1923 in France

Events from the year 1923 in France.

Incumbents

 * President: Alexandre Millerand
 * President of the Council of Ministers: Raymond Poincare

Events

 * 11 January – Occupation of the Ruhr begins by French and Belgian troops to force Germany to pay its reparation payments.
 * September – Resultant strikes called off by German government and followed by a state of emergency.
 * October – Rhenish Republic is proclaimed at Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle).

Arts and literature

 * March – Antigone by Jean Cocteau appears on a Paris stage. Settings by Pablo Picasso, music by Arthur Honegger, and costumes by Gabrielle Chanel.  Antonin Artaud played the part of Tiresias.

Sport

 * 26 May – The inaugural 24 hours of Le Mans race is won by André Lagache and René Léonard.
 * 24 June – Tour de France begins.
 * 22 July – Tour de France ends, won by Henri Pélissier.

January to June

 * 7 January – Jean Lucienbonnet, motor racing driver (died 1962)
 * 9 February – André Gorz, journalist and social philosopher (died 2007)
 * 13 February – Philippe de Chérisey, writer, radio humorist and actor (died 1985)
 * 24 February – Lucien Braun, historian and philosopher (died 2020)
 * 22 March – Marcel Marceau, mime artist (died 2007)
 * 1 April – Jean Catoire, composer (died 2005)
 * 5 April – Léon Fleuriot, linguist and historian (died 1987)
 * 9 April – Albert Decourtray, Roman Catholic cardinal (died 1994)
 * 9 May – Claude Piéplu, actor (died 2006)
 * 10 May – Jean-Claude Pecker, astronomer (died 2020)
 * 27 May – Nicole Stéphane, actress, producer and director (died 2007)
 * 7 June – Jean Baratte, soccer player and manager (died 1986)
 * 10 June – Madeleine Lebeau, film actress (died 2016)
 * 16 June – Silvia Monfort, actress and theatre director (died 1991)
 * 18 June – Jean Delumeau, historian (died 2020)
 * 24 June
 * Geneviève Asse, painter (died 2021)
 * Marc Riboud, photographer (died 2016)
 * 27 June – Jacques Berthier, composer (died 1994)

July to December

 * 3 July – Charles Hernu, politician (died 1990)
 * 6 July – Madame Claude (Fernande Grudet), brothel keeper (died 2015)
 * 23 July – Claude Luter, jazz clarinetist (died 2006)
 * 1 August – Jean Prat, international rugby player (died 2005)
 * 2 August – Jean Rosenthal, translator (died 2020)
 * 23 August – Georges Perros, writer (died 1978)
 * 2 September – René Thom, mathematician (died 2002)
 * 13 September – Edouard Boubat, photographer (died 1999)
 * 12 October – Bernard Pingaud, writer (died 2020)
 * 30 October – Anne Beaumanoir, neurophysiologist (died 2022)
 * 7 November – Gilles Lapouge, writer and journalist (died 2020)
 * 16 November – Marc Camoletti, playwright (died 2003)
 * 18 November – Jean Cluzel, politician (died 2020)
 * 24 November – Paul Haeberlin, chef and restaurateur (died 2008)
 * 29 November – Christian Beullac, politician and Minister (died 1986)
 * 10 December – Simone Chrisostome, resistance member and holocaust survivor (died 2021)
 * 13 December – Jacques Renaud, racing cyclist (died 2020)
 * 25 December – Noël Vandernotte, coxswain (died 2020)
 * 31 December – Michel de Salzmann, psychiatrist (died 2001)

Full date unknown

 * François Ozenda, painter (died 1976).

Deaths

 * 19 February – Jean-Jules-Antoine Lecomte du Nouy, painter and sculptor (born 1842)
 * 22 February – Théophile Delcassé, Statesman (born 1852)
 * 26 March – Sarah Bernhardt, actress (born 1844)
 * 28 March – Michel-Joseph Maunoury, military leader (born 1847)
 * 10 June – Pierre Loti, sailor and writer (born 1850)
 * 14 June – Isabelle Bogelot, philanthropist and campaigner (born 1838)
 * 19 July – Auguste Bouché-Leclercq, historian (born 1842)
 * 23 July – Charles Dupuy, politician, three times prime minister (born 1851)
 * 6 August – Joséphine Berthault, artist (born 1853)
 * 13 August – Bernard Gravier, Olympic fencer
 * 13 October – Émile Bergerat, poet, playwright and essayist (born 1845)
 * 5 November – Jacques d'Adelswärd-Fersen, aristocrat, novelist and poet (born 1880)
 * 12 December – Raymond Radiguet, author (born 1903)
 * 27 December – Gustave Eiffel, structural engineer and architect, designer of the Eiffel Tower (born 1832)
 * 31 December – Édouard Stephan, astronomer (born 1837)

Full date unknown

 * Charles Jean Baptiste Collin-Mezin, maker of violins, violas, cellos, basses and bows (born 1841).