Laurent Fabius

Laurent Fabius (born 20 August 1946) is a French politician and public official whose public profile has also led to screen and documentary appearances. A member of the Socialist Party, he held several of the most senior offices in French public life, including Prime Minister of France, President of the National Assembly, Minister of the Economy and Finance, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and President of the Constitutional Council. In film and television databases, he is principally listed for appearances as himself rather than as a professional actor.

Fabius was born in Paris and educated at institutions closely associated with the French civil service and political elite. He attended the École normale supérieure, Sciences Po, and the École nationale d'administration, and later entered the Council of State. He became active in the Socialist Party in the 1970s and was elected to the National Assembly from Seine-Maritime in 1978. His early political career developed during the rise of François Mitterrand, and he entered government after Mitterrand's election as president in 1981.

After serving as budget minister and then minister for industry and research, Fabius was appointed Prime Minister of France in July 1984. At 37, he became one of the youngest heads of government in the history of the Fifth Republic. His premiership lasted until March 1986 and came during a period in which the Socialist government was adapting its economic policy after the early Mitterrand years. He later served twice as President of the National Assembly, from 1988 to 1992 and again from 1997 to 2000, and held senior party and parliamentary roles between ministerial appointments.