d'Espagnat was born on August 22, 1921 in Fourmagnac, France, but spent most of his early years in Paris, where his father, a post-impressionist painter, and mother imbued him with a love of classic literature and the arts.
In 1939, as d'Espagnat made plans to enter the Ecole Polytechnique, World War II put his education on hold [REF].