> Discover Allier > Truly Glamourous >

Famous people from the Allier

> back

Anne de France (Genappe 1461 - Chantelle 1522)

Anne of France, eldest daughter of Louis XI, was born in Genappe in 1461. At the age of 12 she married Peter of Beaujeu, future Duke of Bourbon, thus becoming the Duchess of Bourbon. While her brother and future King of France, Charles VIII, was still under-age she reigned from 1483 to 1491 alongside her husband. Even though she was only 23 at the death of Louis XI, she was an excellent administrator. By reinstating royal authority and extending the kingdom she was able to complete her father’s work. She put an end to the Hundred Year’s War and married her brother to Anne of Brittany, thus adding Brittany to the kingdom of France. She died at Chantelle in 1522.





Jacques La Palice (1470 – Pavia 1525)

This Marshal of France, close to the royal family and well loved by his men, became famous, owing to a series of unfortunate circumstances, for a silly song called the “Les Vérités de La Palice”. A hero of the Italian Wars having fought at Ravenna, Marignano, Bicocca, Hondarribia...

La Palice was one of the greatest soldiers of his era.
Upon his death at the battle of Pavia, his soldiers wrote a ballad about him that went like this:

« Hélas ! La Palice est mort,
Il est mort devant Pavie,
Hélas ! s’il n’était pas mort,
Il Ferait encore envie ! »

“Alas ! Sir La Palice is dead,
He died at the battle of Pavia,
Alas! If he were not dead
He would still be envied”

But after the verses were copied over and over by song writers, the F was turned into an S, changing the meaning of the stanza:

“Alas! If he were not dead
He would still be alive today”

His castle, overlooking the town of Lapalisse, has been the property of the same family for 30 generations and is open to the public for visits.

Charles III of Bourbon-Montpensier, Constable of France : an intrepid warrior ! (1490 - Rome 1527)

Born in 1490, this literary hero – mentioned in The Da Vinci Code – was a 16th century playboy…Tall, athletic, attractive and brave as the devil, he was made for war and love.
Young and handsome, at the age of 15 he married his cousin Suzanne, daughter of Anne of Beaujeu, a marriage which made him the richest lord of his day. An intrepid knight, he valiantly served King Francis I, also his cousin. After the victory of Marignano in 1515, he was named, at the age of 25, viceroy of Milan and made constable, or head of the royal armies. His future looked bright.

Alas, François I’s mother, 14 years his senior, fell in love with him and, at the death of his wife Suzanne, offered to marry him. He bluntly rejected her offer, leading her to seek revenge by confiscating all his property. Revolted by this injustice, he decided to switch alliances. Named lieutenant general to Emperor Charles V, he fought against the French in Italy, winning the battle of Sesia where the Chevalier de Bayard was killed. He then invaded Provence and organised a siege of Marseille. In 1525 he imprisoned François I at Pavia where Jacques de la Palice, Marshal of France, died. François I was freed on condition that he return all of the former constable’s property. But the king did not keep his word.

Abandoned by Charles V, he decided to create a principality in Italy, led a successful siege of Rome, but then died during the final assault in 1527. The Eternal City was subsequently pillaged. After his death his lands were annexed by the crown. The Bourbonnais, the great feudal Estate of Bourbon, definitively became part of France.

Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel (Saumur 1883-Paris 1971)

Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel was placed with the canonesses of Saint-Augustin in Moulins at the age of 17, and spent her summer holidays with her aunt at Varennes-sur-Allier. At the age of 20, she worked for a company specialised in trousseaus and baby clothes. In the evenings she sang in the cafés in Moulins (in particular the Grand Café which has kept its 19th century décor).

Since she only knew two songs and in particular Qui a vu Coco dans l’Trocadéro, Gabrielle was nicknamed Coco. Before settling in Paris and becoming a huge success, she worked as a seamstress and water server (at the spa) in Vichy.

In 1910 she opened her first fashion boutique in Paris and then founded a fashion house in Biarritz in 1915. The roaring 20’s followed World War I, giving rise to the “liberated woman”, and Chanel’s fashion line became a phenomenal success. Every woman dreamt of resembling “Coco” Chanel.

Albert Londres (Vichy 1884 - At sea in 1932)

“Our role is not to be for or against; it is to wield the pen during the scourge”. Born in Vichy, Albert Londres was one of the first French international reporters. He travelled around the world covering all the most important issues: civil and military penal colonies, the white slave trade…His articles, which reflected his independent character and open mind, always created a sensation.

