Cyrano de Bergerac (1619–1655)

Hercule-Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac, the real person -- not the fictional character -- was a French writer and freethinker born in Paris to a family of minor nobility. After his early education in the country, he returned to Paris, and attended the college de Dormans-Beauvais in the Latin Quarter. At age of 19, he joined the army, serving in the campaigns of 1639 and 1640 and winning renown as a duellist. He then left the military, returned to Paris, and wrote several daring and innovative works that satirized the customs of the first half of the 17th century. His The States and Empires of the Moon and the Sun (aka Voyage to the Moon and Voyage to the Sun) are among the first science fiction novels and inspired many other writers, including Voltaire, Swift, and Poe. However, Cyrano is still best known today for having inspired Edmond Rostand's romantic drama "Cyrano de Bergerac," which deviates from his real life in many regards. Since the 1970s, there has been a revival of interest in and studies of Cyrano and his work, including theses, articles, biographies, and essays.