List of Légion d'honneur recipients by name (B) explained

The French government gives out the Legion of Honour awards, to both French[1] and foreign[2] nationals, based on a recipient's exemplary services rendered to France, or to the causes supported by France. This award is divided into five distinct categories (in ascending order[3]), i.e. three ranks: Knight, Officer, Commander, and two titles: Grand Officer and Grand Cross. Knight is the most common and is awarded for either at least 20 years of public service or acts of military or civil bravery.[3] The rest of the categories have a quota for the number of years of service in the category below before they can be awarded. The Officer rank requires a minimum of eight years as a Knight, and the Commander, the highest civilian category for a non-French citizen, requires a minimum of five years as an Officer. The Grand Officer and the Grand Cross are awarded only to French citizens, and each requires three years' service in their respective immediately lower rank.[4] The awards are traditionally published and promoted on 14 July.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of recipients of the Legion of Honour awards, since the first ceremony in May 1803. 2,550 individuals can be awarded the insignia every year.[5] The total number of awards is close to 1 million[6] (estimated at 900,000 in 2021,[5] including over 3,000 Grand Cross recipients[7]), with some 92,000 recipients alive today.[8] Only until 2008 was gender parity achieved amongst the yearly list of recipients, with the total number of women recipients since the award's establishment being only 59 at the end of the second French empire and only 26,000 in 2021.[5]

RecipientDates
(birth  - death)
General work & reason for the recognitionAward category (date)
Victor Babeș[9] 1854  - 1926Romanian physician and scientistKnight (TBA)
John Tremayne Babington1891  - 1979Senior commander in the Royal Air ForceKnight (TBA)
Andre Bach1888  - 1945TBA
Amitabh Bachchan[10] 1942  - presentIndian actor. Recognised for his "exceptional career in the world of cinema and beyond".[11] Knight (2007)
Louis Bachelier1870  - 1946French mathematician. He is credited with being the first person to model the stochastic process now called Brownian motion.Knight (TBA)
Michel Bacos[12] 1924  - 2019[13] French pilot of Air France Flight 139. Recognised for refusing to leave his Jewish passengers behind, when captain of the terrorist-hijacked Air France Flight 139.Knight (1976)[14]
Absalom Baird1824  - 1905Union Army general in the American Civil War
Josephine Baker1906  - 1975American-born French actress and Resistance agentKnight (TBA)[15]
Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna1930  - 2016Indian Carnatic vocalist, musician, multi-instrumentalist, playback singer, composer, and character actor.TBA
James Arthur Baldwin1924  - 1987African-American writer & defender of human rights
Albert Ball1896  - 1917World War I British fighter pilot
Benjamin Ball1833  - 1893English-born French psychiatristKnight (TBA)
Basile Baltus de Pouilly1766  - 1845General, French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars
Raffaello de Banfield1922  - 2008British-born Italian composerKnight (TBA)
François Barbé-Marbois1745 – 1837French politicianGrand Officer (1805)
Jean-François Barbier1754  - 1828General, French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic WarsTBA
John J. Barceló III[16] American Law ProfessorTBA
Van T. Barfoot1919  - 2012United States Army officerTBA
Karno Barkah1922  - 2009Indonesian aviation pioneerTBA (28 February 1984)[17]
Michael Barker[18] Co-President and Co-Founder of Sony Pictures ClassicsTBA
Myron G. Barlow[19] 1873  - 1937American painter. Recognised for his painting achievements. photoTBA (1932)
George Barnett1859  - 193012th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. He was a pioneer of amphibious warfare and the U.S. Marine Commandant during American involvement in World War I.
Denis Gabriel Barois1922  - PresentDelegate to the Superior Council of French Nationals Abroad (Mexico)Knight (decree: 28 March 1997)[20]
Théophile Barrau1848  - 1913French sculptorKnight (1892)
Charles Barrois1851  - 1939French geologist and palaeontologist
Jeanne Julia Bartet1854  - 1941French actress
Marcus "Stub" BartusekWorld War II soldier (United States), 106th Infantry Division (United States), 424th Regiment Knight (ceremony: 9 October 2018)[21]
Dame Shirley Bassey1937  - PresentU.K. (Welsh) SingerKnight (2003)[22] [23]
1898  - 1952[24] French aviator. Her Knight rank was in recognition of her flight on 28 June 1931, a 2976 km journey from Le Bourget to Yurino (Russia) undertaken in 30 hours 30 minutes at an average speed of 97 km/h. Her officer rank was in reocognition of her flight aboard a Caudron 635 Simoun F-Anxo on 30 December 1936, which broke the record for crossing the South Atlantic in 12 hours 5 minutes. The commander rank was in recognition of her "exceptional war titles and acts of resistance".
Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière1759  - 1812General, French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars
Jean Baubérot1941  - presentFrench historian and sociologist (religions). He is Known for being the founder of secularism sociology. Knight (TBA)
Luc-Marie Bayle1914  - 2000French naval officer, painter, and artist TBA
François Achille Bazaine1811  - 1888French Army officer, who obtained the rank of Marshal of France (1863). On 22 July 1835, he was wounded in the battle of Macta (French: la Macta) of fires to the wrist, received a knight rank of France's Legion of Honour. On 9 November 1845, he was promoted to the rank of Officer, following the combat of Sidi Kafir. On 2 July 1863, his rank was upgraded to a Grand Cross. He received a citation at the battle of San Lorenzo
Pierre-Dominique (Adolphe) Bazaine known as Adolphe Bazaine-Vasseur1809  - 1893French Railway Engineer
Pierre-Dominique Bazaine1786  - 1838French Mathematician and Engineer
George Albert Bazaine-Hayter1843  - 1914French General. By decree on 9 September 1870 he rcieved the Knight for acts of war during the battles of Metz. During his command of the 12th regiment at Lạng Sơn, Tonkin (North Vietnam), he was upgraded to the rank of Officer by decree on 4 May 1889. On April 9, 1903, he was called to head the 57th Infantry Brigade in to defend the Nice group, and had his rank promoted to Commander on 3 September 1903. At the end of his career, just before being placed in the reserve section (4 December 1908), he was awarded the title of Grand Officer on 3 December 1908.
Paul Bazelaire
Cecil Beaton
Gérald Beaudoin
Roger Beaufrand
Thomas Beecham
Azouz Begag
Reginald R. Belknap1871  - 1959United States Navy rear admiral
Alexander Graham Bell
Sir Francis Dillon BellNew Zealand Statesman
Jean-Louis Bélard[25] [26]
Monica Bellucci1964  - PresentItalian actress and model. In recognition of her cultural achievement in France.Knight (24 November 2016)[27]
Jean-Paul Belmondo
Guillermo B. Belt[28] 1906  - 1989Cuban diplomat
Arnaud Beltrame Gendarme Colonel, Gendarmerie National (Award and promotion both Posthumous)TBA (2018)
Charles Bequignon
Józef Bem
Edvard Beneš
Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant
François-Nicolas-Benoît Haxo
Jean Béraud
Henri Bergson
Jean Berlie
Louis Bernacchi
Claude BernardPhysiologist, founding father of modern physiology and endocrinology
Dominique BernardSchool teacher killed in Arras school stabbing by an Islamic terrorist in 2023
Tom BernardCo-President and Co-Founder of Sony Pictures Classics
Étienne-Prosper Berne-Bellecour
Sarah Bernhardt
Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld
Pier Luigi Bersani[29] [30]
Louis-Alexandre Berthier
Pierre Berthier
Roberte Ponsonby, Countess of Bessborough
Jean-Baptiste Bessières
1827  - 1898Puerto Rican medical doctor, political leader and diplomat
Íngrid Betancourt
André Bettencourt
Jacques Claude Beugnot
Bhumibol AdulyadejKing of Thailand
Marthe Bibesco
Marcel Bigeard
Kenneth W. BilbyAmerican businessman and author
Carl Bildt
Pierre Billotte
Émile Bin
Maria Ilva BiolcatiItalian singer and actress
Wilfred Bion
Sir Robert Bird, 2nd Baronet
George Christopher Molesworth Birdwood
Billy Bishop
Harry Gore Bishop
Monique de Bissy
Henri Biva1848  - 1929French painterKnight (1900)
George G. Blackburn
Alice Guy-BlachéCinema pioneer
Sergent Blandan
Tasker H. Bliss
Denise Bloch
Marc Bloch
Marc Boegner
Jean-Bédel Bokassa
Albina du Boisrouvray
Petar Bojović
Claude Bolling
Kathryne Bomberger
Marie-Claude Bomsel
Napoleon BonaparteFounder of the Légion d'honneur
Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleon VI)
Bono
Jorge Luis Borges
Frank Borland
Władysław Bortnowski
Alfred Bossom
Lucien Bouchard
Georges Ernest Boulanger
Gustave BoulangerTBA (1868)
Pierre Boulle
Jean-Gustave Bourbouze
Antoine Bourseiller
Paul-Émile BoutignyPainter of military subjects
