Famous Belgian Women

Known as the Female Federer, Belgian tennis legend Justine Henin is a former world number 1 in singles. Apart from winning an Olympic gold medal, she also won Belgium its first Fed Cup title and won 7 Grand Slam titles. She was one of those rare female players who used a single-handed backhand.

Belgian tennis legend Kim Clijsters is a former world number 1 in both singles and doubles. The 4-time Grand Slam winner retired thrice in her career, in 2007, in 2012, and eventually, for good, in 2020. She has also been associated with charitable initiatives and has founded Ten4Kim to help financially weak junior players.

Lara Fabian is a Canadian-Belgian musician, singer, songwriter, and actress. One of the best-selling Belgian music artists ever, Fabian has sold more than 20 million records all over the world. Over the course of her career, she has won many prestigious awards, such as Félix Awards and World Music Awards.

Cécile de France is a Belgian actress who achieved international prominence for her performance in films like High Tension and Hereafter. One of the most celebrated and popular Belgian actresses of her generation, Cécile de France has won many prestigious awards including two César Awards and multiple Magritte Award nominations.

Eline Powell is a Belgian actress who achieved international recognition in 2018 when she was cast to play the title role in the American fantasy drama TV series Siren which ran from 2018 to 2020. Eline Powell has also appeared in other popular TV series like Game of Thrones. 

As Charles the Bold’s daughter, Mary of Burgundy, was also known as Mary the Rich, for her affluence. While she had a fairy-tale marriage with Archduke Maximilian of Austria and had two children, she died abruptly at age 25, after being thrown from her horse during a hunting trip.

Chantal Akerman was a Belgian screenwriter, film director, and artist. she also served at the City College of New York as a film professor. Best known for her work in the 1975 arthouse film Jeanne Dielman, which was described as a masterpiece by The New York Times, Chantal Akerman had a profound influence on avant-garde cinema.  

With a background as colorful as her art, Princess Delphine of Belgium was known as Jonkvrouw Delphine Boël before she won paternity suit against King Albert II of Belgium and became recognized as his daughter, winning princely title for herself and her children. An established artist in her own right, she continues to create art, promoting its use in healthcare.  

Carlota of Mexico served as the Empress consort of Mexico from 10 April 1864 to 15 May 1867. Her husband Maximilian I of Mexico died at the age of 34 and their relationship has inspired many movies, plays, TV series, and novels.

Mathilde, the present Queen consort of the Belgians, became the first native-born queen in the history of Belgium after her husband Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant ascended to the throne of Belgium in July 2013. Their eldest child, Princess Elisabeth, is the heir apparent to the Belgian throne. The queen has founded and helped charities to reduce poverty in Belgium.

Singer-songwriter Jeanne-Paule Marie Deckers, better known as The Singing Nun, soared to fame with the Billboard-charting track Dominique. She was also a Dominican Order nun, who later took the name Sister Luc Gabriel. She often played the guitar and was accompanied by a chorus of 4 nuns.

Belgian tennis player Elise Mertens has been a world number 1 in doubles and number 12 in singles. A 3-time Grand Slam winner in doubles, she was also the 3rd Belgian female player to reach the last 4 of the Australian Open. She is an animal lover and is fond of learning languages, too.

Rose Bertram is a Belgian model. With her mother’s support and encouragement, she began modeling when she was just 13. At 16, she gained international fame after appearing in a photoshoot with prominent photographer Juergen Teller. Since then, she has campaigned for many international brands and has worked with musician cum visual artist  Tyler, the Creator.  

Charlotte de Witte is a Belgian record producer and DJ best known for her acid techno music and dark brand of minimal techno. She is credited with founding the label KNTXT. Over the years, Charlotte de Witte has won a couple of awards, such as the International Dance Music Awards and DJ Award.

Nafissatou Thiam is a Belgian athlete who achieved popularity in 2016 when she won the gold medal in Heptathlon at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Nafissatou Thiam went on to win another gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, becoming only the second woman to win consecutive Olympic titles in Heptathlon after America's Jackie Joyner-Kersee. 

Princess Stéphanie of Belgium became the Crown Princess of Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia after her marriage to Crown Prince Rudolf, the son of Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I. Following the death of her husband and his mistress in a suicide-murder pact, she married a Hungarian nobleman.

Maggie De Block is a Belgian politician and physician best known for serving as the Minister of Health from 2014 to 2020. An influential politician, Maggie De Block also served as the Minister of Justice in 2014 and Minister of Asylum and Migration from 2018 to 2020.

Lyne Renee is a Belgian actress who achieved national prominence after playing an important role in the 2009 noir-style thriller film The Hessen Conspiracy. Since then, Lyne Renee has appeared in several British and American TV series and films.

Hadise is a Belgian-Turkish singer-songwriter, television personality, and dancer. She achieved popularity with her debut album Sweat which earned her Turkey's Golden Butterfly Award and Belgium's TMF Award. In 2009, she took part in the Eurovision Song Contest where she represented Turkey with the song Düm Tek Tek. Hadise has also appeared on popular TV shows like The X Factor.

