The Most Famous

FENCERS from France

This page contains a list of the greatest French Fencers. The pantheon dataset contains 349 Fencers, 53 of which were born in France. This makes France the birth place of the most number of Fencers.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary French Fencers of all time. This list of famous French Fencers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of French Fencers.

1. Daniel Revenu (1942 - 2024)

With an HPI of 57.76, Daniel Revenu is the most famous French Fencer. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages on wikipedia.

Daniel Revenu (5 December 1942 – 2 January 2024) was a French fencer and Olympic champion in foil competition, and medalist in four successive Olympics.

2. Lucien Gaudin (1886 - 1934)

With an HPI of 50.84, Lucien Gaudin is the 2nd most famous French Fencer. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Lucien Alphonse Paul Gaudin (27 September 1886 – 23 September 1934) was a French fencer. He competed in foil and in épée events at the 1920, 1924 and 1928 Olympics and won a gold or silver medal in every event he entered, accumulating four gold and two silver medals total. This record is tied for the best French Olympics performance, matching fencers Christian d'Oriola (four gold and two silver) then followed by both Philippe Cattiau and Roger Ducret (three gold, four silver and one bronze). Gaudin also won two international champion's titles in épée (1905 and 1918), the European title in épée (1921, first edition) and nine consecutive French titles in foil (1906–1914). Some sources claim that Gaudin was on the silver-medal sabre team in 1920, crediting him with an Olympic medal in each weapon. However, the IOC medalist database does not award Gaudin a medal in that event, the full results of the event show that he did not fence, and numerous lists of competitors do not include him on the team. After retiring from competitions Gaudin became a journalist and co-owner of the company Les Films Sportifs, which produced the 1924 Olympic film. Gaudin committed suicide in 1934 when his company went bankrupt. Lucien Gaudin Cocktail There is a cocktail named after Lucien Gaudin. It has the bitterness of Campari with gin, a nod to the Negroni, but with dry vermouth rather than sweet vermouth. Then there is the addition of Cointreau. And unlike the Negroni, the Lucien Gaudin at 2:1 gin to Campari is more gin dominant. 2 ounces gin 1 ounce dry vermouth 1 ounce Campari 1 ounce Cointreau A sibling to the Lucien Gaudin is the Gloria, also gin and dry vermouth with Campari and Cointreau. 2 ounces gin 2 ounce dry vermouth ½ ounce Campari ½ ounce Cointreau With equal amounts of gin and dry vermouth, the vermouth in the Gloria becomes the dominant counterpoint to the gin. With the Lucien Gaudin you notice the Campari and Cointreau influence much more, so more of a Negroni riff. The Gloria, with the dry vermouth more dominant is more of a Martini riff.

3. Gaston Alibert (1878 - 1917)

With an HPI of 50.45, Gaston Alibert is the 3rd most famous French Fencer. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Gaston Jules Louis Antoine Alibert (22 February 1878 in Paris – 26 December 1917 in Paris) was a French fencer and olympic champion in épée competition. He received a gold medal in épée individual and a gold medal in épée team at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. Eight years before, Alibert already participated in the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris placing seventh in the épée individual event. He contracted tuberculosis while at the front in World War I and later died in 1917 aged 39.

4. Émile Coste (1862 - 1927)

With an HPI of 50.18, Émile Coste is the 4th most famous French Fencer. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Émile Louis François Désiré Coste (2 February 1862 in Toulon – 7 July 1927 in Toulon) was a French fencer who competed in the late 19th century and early 20th century. He participated in Fencing at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris and won the gold medal in the foil, defeating fellow French fencer Henri Masson in the final.

5. Jehan Buhan (1912 - 1999)

With an HPI of 49.82, Jehan Buhan is the 5th most famous French Fencer. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Jehan Buhan (5 April 1912 – 14 September 1999) was a French fencer and Olympic champion in foil competition. He received a gold medal in foil individual at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. He received gold medals in foil team both in 1948 and in 1952.

6. Georges Buchard (1893 - 1987)

With an HPI of 49.16, Georges Buchard is the 6th most famous French Fencer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Georges Buchard (21 December 1893 – 22 January 1987) was a French fencer. He won medals in the épée competition at four Olympic Games.

7. Roger Ducret (1888 - 1962)

With an HPI of 49.11, Roger Ducret is the 7th most famous French Fencer. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Roger Ducret (2 April 1888 – 10 January 1962) was a French fencer who competed at the 1920, 1924 and 1928 Olympics. At the 1924 Summer Olympics he entered five events out of six and earned a gold or silver medal in each of them, winning individual medals in all three competitive fencing disciplines: épée, foil and sabre. During his times, only one fencer did better, the Italian Nedo Nadi won five gold medals at the 1920 Summer Olympics. During World War I Ducret was a prisoner of war. After retiring from competitions he worked as a journalist for Le Figaro, L'Echo des Sports and other newspapers.

8. Jacques Ochs (1883 - 1971)

With an HPI of 48.87, Jacques Ochs is the 8th most famous French Fencer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Jacques Ochs (18 February 1883 – 3 April 1971), was a Jewish Belgian artist and Olympic fencer in the épée style (in which he was champion) and competed in the saber, and foil fencing categories.

9. Georges de la Falaise (1866 - 1910)

With an HPI of 48.82, Georges de la Falaise is the 9th most famous French Fencer. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Louis Venant Gabriel Le Bailly de La Falaise (24 March 1866 in Luçon – 8 April 1910 in Paris) was a French fencer. He participated in Fencing at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris and won the gold medal in the sabre, defeating fellow French fencer Henri Masson in the final. He also participated in Fencing at the 1908 Summer Olympics but was beaten in the final round, finishing in last place. By his wife, the former Henriette Hennessy, he had four children: Louise Le Bailly de La Falaise, (1894-1910) James Henry Le Bailly de La Falaise, 1898–1972), who married American movie stars Gloria Swanson and Constance Bennett Alain Le Bailly de La Falaise, (1905–1977), first husband of model Maxime de la Falaise and father of fashion muse/designer Loulou de la Falaise Richard Le Bailly de La Falaise, (1910–1945)

10. Gilbert Bougnol (1866 - 1947)

With an HPI of 48.58, Gilbert Bougnol is the 10th most famous French Fencer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Gilbert or Émile Bougnol (31 August 1866 in Saint-Myon, France – 20 October 1947 in Rueil-Malmaison, France) was a French professional fencer who competed in the late 19th century and early 20th century. He participated in Fencing at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris and won the silver medal in the masters épée.

People

Pantheon has 64 people classified as French fencers born between 1862 and 1997. Of these 64, 34 (53.13%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living French fencers include Christian Noël, Jean-Claude Magnan, and Gilles Berolatti. The most famous deceased French fencers include Daniel Revenu, Lucien Gaudin, and Gaston Alibert. As of April 2024, 11 new French fencers have been added to Pantheon including Léon Thiébaut, Brigitte Latrille-Gaudin, and Romain Cannone.