He was born in Bellac, Haute-Vienne , France.
Giraudoux was also a prose writer and served France as a diplomat and government official. In his youth he traveled abroad, visiting Germany, Italy, the Balkans, Canada, and the United States, where he spent a year (1906-07) as an instructor at Harvard University.
Returning to France, he served in World War I, was twice wounded, and became the first writer ever to be awarded the wartime Legion of Honor. At the start of World War II he served as Minister of Information under Premier Edouard Daladier.
He is buried in the Cimetière de Passy, Paris, France.