Famous Belgian - Belgian Celebrities

People who have never been to Belgium will joke that nobody can name even five famous Belgians. Or quip how trite the Belgians are? That besides beer and mussels, there is nothing more to add to Belgium’s portfolio. But the truth is that Belgium, with its remarkable history of art, over 60 UNESCO sites, world-famous carnival celebrations and a wad of peerless men and women, is not half as lackluster and lacking in talent as the world deems. Not the one to blow its own trumpet, Belgium has never ever overplayed its greatness. No wonder most of us did not know that distinguished talents like Hollywood heartthrobs Audrey Hepburn and Jean Claude van Damme, world famous baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens, Tin Tin's creator Georges Remi, tennis star Kim Clijsters, bacteriologist Jules Bordet, and noted fashion designer Liz Claiborne are all Belgians. Surprised? Join us as we dig deep into the lives and deeds of many such famous Belgians in the biographies presented below, exploring their timeline, trivia and lesser-known facts on the way.

Find out more about the greatest Belgians, including Jean-Claude Van Damme, Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Leopold II of Belgium.

The Most Famous Belgian

NameBirthdayNationalityBio
Michel QissiSeptember 12, 1962Belgian, MoroccanMichel Qissi is a Moroccan-Belgian actor known for his role in the martial arts flick ‘Kickboxer.’
StromaeMarch 12, 1985BelgianStromae is a Belgian musician, rapper, singer and songwriter
Natacha Van HonackerBelgianNatacha Van Honacker is the wife of Belgian soccer player Eden Hazard
Lara FabianJanuary 9, 1970BelgianLara Fabian is a renowned singer-songwriter from Belgium, known for having recorded the famous self-titled album
Jean-Claude Van DammeOctober 18, 1960BelgianJean-Claude Van Damme is a popular Belgian martial artist, actor and director
Tony ParkerMay 17, 1982Belgian, FrenchTony Parker is a French professional basketball player
HergéMay 22, 1907BelgianGeorges Prosper Remi, better known by his pen name Herge, was a Belgian cartoonist and illustrator, who created the iconic Tintin comic strip
Rene MagritteNovember 21, 1898BelgianRene Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist known for his thought-provoking images that force the observers to think beyond their perceptions of reality
Kevin De BruyneJune 28, 1991BelgianKevin De Bruyne is a Belgian footballer who plays for the English Premier League team ‘Manchester City’ as well as the Belgian national team.
Eden HazardJanuary 7, 1991BelgianEden Hazard is a Belgian professional footballer
Django Reinhardt

Django Reinhardt

Django Reinhardt was one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century

FrenchJanuary 23, 1910135 views

Ilya Prigogine

Ilya Prigogine was a Russian-born Belgian physical chemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1977

BelgianJanuary 25, 1917158 views

Gerardus Mercator

Gerardus Mercator was a famous Flemish cartographer during the Renaissance period

BelgianMarch 5, 1512157 views

Christian de Duve

Christian de Duve was a Belgian cytologist and biochemist known for his discoveries about the internal workings of cells

BelgianOctober 2, 1917194 views

Jules Bordet

Jules Bordet was a Belgian microbiologist and immunologist who won the 1919 Nobel Prize in Medicine "for his discoveries relating to immunity"

BelgianJune 13, 1870166 views

Jacques Brel

Jacques Brel was a Belgian singer and actor considered a master of the modern chanson

BelgianApril 8, 1929184 views

Dominique Pire

Dominique Pire was a Belgian cleric and educator known for his work in helping refugees in post-World War II Europe

BelgianFebruary 10, 1910128 views

Hergé

Georges Prosper Remi, better known by his pen name Herge, was a Belgian cartoonist and illustrator, who created the iconic Tintin comic strip

BelgianMay 22, 1907295 views

Georges Lemaître

Georges Lemaitre was a Belgian scientist and priest

BelgianJuly 17, 1894248 views

Peter Paul Rubens

Peter Paul Rubens was a Dutch artist, who rose to become one of the most influential Baroque painters of his generation

BelgianJune 28, 1577177 views