Pierre Bénichou

Pierre Bénichou, Commandeur, (1 March 1938 – 31 March 2020) was a French journalist.^[3]

Pierre Bénichou Commandeur
Born	(1938-03-01)1 March 1938 Oran, French Algeria
Died	31 March 2020(2020-03-31) (aged 82) Paris, France
Other names	Beau Pedro, roi du tango Tonton Merguez La Béniche Bob du grand huit[1] Le Président[2] Le Rossignol d'Oran La Josephine Baker du Maghreb
Occupation(s)	Journalist, Columnist
Spouse	Alix Dufaure
Parent	André Bénichou
Relatives	Paul Bénichou (paternal uncle) Vincent Lindon (stepson)

Early life

Pierre Bénichou was born on 1 March 1938 in Oran, French Algeria.^[4] His father, André Bénichou, a philosophy professor, opened a private school after he was dismissed from his job for being Jewish in 1941, in the midst of World War II.^[5] One of his father's pupils was author Albert Camus.^[5] His paternal uncle, Paul Bénichou, was a historian.^[5] His paternal grandparents were practising Jews.^[5] He moved to Paris, France, in 1949.^[5]

Career

Bénichou was a journalist.^[6] He started his career as an intern for France Soir.^[4] He joined France Dimanche in 1956.^[5] He became a reporter for Jours de France in 1961.^[4] He became the editor-in-chief of Le Nouvel Observateur, another magazine, in 1966, at a time when it was the most sold weekly newspaper in Europe^[4] He subsequently joined Les Grosses Têtes, a cult radio programme on RTL that made him a staple name in France for decades.^[4] He was also a contributor to Vivement Dimanche, a television programme hosted by Michel Drucker. A much loved figure, he was widely considered as a "monument historique" of French Media.^[4][3][7][8]

Bénichou became a Commander of the Legion of Honour on 25 March 2016.^[9]

Personal life

Bénichou was married to Alix Dufaure, journalist for Marie Claire; she died May 2, 2012.^[10] They had one son together, Antoine. Actor Vincent Lindon and his brother Sylvain are his stepson; Dufaure divorced Laurent Lindon in 1964.^[4]