Prévost-Paradol was born in Paris, France, conceived through an irregular liaison between the opera singer Lucinde Paradol and the writer Léon Halévy.

When Halévy later married Alexandrine Le Bas, his wife agreed to adopt the child, who was then brought up with their own children.

He held the post barely a year, resigning it to become a leader-writer on the Journal des débats.

He was, however, rather a journalist than a writer of books, and was one of the chief opponents of the empire on the side of moderate liberalism.

He shot himself on 11 July 1870, and died nine days later, on account of the Franco-Prussian War [clarification needed] while serving as French ambassador to the United States.