Jacques Paris de Bollardiere was born on December 16, 1907 in Chateaubriant, Loire Atlantique. His father was an officer in the French Marines. A devoted Catholic, Bollardiere routinely attended mass throughout his military career. He studied at Saint Sauveur College in Redon, and attended the Saint Cyr Military Academy in 1927. Regarded as a free spirit and protestor, it takes him three years to finish the academy, rather than the usual two. He is also not given an officer's commission, but instead the rank of staff sergeant, and is posted with the 146th Infantry Regiment, where his skills are later recognized and is promoted to a second lieutenant soon after. He was posted with the 173rd RIA in Bastia, and is made a full lieutenant in October of 1932. In February of 1935, he transfers to the Foreign Legion, joining the 1st REI in Saida, Algiers.

The following year, he was posted to the 4th REI in Marrakesh, which remains his post until the outbreak of war. In February of 1940 he joins the 13th DBLE at its formation, and is promoted to Captain. He serves in Norway, and upon arrival in England, he decides to join De Gaulle, even before De Gaulle made any overtures for support. He serves with valor in the 13th's campaigns of 1940 and 1941, and is promoted to major in September of 1941, and is made commander of the 1st Battalion. He is seriously wounded in the arm by a mine at the Second Battle of El Alamein on October 23, 1942, and is bed bound in a hospital in Cairo for the next 8 months.

He rejoins the 13th on June 15, 1943, at Sousse, Algiers. At his request, Bollardiere is transferred to England for Airborne training in October 1943. On April 12, 1944, under the false identity of "Prism" and with papers to make him appear as an insurance agent, he is parachuted into Mourmelon, in Occupied France, in a mission code named "Citronnelle". The intention was to create a group of resistance fighters, who could rise against the Germans in the Ardennes, as the D-Day invasions were taking place. Following the June 6 invasion, Bollardiere is present in the formation of resistance fighters in the Ardennes, who suffer severly at the hands of the retreating Germans. After the Germans are at last pushed back, Bollardiere returns to his post, with the commission of lieutenant colonel.

In England, his is made commander of the "Red Berets" of the 3rd Parachutist Regiment. He jumps with the unit into Holland in April of 1945. After the war, in February of 1946, Bollardiere takes command of the 1st Battalion of SAS Parachutists, and departs for Indochina. He returns to France in 1948, but is posted again to Indochina from 1950-53, commanding airborne forces in the region. In October of 1953, he is made an instructor of strategy and tactics for airborne troops at the School For War Studies. In July of 1956, he was placed in command of two brigades and is sent to the Altas Blideen area of Algiers. In December of that year, he is promoted to Brigadier General. At the time, he his the youngest serving French General. He returns to France in March of 1957. He is later sentenced to 60 days confinement for speaking critically of the war of Algiers and of being accussed of undermining public and army moral. He is then posted to Cameroon in the capacity of Assistant General Officer in the zone of AEF-Cameroon defense. In 1960, he returns to France and is transferred to Coblentz, Germany.

At the time of the revolt in Algiers in April of 1961, Bollardiere requested to be posted to the region, but was declined. He soon thereafter resigns his commission and leaves the military. He moves with his family to Morbihan, where he lives as a recluse. He works for two years as an attache of the naval building firm at the stone quarry in Lorient. Bollardiere becomes an avid outspoken activist against nuclear weapons and violence. From 1968-78, he serves as president of the Logement Association For Social Advancement. He dies on February 22, 1988, from illness in his residence of Talhouet. His funeral was held at the Church of Guidel and was buried in Vannes, Morbihan.

During his serice, Jacques Paris de Bollardiere received the following decorations/awards:

・Grand Officier de la Legion d'Honneur ・Compagnon de la Liberation - decret du 23 juin 1941 ・Croix de Guerre 39/45 (5 citations) ・Croix de Guerre des TOE avec palme ・Médaille de la Résistance ・Distinguished Service Order and Bar (GB) ・Croix de Guerre Belge avec palme ・Officier de l'Ordre Royal de la Couronne avec palme (Belgique)