Sjokz is a Belgian television reporter, presenter, and esports player. She is the current host of a professional esports league called the League of Legends European Championship. In 2017, she won the Esports Personality of the Year award at the Esports Industry Awards. In 2018 and 2019, she won Best Esports Host award at The Game Awards.

Laura Tesoro is a Belgian actress and singer known for her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 where she represented Belgium with the song What's the Pressure. She is also known for playing Charlotte in the soap opera Familie. Laura Tesoro has also appeared in popular TV shows like The Voice Kids, where she is one of the coaches.

Belgian electronic music producer and DJ Amelie Lens grew up listening to alternative rock and dance music and later became one of the most sought-after DJs of Europe. Apart from performing in clubs and at events, she also arranged her own music nights and parties, under the name EXHALE.

Alexandra David-Néel was a Belgian–French explorer, anarchist, spiritualist, Buddhist, writer, and opera singer. She is best remembered for traveling to important spiritual centers, including Lhasa, Tibet in 1924, when foreigners were forbidden from entering Lhasa. Alexandra David-Néel wrote more than 30 books and her teachings influenced people like Allen Ginsberg, Benjamin Crème, Jack Kerouac, Ram Dass, and Alan Watts.   

Ingrid Vandebosch is a Belgian actress and model. She achieved popularity in 1990 when she was honored with the Elite Look of the Year Award. As a model, Ingrid Vandebosch has been featured in popular magazines like Elle, Marie Claire, Glamour, and Vogue. In 2008, she was featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Selah Sue is a Belgian songwriter and musician who achieved popularity with her debut album Selah Sue which earned her several awards, including the European Border Breakers Award in 2011. The following year, Rolling Stone magazine included Selah Sue in their new faces of 2012 list. Sue released her successful third studio album Persona on 25 March 2022.

Olivia Vinall is a Belgian-born actress who works predominantly for the British TV industry. She is best known for her performance in British series like Apple Tree Yard, The Woman in White, and Queens of Mystery. In 2018, Olivia Vinall was honored with the Stars of Tomorrow award by the Screen International magazine.

Blanche is a Belgian songwriter and singer best known for her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 where she represented Belgium with the song City Lights. Blanche's popularity increased when she finished fourth in the competition and she went on to release her first studio album Empire on 29 May 2020. 

Veerle Baetens is a Belgian singer and actress best known for her portrayal of Elise/Alabama in the 2012 drama film The Broken Circle Breakdown. The film earned her a European Film Award as well as a Best Actress award at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2013.

Nina Derwael is a Belgian artistic gymnast who won a gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games, becoming the first Belgian female gymnast to win an Olympic medal. She has also won gold medals at the World Championships, European Games, and European Championships. Nina Derwael is the first gymnast from Belgium to become a World champion and European champion.

Sand Van Roy is a Dutch actress, activist, model, and stand-up comedienne. Over the years, Sand Van Roy has been vocal about the plight of victims of sexual violence. In 2020, she became Stichting Cassandra foundation's ambassador. The organization supports victims of psychological and sexual violence.

Known as the May Queen for her 34-day stint as the queen of Italy, Queen Maria José of Savoy was the wife of Umberto II, the last Italian king. Following the fall of the monarchy, she went into exile in Switzerland. She also penned several books and worked for the Red Cross.

Emma Meesseman is a Belgian basketball player best known for winning the bronze medal at the 2017 and 2021 EuroBasket. An important player for the national team and many European professional teams, Emma Meesseman was adjudged the FIBA Europe Young Women's Player of the Year in 2011. In 2020, she was named Belgian Sportswoman of the Year.

Belgian singer Geike Arnaert is best known as the lead singer of the multi-genre Belgian band Hooverphonic. While she soared to fame with the chartbusting track Mad About You, she has also contributed to the soundtrack of the movie Breath. She recorded the iconic track Le temps des cerises with Bobbejaan Schoepen.

Belgian singer Natalia first gained fame with the show Idool 2003. She now coaches on The Voice franchise. Her debut single, Without You, was a chartbuster in Belgium. The multiple TMF Award winner is also known for tracks such as You Are So Beautiful and I Survived You.

Jenna Thiam is a Belgian actress best known for her portrayal of Léna Ségure in the French supernatural drama television series The Returned. Jenna Thiam began her career as a model for a clothing company before establishing herself as an actress.

Belgian political theorist and author Chantal Mouffe has also been a professor at the University of Westminster and been a visiting faculty at various prestigious institutes, such as Harvard and Cornell. She is known for her prominent criticism of the idea of deliberative democracy and belongs to the post-Marxist school of contemporary philosophy.

Cleo de Merode was a French dancer whose glamor overshadowed her dancing skills. Often referred to as the first modern celebrity and the first real celebrity icon, de Mérode was also the first female public figure whose pictures were distributed worldwide. She is also remembered for her sculpture La Danseuse which was sculpted from a plaster cast of her body.

Annik Honoré was a Belgian music promoter and journalist. She is best remembered for her relationship with Joy Division's former lead singer, Ian Curtis. Annik Honoré is credited with co-founding popular independent record labels, such as Factory Benelux and Les Disques du Crépuscule.