Knights of the Legion of Honour

Bernard_Pons

Bernard Pons (18 July 1926 – 27 April 2022) was a French politician and medical doctor who was a member of the Union of Democrats for the Republic from 1971 to 1976 and a member of the Rally for the Republic party thereafter. He served as Secretary General of Rally for the Republic, Minister for Transport, and continued as a special advisor to the Union for a Popular Movement until 2008 after his retirement from active politics in 2002.

Robert_Fabre

Robert Fabre (21 December 1915 in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, Aveyron – 23 December 2006 in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, Aveyron) was a French politician and pharmacist.
He was a founding member of the Left Radical Movement (MRG) in 1972 and served as the leader of the MRG until 1978. In this capacity, he became known as the "third man" - the third signatory of the Common Programme of the Union of the Left with François Mitterrand (PS) and Georges Marchais (PCF). He was himself excluded from the party in 1979 when he accepted a special research mission on work offered to him by right-wing President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. He founded the Federation of Radical Democracy, but the party never achieved significant success.
He died in 2006, shortly after the death of Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, his rival within the Radical-Socialist Party. Servan-Schreiber has been the leader of the right wing of the Radical Party.

Edmond_Marin_la_Meslée

Edmond Marin la Meslée (5 February 1912 – 4 February 1945) was a French fighter pilot in World War II. 5th highest-scoring French ace of the conflict with 16 aerial victories, he was the most successful French air ace of the French campaign with sixteen confirmed (and four probable) air victories between January and June 1940. Roland Dorgelès presented him as the "Guynemer of the 1939-1945 war".

Michel_Descombey

Michel Descombey (28 October 1930 – 5 December 2011) was a French ballet dancer, choreographer and director.
Descombay studied dancing in Paris, and debuted as a professional dancer of the Ballet de l'Opéra National in 1947. In 1959 he became premier danseur, then ballet master, and official choreographer and finally director of the company from 1962 to 1969. He also established the training ballet group of the Opéra National de Paris. Afterwards he was ballet director of the Zürcher Ballett of the Zurich Opera from 1971 to 1973, and was invited to Mexico by Orozco. In 1975 he settled down in Mexico, where he became chief choreographer and associate director of the Ballet Teatro del Espacio in 1977. He was a member of the Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte (SNCA).

Gilbert_Bécaud

Gilbert Bécaud (French pronunciation: [ʒil.bɛːʁ be.ko], 24 October 1927 – 18 December 2001) was a French singer, composer, pianist and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-known hits are "Nathalie" and "Et maintenant", a 1961 release that became an English language hit as "What Now My Love". He remained a popular artist for nearly fifty years, identifiable in his dark blue suits, with a white shirt and "lucky tie"; blue with white polka dots. When asked to explain his gift he said, "A flower doesn't understand botany." His favourite venue was the Paris Olympia under the management of Bruno Coquatrix. He debuted there in 1954 and headlined in 1955, attracting 6,000 on his first night, three times the capacity. On 13 November 1997, Bécaud was present for the re-opening of the venue after its reconstruction.

Alain_Ducasse

Alain Ducasse (French: [alɛ̃ dykas]; born 13 September 1956) is a French-born Monégasque chef. He operates a number of restaurants including Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester which holds three stars (the top rating) in the Michelin Guide.

Maurice_Jaubert

Maurice Jaubert (3 January 1900 – 19 June 1940) was a prolific French composer who scored some of the most important films of the early sound era in France, including Jean Vigo’s Zero for Conduct and L'Atalante, and René Clair’s Quatorze Juillet and Le Dernier Milliardaire. Serving in both world wars, he died in action during World War II at the age of 40.

Benoit_Dauga

Benoît Dauga (8 May 1942 – 3 November 2022) was a French rugby union footballer. He played as a lock and as number eight.
Dauga played for Stade Montois. He had 63 caps for the France national team, from 1964 to 1972, scoring 11 tries, 34 points on aggregate. He captained France on nine occasions. He was a part of the French team that won a Grand Slam in the Five Nations in 1968, as well as the championship wins in 1967 and 1970.