The Most Famous

SKATERS from France

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This page contains a list of the greatest French Skaters. The pantheon dataset contains 483 Skaters, 12 of which were born in France. This makes France the birth place of the 11th most number of Skaters behind South Korea, and Austria.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary French Skaters of all time. This list of famous French Skaters 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 Skaters.

Photo of Magda Julin

1. Magda Julin (1894 - 1990)

With an HPI of 51.40, Magda Julin is the most famous French Skater.  Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages on wikipedia.

Magda Julin (née Mauroy, 24 July 1894 – 21 December 1990) was a Swedish figure skater who competed in ladies' singles. She was the 1920 Olympic champion, a two-time Nordic champion, and a three-time Swedish national champion. She was four months pregnant at the 1920 Olympics.

Photo of Alain Calmat

2. Alain Calmat (b. 1940)

With an HPI of 51.04, Alain Calmat is the 2nd most famous French Skater.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Alain Calmat, (born 31 August 1940) is a French former competitive figure skater, surgeon, and politician. He is the 1964 Olympic silver medalist, the 1965 World champion, the 1962–1964 European champion, and the 1958 & 1962–1965 French national champion.

Photo of Andrée Brunet

3. Andrée Brunet (1901 - 1993)

With an HPI of 49.36, Andrée Brunet is the 3rd most famous French Skater.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Andrée Brunet (née Joly, 16 September 1901 – 30 March 1993) was a French figure skater. Together with her husband Pierre Brunet she won Olympic medals in 1924, 1928 and 1932, as well as four world titles between 1926 and 1932 in pair skating. She also competed in singles, winning the national title in 1921–1930 and finishing fifth at the 1924 Winter Olympics.

Photo of Pierre Brunet

4. Pierre Brunet (1902 - 1991)

With an HPI of 48.75, Pierre Brunet is the 4th most famous French Skater.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Pierre Émile Ernest Brunet (28 June 1902 – 27 July 1991) was a figure skater. Together with his wife Andrée Brunet he won Olympic medals in 1924, 1928 and 1932, as well as four world titles between 1926 and 1932 in pair skating. He also competed in singles, winning the national title in 1924–1931 and finishing seventh-eighth at the 1924 and 1928 Winter Olympics.

Photo of Jacqueline du Bief

5. Jacqueline du Bief (b. 1930)

With an HPI of 46.67, Jacqueline du Bief is the 5th most famous French Skater.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Jacqueline du Bief (born 4 December 1930) is a French retired figure skater who competed mainly in single skating. She is the 1952 Olympic bronze medalist, the 1952 World champion, a three-time European medalist, and a six-time French national champion (1947–1952). Bief was born in Paris. As a pair skater, she competed with Tony Font, winning the 1950 & 1951 French national titles. After turning professional, she toured with several shows like Ice Capades, Hollywood Ice Revues, Scala Eisrevue from 1952 to 1964.

Photo of Surya Bonaly

6. Surya Bonaly (b. 1973)

With an HPI of 46.37, Surya Bonaly is the 6th most famous French Skater.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Surya Varuna Claudine Bonaly (born 15 December 1973) is a French retired competitive figure skater. She is a three-time World silver medalist (1993–1995), a five-time European champion (1991–1995), the 1991 World Junior Champion, and a nine-time French national champion (1989–1997). Bonaly is the only Olympic figure skater to land a backflip on one blade; she performed it at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Photo of Brian Joubert

7. Brian Joubert (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 40.09, Brian Joubert is the 7th most famous French Skater.  His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Brian Joubert (French pronunciation: [bʁajan ʒubɛʁ]; born 20 September 1984) is a French figure skating coach and former competitor. He is the 2007 World champion, a three-time (2004, 2007 & 2009) European champion, and the 2006–07 Grand Prix Final champion. On the domestic level, he is an eight-time (2003–2008, 2011, 2012) French National champion. In total, he is a six-time World medalist, a ten-time European medalist, and competed in four Winter Olympics for France. Joubert is one of the four male skaters who achieved a Grand Slam, winning all major international competitions throughout the same season, as well as the first man to land 100 quadruple jumps in international competitions.

Photo of Philippe Candeloro

8. Philippe Candeloro (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 39.04, Philippe Candeloro is the 8th most famous French Skater.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Philippe Candeloro (born 17 February 1972) is a French former competitive figure skater. He is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist (1994, 1998), a two-time World medalist (1994 silver, 1995 bronze), a two-time European silver medalist (1993, 1997), and a four-time French national champion (1994–97). He has been a commentator for French television during figure skating events at the Olympics. He also made special appearance as himself and a villain's victim named "Frozer" in Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir.

Photo of Gabriella Papadakis

9. Gabriella Papadakis (b. 1995)

With an HPI of 36.94, Gabriella Papadakis is the 9th most famous French Skater.  Her biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Gabriella Maria Papadakis (born 10 May 1995) is a French ice dancer. With her partner, Guillaume Cizeron, she is a 2022 Olympic champion, 2018 Olympic silver medalist, a five-time World champion (2015–2016, 2018–2019, 2022), a five-time consecutive European champion (2015–2019), the 2017 and 2019 Grand Prix Final champion, and a seven-time French national champion (2015–2020, 2022). They have won ten gold medals on the Grand Prix series. Earlier in their career, they won silver at the 2012 Junior Grand Prix Final and at the 2013 World Junior Championships. Papadakis and Cizeron have broken world records 34 times, which is in itself a record across all figure skating disciplines since the introduction of the ISU Judging System in 2004. They are the current and historical world record holders in the short dance, free dance, and combined total. They are the first team to have broken the 90-point barrier in the rhythm dance, 120-point and 130-point barriers in the free dance, and the first team to score above the 200-point, 210-point, and 220-point barriers in the combined total score. The pair are recognized for their lyrical and musical style. Their programs, inspired by modern dance, have been described as lyrical, and commentators have frequently acclaimed the quality of their skating skills.

Photo of Nathalie Péchalat

10. Nathalie Péchalat (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 36.57, Nathalie Péchalat is the 10th most famous French Skater.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Nathalie Péchalat (born 22 December 1983) is a French retired ice dancer and skating official, who served as the president of the Fédération française des sports de glace from 2020 to 2022. During her competitive career with partner Fabian Bourzat, she was a two-time World bronze medalist (2012, 2014), a two-time European champion (2011–2012), and a five-time French national champion (2009, 2011–2014). They won five medals at the Grand Prix Final (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) and thirteen other Grand Prix medals, including three golds at Cup of China and two at Trophée Eric Bompard.

People

Pantheon has 13 people classified as French skaters born between 1894 and 1995. Of these 13, 10 (76.92%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living French skaters include Alain Calmat, Jacqueline du Bief, and Surya Bonaly. The most famous deceased French skaters include Magda Julin, Andrée Brunet, and Pierre Brunet. As of April 2024, 1 new French skaters have been added to Pantheon including Olivier Schoenfelder.

Living French Skaters

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Deceased French Skaters

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Newly Added French Skaters (2024)

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Overlapping Lives

Which Skaters were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 3 most globally memorable Skaters since 1700.