Famous Belgian Men

A small country in Western Europe, Belgium has been home to some of the world renowned artists, musicians, sports personnel, inventors, scientists, literary giants and fashion designers, who have greatly contributed to country’s political, economic and cultural panorama. If you don’t believe us, then read ahead. Imagine growing up without reading Georges Remi’s TinTin Adventures or watching the film ‘The Muscles from Brussels’ without Jean Claude van Damme or even listening to a musical piece without Adolphe Sax’s invention saxophone! Have your eyes opened wide enough? Surely, for all of them are famous Belgian men, who, through their work, have touched our lives in more ways than one. But that is not all when we talk about famous Belgian men for the list goes long and wide.

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 1 
Max Verstappen
(Belgian-Dutch Motorsports Racing Driver)
Max Verstappen
63
Birthdate: September 30, 1997
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Hasselt, Flanders, Belgium
 2 
Gotye
(Founding Member of The Melbourne Indie-Pop Trio 'The Basics')
Gotye
21
Birthdate: May 21, 1980
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Bruges, Belgium
Height: 6'4" (193 cm)
 3 
Lance Stroll
(Canadian-Belgian Motorsport Racer Who Competes for Canada in Formula One)
Lance Stroll
14
Birthdate: October 29, 1998
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
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 4 
Rene Magritte
(Belgian Surrealist Artist, Who Became Well Known for Creating a Number of Witty and Thought-Provoking Images)
Rene Magritte
11
Birthdate: November 21, 1898
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Lessines, Belgium
Died: August 15, 1967
 5 
Peter Paul Rubens
(One of the Most Influential Artists of the Flemish Baroque Tradition)
Peter Paul Rubens
8
Birthdate: June 28, 1577
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Siegen, Germany
Died: May 30, 1640
 6 
Romelu Lukaku
(Belgian Professional Football Player Who Plays as a Striker)
Romelu Lukaku
70
Birthdate: May 13, 1993
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Antwerp, Belgium
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
 7 
Jean-Claude Van Damme
(Actor Who is Best Known for His Martial Arts Action Movies ‘Bloodsport’, ‘Cyborg’ and ‘Kickboxer’)
Jean-Claude Van Damme
66
Birthdate: October 18, 1960
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Sint-Agatha-Berchem, Belgium
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
 8 
Eden Hazard
(Belgian Professional Football Player Who Plays as a Winger /Attacking Midfielder)
Eden Hazard
57
Birthdate: 1991
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: La Louvière, Belgium
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
 9 
Kevin De Bruyne
(Belgian Professional Footballer Who Plays as a Midfielder)
Kevin De Bruyne
42
Birthdate: June 28, 1991
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Drongen, Ghent, Belgium
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 10 
Thibaut Courtois
(Belgian Football Goalkeeper)
Thibaut Courtois
20
Birthdate: May 11, 1992
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Bree, Belgium
Height: 6'7" (201 cm)
 11 
Leopold II of Belgium
(Former King of the Belgians (1865 - 1909))
Leopold II of Belgium
29
Birthdate: April 9, 1835
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
Died: December 17, 1909
 12 
Stromae
(Rapper)
Stromae
21
Birthdate: March 12, 1985
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Etterbeek, Brussels, Belgium
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
 13 
Vincent Kompany
(Retired Belgian Football Centre-Back)
Vincent Kompany
10
Birthdate: April 10, 1986
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Uccle, Belgium
Height: 6'4" (193 cm)
 14 
Eddy Merckx
(Belgian Former Professional Road and Track Bicycle Racer)
Eddy Merckx
7
Birthdate: June 17, 1945
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Meensel-Kiezegem, Belgium
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 15 
Divock Origi
(Belgian Professional Football Forward)
Divock Origi
8
Birthdate: April 18, 1995
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Ostend, Belgium
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 16 
Jacques Brel
(Actor & One of the Best-Selling Belgian Recording Artists of All Time)
Jacques Brel
12
Birthdate: April 8, 1929
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Schaerbeek, Belgium
Died: October 9, 1978
 17 
Charles Martel
(Military Leader)
Charles Martel
13
Birthdate: 0686 AD
Birthplace: Herstal
Died: October 22, 0741
 18 
Matthias Schoenaerts
(Belgian Actor Best Known for His Role as ‘Jacky Vanmarsenille’ in the Film ‘Bullhead')
Matthias Schoenaerts
5
Birthdate: December 8, 1977
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Antwerp, Belgium
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 19 
Hergé
(Cartoonist (Creator of Tintin))
Hergé
4
Birthdate: May 22, 1907
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Etterbeek, Belgium
Died: March 3, 1983
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
 20 
Joanna of Castile
(Former Queen of Castile (1504 - 1555))
Joanna of Castile
5
Birthdate: November 6, 1479
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Toledo, Spain
Died: April 12, 1555
 21 
Adnan Januzaj
(Belgian Footballer Who Plays as a Winger)
Adnan Januzaj
10
Birthdate: February 5, 1995
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 22 
Toby Alderweireld
(Belgian Football Defender)
Toby Alderweireld
9
Birthdate: March 2, 1989
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Antwerp, Belgium
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 23 
Jan Vertonghen
(Belgian Football Central Defender)
Jan Vertonghen
5
Birthdate: April 24, 1987
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 24 
Youri Tielemans
