---
name: actor_euro_french_wiki
description: >
  French Wikipedia is the key data source for finding European actors' full birth names
always: true
---

# French Wikipedia for European Actor Birth Names

## When to use
When you have identified a European (especially French) actor's stage name but cannot find their full birth name in English sources.

## Technique
Full birth names of French actors are frequently recorded only in French Wikipedia. English Wikipedia and IMDb often list only the stage name.

Strategies: (1) Search `[actor name] Wikipedia français`. (2) Search `[actor name] nom de naissance`. (3) For Eastern European actors, try Russian/Georgian Wikipedia and search Soviet-era honors like "People's Artist" as identifiers.

List specific years (e.g., "1950 1951 1952 1953") rather than range descriptions for better matching.

## Query Templates
- `[actor stage name] Wikipedia français nom de naissance`
- `[actor stage name] née born as full name French`
- `"People's Artist" USSR [year range] actor actress born [decade]`

## Worked Examples

### Example
Question: born 1920s, died in birth city 1992-2002, spouse is director and translator, People's Artist title.
- English search found the actress via Soviet honor: `"People's Artist USSR 1950 1951 1952 1953 actor actress born 1920s"`
- Identified Medea Japaridze, then verified spouse: `"Medea Japaridze spouse Revaz Tabukashvili director translator"`
- Key: "People's Artist" is a Soviet/Eastern European cultural marker that dramatically narrows scope

## Anti-pattern
**Searching only English sources**: If English Wikipedia lacks the birth name, do not give up. French Wikipedia almost always has the full legal name for French actors, including all middle names.