Listed below are some of the most famous and inspiring cultural figures from Belgium along with links to further reading available at the Library of Congress. Links at the end of each entry provide fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog
Jacques Brel has an impressive legacy as an actor and the third best-selling Belgian singer in history. He sang primarily in French and sometimes in Dutch. Some of his greatest hits include "Quand on n'a que l'amour", "Ne me quitte pas", and "Les Flamandes".He has been a source of inspiration for both French-speaking and English-speaking musicians such as Cyndi Lauper, Céline Dion, Neil Diamond, and David Bowie. Further reading
Kim Clijsters, from the small city of Bree, was the world’s best female tennis player in the early 2000’s. She was ranked number one in the world in both singles and doubles. She has been champion at all four Grand Slam tournaments, four wins in singles and two wins in doubles. She is the only mother to have been ranked #1 since the rankings began by WTA began in 1975. She has three children with her husband, an American basketball coach. Further reading
Thibaut Courtois is a professional goalkeeper for Real Madrid and the Belgium national team. Courtois played at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Euro 2016, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the UEFA Euro 2020. He is considered among the best goalkeepers in the world, having won the Golden Glove in the 2018 FIFA tournament. Further reading
Lara Fabian is a singer-songwriter with a multicultural background. She was born in Brussels, currently lives in Montréal, and is of Flemish, Italian, and French heritage. Fabian sings in a multitude of different languages like French, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, English, and German. To date, she is one of the best-selling Belgian musicians, and has released platinum-certified albums, namely Pure, Lara Fabian, Carpe Diem, and Nue. Audio recording available
Eden Hazard is a professional footballer who currently plays for Real Madrid and has served as the captain of the Belgium national team since 2015. During the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he led the national team to a third place finish (the country’s best result of all time) and won the Silver Ball for the tournament. Further reading
Audrey Hepburn is a native of Ixelles, Belgium, however she grew-up mainly in England and the Netherlands. She is one of the most well-known actresses of the twentieth century and starred in iconic films like Roman Holiday (1953), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), and Sabrina (1954). Further reading
Romelu Lukaku is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A team Inter Milan and the Belgium national team. He is Belgium’s top scorer of all-time, having scored sixty-four goals. With his club team, he helped win the Serie A title in 2021 and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. Further reading
René Magritte is an influential surrealist artist who painted predominantly in the first half of the twentieth century. His most recognizable work is The Son of Man, a depiction of Magritte himself in an overcoat and a green apple covering most of his visage. Other successful works include The Menaced Assassin and The Treachery of Images. The Magritte Museum in Brussels is dedicated to the artist’s legacy. Further reading
Yolande Moreau is a Belgian comedian, actress and director. She won three Césars: best first film in 2005, for Quand la mer monte ... and best actress, for the role of Irene in the same film, and for that of Séraphine de Senlis in Séraphine, in 2009. She is to date the only Belgian actress to have won this award twice. His father, a Walloon, is a timber merchant; her mother, Flemish, is a housewife, Yolande is the second of their four daughters. At twenty, alone with two young children, Yolande Moreau was hired in a children's theater in the City of Brussels. Further reading
Georges Prosper Remi, widely known as Hergé, is perhaps the most acclaimed cartoonist in Europe. He is best known for his bande dessinée series The Adventures of Tintin, which focuses on the travels of a young reporter named Tintin and his dog Snowy. Further reading
Georges Simenon, born in Liège, was an author who produced nearly five hundred novels throughout his life. His numerous works encompass a diversity of genres like romance, crime, erotica, and psychological thrillers. He is best known for creating Detective Jules Maigret who appears in seventy-five novels and twenty-eight short stories over the course of several decades. Further reading
Stromae as Paul Van Haver is known on stage, is a singer and songwriter who specializes in electronic and hip hop music. He is best known for his 2013 album Racine Carrée, which spawned some of his most recognizable songs like “Papaoutai”, “Formidable”, and “Tous les mêmes.” The album achieved significant commercial success in both francophone and non-francophone countries, and is one of the best-selling, most critically acclaimed albums written and sung in the French-language. Further reading
Jean-Claude Van Damme is an actor, martial artist, and filmmaker from Brussels. He has earned a black belt in Shōtōkan Karate and has starred in an abundance of late twentieth- century blockbuster action films like Bloodsport (1988), Kickboxer (1989), Universal Soldier (1992), and Timecop (1994). Further reading
Angèle Van Laeken better known by her stage name, Angèle, is a contemporary singer from Uccle, a municipality in the Brussels Capital Region. She came to prominence in the francophone world for her debut studio album Brol. Angèle looks up to Ella Fitzgerald and Hélène Ségara for musical inspiration as well as the musical genres like electronic music and rap. Some of the most popular songs from the album include “Balance ton quoi,” “Tout oublier,” and “La loi de Murphy.” Audio recording available
