Benoît Duquesne (19 July 1957 – 4 July 2014) was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

journalist, television reporter and newscaster. He worked as presenter of the

news magazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories, in greater depth than do newspapers or n ...

Complément d'enquête ''Complément d'enquête'' (Complementary Investigation) is an investigative newsmagazine presented by Benoît Duquesne and shown in Metropolitan France on France 2 weekdays late in the evening, and, in Canada, bi-monthly on TV5. A similar invest ...

'' from 2007 until his death. He also was anchor of the ''Journal de 13 heures'' on

France 2 France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews. Since 3:20 CET on ...

from January to July 2005.

Early life and education

His family was from Wasquehal and originally came from

Glageon Glageon () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic. The communes cooperate in the ...

. His father, Gérard Duquesne, was a doctor and the mayor of the town, and had seven children. Benoît Duquesne was educated at the primary school of Couplevoie and at the Lycée Saint-Joseph of

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded ...

for his secondary studies. After graduating with a degree in law, he studied at the ESJ (École supérieure de journalisme) of

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the Nord ...

where he graduated in 1983.

Television career

From 1982 to 1988, he was a reporter on

Europe 1 Europe 1, formerly known as Europe n° 1, is a privately owned radio station created in 1955. Owned and operated by Lagardère Active, a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group, it is one of the leading radio broadcasting stations in France and its p ...

, and then joined

TF1 TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network. TF1 is par ...

until 1994. He worked for the news magazines ''A la une'', ''Le Droit de savoir'' and ''Reportages''. From 1994 to 1997, he was a stand-in news anchor on

. On the evening of the second round of the French presidential election of 1995, live on France 2, he rode a motorcycle chasing winner

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as ...

's car in the streets of Paris, in the attempt to secure an interview. He was then a reporter at France 2 until 1999. From 1995 to 2000, he was the channel's correspondent in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. From 2000 to 2001, he was promoted to

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

. From September 2001 until his death, he was the host of the investigation magazine ''

'' on France 2. From January to July 2005, he anchored the ''Journal de 13 heures'' on the same channel after the sudden departure of Christophe Hondelatte. In September 2007, he was named news editor on

. He was fired in July 2008 by

Alexandre Bompard Alexandre Bompard (born 4 October 1972) is a French businessman. He became CEO of the retail chain Fnac in 2011. Since July 2017, he has also been chairman and CEO of Carrefour. Early life Alexandre Bompard was born on 4 October 1972 in Sain ...

Death

Benoît Duquesne died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...

, in his houseboat of L'Île-Saint-Denis,

Seine-Saint-Denis () is a department of France located in the Grand Paris metropolis in the region. In French, it is often referred to colloquially as ' or ' ("ninety-three" or "nine three"), after its official administrative number, 93. Its prefecture is Bob ...

on July 4, 2014. His funeral was celebrated on July 10, 2014, at the Église Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc in

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

Personal life

Benoît Duquesne was the father of four children. His daughter, Marie Duquesne, is a journalist on BFM TV.

Television programs

* 1992–94 : ''À la une'', ''Le Droit de savoir'' and ''Reportages'' on France 2 * 1994–99 : replacing presenter of the news on France 2 * 2001–14 : ''

'' on France 2 * 2005 : ''Journal de 13 heures'' on France 2

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duquesne, Benoit 1957 births 2014 deaths People from Roubaix French journalists French television presenters French male non-fiction writers