Victor Boutilly[31] 1864  - 1934French forestry inspectorTBA (1911)
Frank Henry Bowater
Maurice Bowra
Charles Boyer
Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński
Ali Bozer
Olga Boznańska
Benjamin Crowninshield BradleeVice President At-Large of The Washington Post
Jean Branger[32] Captain, 8th infantry regimentKnight (26 December 1852)
Lloyd Samuel Breadner
Théophile Marie Brébant
Yves Bréchet
Annie Brewer
Francis Charles Bridgeman Bridgeman
Louis Brière de l'IsleGeneral, Troupes de marine
Donald F. Breitenberg[33] USA World War II, 101st Airborne
Louis de Broglie
Louis Bromfield
Robert S. Brookings
Romaine Brooks
Albert Bros Escaped pow and member of the Resistance
Daniel Brottier
John Nicholas Brown IIPhilanthropist
Margaret Brown
Leader of Yugoslavia
John Bruce LockhartScotland, Great War
Angélique Brûlon
Gabriel Brunet de Sairigné
Charles F. Bruns[34]
Michael Bruxner
Frank Buckles
Jean-Eugène BulandFrench painter
Eugene Bullard
Omar BundyAmerican general
Joseph Richard Burke[35] Canadian Army, WWII veteran, dispatch rider with the Toronto Scottish RegimentKnight (8 August 2015)
Richard Burrows
Robert Busnel
Stephen Butcher
Richard E. ByrdAmerican admiral and explorer
Myles Byrne

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Légion Code, article 16.
  2. Les étrangers qui se seront signalés par les services qu’ils ont rendus à la France ou aux causes qu’elle soutient, Légion Code, art. 128.
  3. News: France train attack: Chris Norman awarded Legion d'honneur. BBC News. 24 August 2015. 27 July 2021. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210727080410/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34039225. 27 July 2021.
  4. Web site: Michelle Yeoh receives France's highest civilian honour. Florey. DM. Cinema Online. 29 March 2017. 20 July 2021. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210719153150/http://www.cinema.com.my/articles/news_details.aspx?search=2017.n_michellereceivesfrancecivilianhonour_34756. 19 July 2021. Alt URL
  5. Web site: The Grand Chancellery is co-producing a film on women and the Legion of Honor. The Grand Chancellery of the Legion of Honour. 24 July 2021. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210724003139/https://www.legiondhonneur.fr/en/actualites/la-grande-chancellerie-co-produit-un-film-sur-les-femmes-et-la-legion/1813/6. 24 July 2021.
  6. Web site: Legion of Honour. Australian Government  - Department of Veteran's Affairs. 31 January 2021. 27 July 2021.
  7. News: Michel. Wattel. Béatrice. Wattel. Les Grand Croix de la Légion d'honneur. De 1805 à nos jours, titulaires français et étrangers. Archives & Culture. 2009.
  8. Web site: Explained: Sisi, Macron and the dubious history of France's Legion of Honour. Chloé. Benoist. 18 December 2020. Middle East Eye. 27 July 2021. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210726145417/https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-france-sisi-legion-honneur-explained-history. 26 July 2021.
  9. News: Leşcu . Christine . Radio Romania International  - Scientist Victor Babes . 18 June 2020 . Radio Romania International . 29 October 2016.
  10. Web site: Highest French distinction, the Officer of the Legion of Honour conferred on Amitabh Bachchan . La France en Inde / France in India . 18 June 2020 . en . 27 January 2007.
  11. News: Pandey. Geeta. South Asia | French honour for Bollywood star. BBC News. 27 January 2007. 2 October 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20221125024417/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6306201.stm. 25 November 2022.
  12. News: Langer . Emily . Remembering Michel Bacos, French pilot who survived the 1976 Entebbe hijacking  - as a hero . 18 June 2020 . The Independent . 5 April 2019 . en.
  13. News: Michel Bacos, Hero Pilot of Jet Hijacked to Entebbe, Dies at 94. NY Times. 28 March 2019. Sam. Roberts. en. 25 November 2022.
