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)
Birthdate: September 30, 1997
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Hasselt, Flanders, Belgium
2
Gotye(Founding Member of The Melbourne Indie-Pop Trio 'The Basics')
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)
Birthdate: October 29, 1998
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
4
Rene Magritte(Belgian Surrealist Artist, Who Became Well Known for Creating a Number of Witty and Thought-Provoking Images)
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)
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)
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’)
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)
Birthdate: 1991
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: La Louvière, Belgium
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
Birthdate: June 28, 1991
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Drongen, Ghent, Belgium
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
10
Thibaut Courtois
(Belgian Football Goalkeeper)
Birthdate: May 11, 1992
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Bree, Belgium
Height: 6'7" (201 cm)
Birthdate: April 9, 1835
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
Died: December 17, 1909
Birthdate: March 12, 1985
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Etterbeek, Brussels, Belgium
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
13
Vincent Kompany
(Retired Belgian Football Centre-Back)
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)
Birthdate: June 17, 1945
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Meensel-Kiezegem, Belgium
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
15
Divock Origi
(Belgian Professional Football Forward)
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)
Birthdate: April 8, 1929
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Schaerbeek, Belgium
Died: October 9, 1978
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')
Birthdate: December 8, 1977
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Antwerp, Belgium
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
19
Hergé(Cartoonist (Creator of Tintin))
Birthdate: May 22, 1907
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Etterbeek, Belgium
Died: March 3, 1983
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
Birthdate: November 6, 1479
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Toledo, Spain
Died: April 12, 1555
21
Adnan Januzaj
(Belgian Footballer Who Plays as a Winger)
Birthdate: February 5, 1995
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
22
Toby Alderweireld
(Belgian Football Defender)
Birthdate: March 2, 1989
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Antwerp, Belgium
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
23
Jan Vertonghen
(Belgian Football Central Defender)
Birthdate: April 24, 1987
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
24
Youri Tielemans
(Belgian Professional Football Midfielder)
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)
Birthdate: January 1, 1996
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Duffel, Belgium
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
Birthdate: December 31, 1514
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
Died: October 15, 1564
Birthdate: December 16, 1790
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Coburg, Germany
Died: December 10, 1865
Birthdate: July 17, 1894
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Charleroi, Belgium
Died: June 20, 1966
Birthdate: November 6, 1814
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Dinant
Died: February 7, 1894
Birthdate: July 22, 1478
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Bruges, Belgium
Died: September 25, 1506
31
Dries Mertens
(Belgian Professional Football Striker)
Birthdate: May 6, 1987
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Leuven, Belgium
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
32
Yannick Carrasco
(Belgian Football Winger and Wing-Back)
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)
Birthdate: July 22, 1959
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Agadir, Morocco
34
Baudouin of Belgium
(King of the Belgians (1951 - 1993))
Birthdate: September 7, 1930
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Château du Stuyvenberg, Brussels, Belgium
Died: July 31, 1993
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)
Birthdate: August 2, 1989
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Liège, Belgium
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
Birthdate: April 8, 1875
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
Died: February 17, 1934
38
Jacky Ickx
(Belgian Retired Racing Driver)
Birthdate: April 1, 1945
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
39
Abraham Ortelius
(Flemish Cartographer Who Created the World's First Modern Atlas)
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)
Birthdate: October 14, 1801
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Brussels
Died: September 15, 1883
41
Michy Batshuayi
(Belgian Football Striker)
Birthdate: October 2, 1993
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
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)
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)
Birthdate: May 4, 1988
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Antwerp, Belgium
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
45
Thomas Vermaelen
(Retired Belgian Football Centre-Back)
Birthdate: November 14, 1985
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Kapellen, Flanders, Belgium
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
46
Mousa Dembélé
(Retired Belgian Football Midfielder)
Birthdate: July 16, 1987
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Wilrijk, Belgium
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
47
Toots Thielemans
(Jazz Musician)
Birthdate: April 29, 1922
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
Died: August 22, 2016
Birthdate: November 3, 1901
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
Died: September 25, 1983
49
Patrick Bauchau
(Belgian Actor)
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’)
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.