Jean-Paul Sartre was a 20th century French philosopher, novelist, playwright, and political activist. He was born in 1905 in Paris, France and spent most of his life there. Sartre developed existentialist philosophy which emphasized individual freedom and choice. He was also a political activist who supported leftist causes and protested against French colonialism in Algeria. Sartre authored many influential works and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1964, but declined it. He died in Paris in 1980.