  14. Web site: Entebbe Postscript. 17 July 1976. Flight International. 122. 28 March 2019.
  15. Web site: Siren of the Resistance: The Artistry and Espionage of Josephine Baker. The National WWII Museum, New Orleans (www.nationalww2museum.org). 25 November 2022. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20221125053830/https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/siren-resistance-artistry-and-espionage-josephine-baker. 25 November 2022.
  16. Web site: John J. Barceló III. Cornell Law School. 8 February 2016.
  17. Web site: Menerima bintang kehormatan. Tempo. 3 March 1984. 9 July 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120219025734/http://majalah.tempointeraktif.com/id/arsip/1984/03/03/ALB/mbm.19840303.ALB40109.id.html. 19 February 2012.
  18. Web site: Michael Barker. 22 September 2014. The Hollywood Reporter . 13 February 2016.
  19. Web site: Myron G. Barlow. The Barlow Genealogy . 13 February 2016.
  20. Web site: Denis Gabriel Barois . Le service public de la diffusion du droit . 13 February 2016.
  21. News: Manly vet receives highest French honor for World War II service (with photos). 9 October 2018. Ashley. Miller. Global Gazette. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20221201135421/https://globegazette.com/news/local/manly-vet-receives-highest-french-honor-for-world-war-ii/article_da8c997f-9301-54de-b871-c29ea1924cf8.html. 1 December 2022.
  22. Web site: Dame Shirley Bassey inks exclusive record deal with Decca Records. Music Business Worldwide (www.musicbusinessworldwide.com). 6 August 2020. Murray. Stassen. en. 30 November 2022. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20221202000953/https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/dame-shirley-bassey-inks-exclusive-record-deal-with-decca-records/. 2 December 2022.
  23. Web site: At 83, Dame Shirley Bassey working on new album, referred to as ‘grand finale’. Daily News. 8 August 2020. Karu. F.Daniels. en. 30 November 2022. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20221202131525/https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-dame-shirley-bassey-new-album-grand-finale-20200807-63hlv2ykmvba5iuevvb23lrw3y-story.html. 2 December 2022.
  24. Web site: Maryse Bastié avait des ailes. France Info (www.francetvinfo.fr). 27 February 2018. Hélène. Abalo. fr. 2 December 2022. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20221203082219/https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/nouvelle-aquitaine/haute-vienne/limoges/maryse-bastie-avait-ailes-1431137.html%20Maryse%20Basti%C3%A9%20avait%20des%20ailes. 3 December 2022.
  25. Web site: Jean-Louis Bélard . Embassy of France in Washington, D.C . 13 February 2016.
  26. Web site: Jean-Louis Bélard . Le service public de la diffusion du droit . 13 February 2016.
  27. News: Le Moal . Océane . 25 November 2016 . Monica Bellucci émue de recevoir la légion d'honneur à l'Elysée . Monica Bellucci moved to receive the Legion of Honour at the Élysée . live . fr . . https://web.archive.org/web/20220607144750/https://www.tf1info.fr/culture/monica-bellucci-decoree-par-francois-hollande-2014386.html . 7 June 2022 . 7 July 2023.
  28. Book: Guillermo B. Belt . 9780804707572. 13 February 2016.
  29. News: Legion D'onore Al Ministro Bersani . 1999-10-29 . 2010 . From the print archives of the daily . Staffetta Quotidiana . 2499-5924 . 2022-07-22.
  30. Web site: Bersani promuove il governo su Fincantieri, ma lo boccia su Tim . 2017-08-03 . Huffington Post . it . https://web.archive.org/web/20170808202559/https://www.huffingtonpost.it/2017/08/03/bersani-promuove-il-governo-su-fincantieri-ma-lo-boccia-su-tim_a_23063078/ . 2017-08-08.
  31. Web site: Boutilly's Legion d'honneur file . www2.culture.gouv.fr . 18 April 2022.
  32. Web site: Jean Branger . Heredis online . 13 February 2016.
  33. Web site: Donald F. Breitenberg . Consulate General of France in Los Angeles . 13 February 2016.
  34. Web site: Charles F. BrunsCharles F. Bruns . Consulate General of France in Chicago . 13 February 2016.
  35. Book: "Pride, sorrow mesh for honoured Second World War veteran". 7 August 2015.