterrand, à bout portant : 1993-1996 Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2010 François Mitterrand et la guerre d'Algérie Actor Self 59
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2010 L'Amour Fou Actor Self (archive footage) (uncredited) 59
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2007 Ségo et Sarko sont dans un bateau... Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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2005 Rendez-vous avec François Mitterrand Actor Self N/A
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2002 1974, une partie de campagne Actor Self 59
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2001 Who Is Bernard Tapie? Actor Self 59
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2001 François Mitterrand : Conversations avec un Président Actor Self N/A
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2000 François Mitterrand : le roman du pouvoir Actor Self (archive footage) 69
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1992 Cérémonie d'ouverture des 16èmes Jeux Olympiques d'hiver à Albertville Actor N/A
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1992 Promesses Actor N/A
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1983 Notre Dame de la Croisette Actor Self (archive footage) (uncredited) 59
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1975 Dreyfus: The Intolerable Truth Actor Self 59
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1974 The Society of the Spectacle Actor Self (archive footage) 59
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