For 18 years, Albert Londres never stopped travelling except when he visited his daughter and parents in Paris and Vichy, his favourite stopovers, until his final journey to China in 1932 on the trail of an explosive story (arms smuggling? Drug trafficking?...) the nature of which would remain a secret that he took with him when he died in a fire aboard the ocean liner George Philippar.

Fernand Raynaud (Loradoux 1926 - Le Cheix sur Morge 1973)

Fernand Reynaud’s family was from Saint-Germain-des-Fossés in the Allier, where he often came to spend his holidays. He is buried in the cemetery there.

After a difficult start, his career as a comedian took off with the television programme 36 chandelles hosted by Jean Nohain. Fernand Raynaud had been recommended to him for his skills as a mimic.






René Fallet (Villeneuve-St-Georges 1927- Paris 1983)

A popular writer, René Fallet was particularly attached to Jaligny-sur-Besbre in the Allier where he maintained a home. His parents were from the Besbre River valley and when he was a child he spent his summer holidays at his aunt’s house in Thionne. He would spend his time walking and reading in the company of a pet duck. Among his works, La Soupe aux Choux (which was made into a film shot in the Allier), Les Vieux de la Vieille, Un Idiot à Paris and Le Braconnier de Dieu were all inspired by or set in the Allier. Created in 1989, the Prix René Fallet is a prize awarded every year at Jaligny for a literary work on a theme related to the Bourbonnais region.

In 1964 the work of René Fallet received the Prix Interallié for Paris au mois d’août. His novels have inspired many films and television programmes. He also wrote the screenplay for Fanfan la Tulipe and was a literary critic. For many years he wrote for the Carnard Enchaîné, a French satirical newspaper.

Roger Walkowiak (Montluçon 1927 - )

Winner of the Tour de France in 1956.

Born in Montluçon in 1927, Roger Walkowiak has taken part 5 times in the Tour de France which he won in 1956. Roger Walkowiak created a sensation. The 25 year-old cyclist was an outsider riding for a regional team. But he seized the opportunity and used his tactical skills to win the grande boucle even though he did not win a single stage. The 1956 tour, with its ups and downs, was a favourite of Jacques Goddet, one of the race’s organisers. People in France still say “gagner à la Walkowiak” (win it Walkowiak style)!

Roger Walkowiak still lives in the Allier, sharing with young riders the story of his decisive stage in the Alps where he had to make up for lost time after a spectacular fall. He enjoys watching local races such as the Tour d’Allier and the “Walko”, a well-deserved tribute organised by a club in Cusset.

Richard Bohringer (Moulins 1942 - )

Even though he has never lived there, Richard Bohringer was born in Moulins on January 16th 1941. He started his career by writing plays and then turned to the cinema in 1972. But it was in 1980 that he was recognised as an actor thanks to two films: The Last Metro by François Truffaut and Diva by Jean-Jacques Béneix. Since then he has made many films at a whirlwind pace and was awarded an Oscar in 1985 for best supporting actor in l’Addition. He returned to his first love, writing, in 1994 and successfully published C’est beau une ville la nuit. Recently he adapted Poil de Carotte, a famous novel by Jules Renard, for television. Richard Bohringer decided to shoot the film in the Allier, in Couleuvre, Cérilly, Saint-Plaisir, Tronçais, Bourbon-l’Archambault and the historic centre of Moulins.

Philippe Bugalski (Busset 1963 - )

Born on June 12th 1963 in Busset, he is an official driver for Citroën, winner of numerous rallies and has won the French championship twice, in 1999 and 2000. He now represents the Citroën brand all over the world and has become one of the masters of asphalt race tracks. Philippe Bugalski has displayed his skills on numerous occasions and in particular during the Tour of Corsica 2000 that he won at the wheel of his Xsara Kit Car.








Audrey Tautou (Beaumont 1976 - )

Audrey Tautou grew up in Domérat, near Montluçon, before enrolling at university in Paris while simultaneously studying acting at the Cours Florent. She was quickly discovered and got parts in television and short films. In 2000 she won a César for best new actress for her role in Venus Beauty Institute by Tonie Marshall. Afterwards she appeared in numerous films and in particular the box office hit Amélie by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, in which she played the leading role. The film was a planetary success. Even though she is now a star, Audrey Tautou still has roots in the Allier, in Montluçon where her family lives.

Nolwenn Leroy (Saint-Renan 1982 - )

Finalist and winner of the second edition of Star Academy, Nolwenn is originally from Saint-Yorre, near Vichy in the Allier. The quality of her voice, her style and presence led her to the finals that she easily won on December 21st 2006. The former law student now devotes all her time to her artistic talent and has produced her first album entitled, simply, Nolwenn.

> back