(Belgian Professional Football Midfielder)
Youri Tielemans
20
Birthdate: May 7, 1997
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 25 
Andreas Pereira
(Belgian-Born Footballer Who Plays as a Midfielder for Brazil)
Andreas Pereira
1
Birthdate: January 1, 1996
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Duffel, Belgium
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
 26 
Andreas Vesalius
(Founding Father of the Modern Human Anatomy)
Andreas Vesalius
5
Birthdate: December 31, 1514
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
Died: October 15, 1564
 27 
Leopold I of Belgium
(First King of the Belgians (1831 - 1865))
Leopold I of Belgium
7
Birthdate: December 16, 1790
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Coburg, Germany
Died: December 10, 1865
 28 
Georges Lemaître
(Scientist & Priest)
Georges Lemaître
4
Birthdate: July 17, 1894
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Charleroi, Belgium
Died: June 20, 1966
 29 
Adolphe Sax
(Inventor of Saxophone)
Adolphe Sax
5
Birthdate: November 6, 1814
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Dinant
Died: February 7, 1894
 30 
Philip I of Castile
(King of Castile)
Philip I of Castile
3
Birthdate: July 22, 1478
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Bruges, Belgium
Died: September 25, 1506
 31 
Dries Mertens
(Belgian Professional Football Striker)
Dries Mertens
6
Birthdate: May 6, 1987
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Leuven, Belgium
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
 32 
Yannick Carrasco
(Belgian Football Winger and Wing-Back)
Yannick Carrasco
9
Birthdate: September 4, 1993
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Vilvoorde, Belgium
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 33 
Moncef Slaoui
(Moroccan-Born Belgian-American Scientist Who Led Operation Warp Speed)
Moncef Slaoui
4
Birthdate: July 22, 1959
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Agadir, Morocco
 34 
Baudouin of Belgium
(King of the Belgians (1951 - 1993))
Baudouin of Belgium
2
Birthdate: September 7, 1930
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Château du Stuyvenberg, Brussels, Belgium
Died: July 31, 1993
 35 
Raf Simons
(Belgian Fashion Designer)
Raf Simons
0
Birthdate: January 12, 1968
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Neerpelt, Belgium
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 36 
Nacer Chadli
(Belgian Footballer Who Plays as a Winger)
Nacer Chadli
5
Birthdate: August 2, 1989
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Liège, Belgium
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 37 
Albert I of Belgium
(Former King of the Belgians (1909 - 1934))
Albert I of Belgium
11
Birthdate: April 8, 1875
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
Died: February 17, 1934
 38 
Jacky Ickx
(Belgian Retired Racing Driver)
Jacky Ickx
1
Birthdate: April 1, 1945
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
 39 
Abraham Ortelius
(Flemish Cartographer Who Created the World's First Modern Atlas)
Abraham Ortelius
1
Birthdate: April 14, 1527
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Antwerp
Died: June 28, 1598
 40 
Joseph Plateau
(Belgian Physicist & Mathematician - One of the First People to Demonstrate the Illusion of a Moving Image)
Joseph Plateau
2
Birthdate: October 14, 1801
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Brussels
Died: September 15, 1883
 41 
Michy Batshuayi
(Belgian Football Striker)
Michy Batshuayi
15
Birthdate: October 2, 1993
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 42 
Anthony van Dyck
(Flemish Baroque Artist)
Anthony van Dyck
2
Birthdate: March 22, 1599
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Antwerp, Belgium
Died: December 9, 1641
 43 
Georges Simenon
(One of the Most Widely Published Authors of the 20th Century)
Georges Simenon
2
Birthdate: February 13, 1903
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Liège, Belgium
Died: September 4, 1989
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
 44 
Radja Nainggolan
(Belgian Football Midfielder)
Radja Nainggolan
8
Birthdate: May 4, 1988
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Antwerp, Belgium
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 45 
Thomas Vermaelen
(Retired Belgian Football Centre-Back)
Thomas Vermaelen
2
Birthdate: November 14, 1985
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Kapellen, Flanders, Belgium
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 46 
Mousa Dembélé
(Retired Belgian Football Midfielder)
Mousa Dembélé
3
Birthdate: July 16, 1987
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Wilrijk, Belgium
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 47 
Toots Thielemans
(Jazz Musician)
Toots Thielemans
0
Birthdate: April 29, 1922
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
Died: August 22, 2016
 48 
Leopold III of Belgium
(King of Belgium from 1934 to 1951)
Leopold III of Belgium
6
Birthdate: November 3, 1901
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
Died: September 25, 1983
 49 
Patrick Bauchau
(Belgian Actor)
Patrick Bauchau
1
Birthdate: December 6, 1938
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
 50 
Plastic Bertrand
(Belgian Musician Best Known for His 1977 International Hit Single ‘Ça plane pour moi’)
Plastic Bertrand
0
Birthdate: February 24, 1954
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium

Father of oil painting, Jan Van Eyck, world famous baroque player Peter Paul Rubens, architectural giant Victor Horta, legendary harmonica player Jean ‘Toots’ Thielemans, sports hero Eddy Merckx, creator of synthetic rubber Reverend Julius Nieuwland, eminent bacteriologist Jules Bordet, celebrated fashion designer Dries Van Noten all call Belgium their home. Now, are you stunned? Go through this section and find out more about famous Belgian men, their life and works.