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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Birthday | Nationality | Bio |
| Michel Qissi | September 12, 1962 | Belgian, Moroccan | Michel Qissi is a Moroccan-Belgian actor known for his role in the martial arts flick ‘Kickboxer.’ |
| Stromae | March 12, 1985 | Belgian | Stromae is a Belgian musician, rapper, singer and songwriter |
| Natacha Van Honacker | Belgian | Natacha Van Honacker is the wife of Belgian soccer player Eden Hazard | |
| Lara Fabian | January 9, 1970 | Belgian | Lara Fabian is a renowned singer-songwriter from Belgium, known for having recorded the famous self-titled album |
| Jean-Claude Van Damme | October 18, 1960 | Belgian | Jean-Claude Van Damme is a popular Belgian martial artist, actor and director |
| Tony Parker | May 17, 1982 | Belgian, French | Tony Parker is a French professional basketball player |
| Hergé | May 22, 1907 | Belgian | Georges Prosper Remi, better known by his pen name Herge, was a Belgian cartoonist and illustrator, who created the iconic Tintin comic strip |
| Rene Magritte | November 21, 1898 | Belgian | Rene 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 Bruyne | June 28, 1991 | Belgian | Kevin De Bruyne is a Belgian footballer who plays for the English Premier League team ‘Manchester City’ as well as the Belgian national team. |
| Eden Hazard | January 7, 1991 | Belgian | Eden Hazard is a Belgian professional footballer |
Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt was one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century
Ilya Prigogine
Ilya Prigogine was a Russian-born Belgian physical chemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1977
Gerardus Mercator
Gerardus Mercator was a famous Flemish cartographer during the Renaissance period
Christian de Duve
Christian de Duve was a Belgian cytologist and biochemist known for his discoveries about the internal workings of cells
Jules Bordet
Jules Bordet was a Belgian microbiologist and immunologist who won the 1919 Nobel Prize in Medicine "for his discoveries relating to immunity"
Jacques Brel
Jacques Brel was a Belgian singer and actor considered a master of the modern chanson
Dominique Pire
Dominique Pire was a Belgian cleric and educator known for his work in helping refugees in post-World War II Europe
Peter Paul Rubens
Peter Paul Rubens was a Dutch artist, who rose to become one of the most influential Baroque painters of his generation