Daniel Bilalian

Daniel Bilalian (10 April 1947 – 14 May 2025) was a French journalist, news anchor and television presenter. He presented for Antenne 2, which was later renamed France 2. During his tenure at the channel, he presented many different shows from 1976 to 1991 and from 1994 to 2004. In 2004, he became the sports director of France Télévisions. In 2016, he ceased appearing on television and became a municipal councillor for Neuilly-sur-Seine.

Life and career Daniel Bilalian was born in Paris on 10 April 1947, to an Armenian father, Krikor Bilalian, and a French mother, Maria Culliver. His father, an Armenian farmer, was orphaned by the Armenian genocide and fled Turkish-controlled Armenia during it, becoming a refugee in France in the late 1920s. Initially working as a farm laborer and then as an apprentice with a fellow Armenian, he eventually established a tailoring shop with his wife, Maria Cuvillier, a Frenchwoman from the Pas-de-Calais region. Naturalized as a French citizen in 1945 by General Charles de Gaulle for "services rendered," Krikor became deeply integrated into French society. "Passionate about politics", he inspired his son's path toward journalism.

He attended Lycée Jacques-Decour and Cours Vauvenargues in Paris for school. After studying law at the University of Lille, he became a journalist at the L'Union de Reims. Beginning in 1971, he was a regional correspondent for the ORTF, before joining the national editing staff of Antenne 2, where he became a main reporter before presenting Antenne 2 midi. He presented some daily news in 1976. After being absent for two years, he came back in 1987 to present the daily news on weekends until 1990. He also presented Stars à la barre and then Dossiers de l'écran, retitled Mardi Soir, until 1991. In 2016, he caused controversy with comments he made during the 2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.