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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.
Nacer Chadli is a Belgian football player who plays as a midfielder for the Belgium national team. In 2018, he helped his nation win the bronze medal at the FIFA World Cup in Russia. Nacer Chadli also represented Belgium at the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship. A versatile midfielder, Nacer Chadli has also played for popular clubs like Tottenham Hotspur.
Eugène Ysaÿe was a Belgian virtuoso violinist, conductor, and composer. Referred to as The King of the Violin, Ysaÿe is best remembered for his finely honed technique which was without the shortcomings of violinists before Eugène Ysaÿe. He is also remembered for his great interpretations of Bach and Beethoven as well as early modern composers like César Franck.
Georges Simenon was a Belgian writer who published nearly 500 novels during his illustrious career that spanned several years. Simenon is credited with creating one of the most popular fictional detectives of all time, Jules Maigret. A self-proclaimed Casanova, Simenon claimed in 1977 to have had sex with 10,000 women since his 13th birthday.
Belgian actor and theatre director Mehdi Dehbi is best known for his acting in films The Other Son, Mary Queen of Scots and A Most Wanted Man. In recent times, he starred in the lead role in the Netflix thriller series Messiah. He has also performed in stage plays and has also directed a play titled Les Justes.
Cesar Franck was a Belgian-born French Romantic composer, organist, pianist, and music teacher. Franck, who worked in Paris, is credited with popularizing new instruments made by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll all over France. From 1858 until his death in 1890, Franck also served as an organist at the Basilica of Saint Clotilde in Paris. Franck also taught future composers like Vincent d'Indy.
Kevin Mirallas is a Belgian football player who plays as a midfielder. Mirallas represented the Belgium national football team from 2007 to 2018, during which he competed in important tournaments including the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Renowned for his passing ability and pace, Kevin Mirallas has also played for popular clubs like Olympiacos and Everton.
Belgian footballer Axel Witsel plays as a midfielder for the Spanish club Atlético Madrid. Starting his senior career with Standard Liège, he later had successful stints with teams such as the Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg and the German club Borussia Dortmund. He also played in the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups.
Jean-Marc Bosman is a Belgian retired football player best known for his judicial challenge, which led to the famous and important Bosman ruling in 1995. This landmark judgement concerning the football transfer rules allowed football players within the European Union to move to another club hassle-free at the end of their current contract.
Jean-Michel Saive is a Belgian former table tennis player best known for competing in seven successive Olympic Games between 1988 and 2012. He won two silver medals at World Championships and six medals at the European Championships during his career. Jean-Michel Saive achieved popularity in 1994 when he won a gold medal at the European Championships in Birmingham.
Deborah Francois is a Belgian actress best known for her performance in the 2005 Palme d'Or-winning film L'Enfant. She is also known for her portrayal of Fleur Duval in the 2008 French comedy-drama film The First Day of the Rest of Your Life which earned her the César Award under the Most Promising Actress category.
Jean-François Gillet is a Belgian former football player who played as a goalkeeper for the Belgium national football team from 2009 to 2013. He also played for clubs like Bari and Bologna during his playing career. Jean-François Gillet is currently working as a goalkeeping coach for Standard Liège.
Guillaume Gillet is a Belgian football player who played for the Belgium national football team from 2007 to 2016. He currently plays for Anderlecht and has previously played for other popular clubs like Olympiacos and Gent. Guillaume Gillet was part of a successful Anderlecht team from 2008 to 2015, during which the team won many trophies including the Belgian Cup.
Prix Romy Schneider-winning Belgian actor Marie Gillain is best known for films such as Mon Pere Ce Heros and All Our Desires. She has also been the face of Lancôme cosmetics and played the lead female character in John Malkovich's play Hysteria. She sang the duet Les figures imposes, too.
Noël Godin is a Belgian writer, actor, and critic. A notorious pie thrower, Godin achieved international fame in 1998 when he surprised Bill Gates in Brussels by throwing a pie on the software magnate. Noël Godin is credited with popularizing the so called pie attacks in Belgium.
Retired Belgian tennis player Steve Darcis has had a career-high ranking of 38 in singles. A 2-time Olympian, he also earned 2 ATP titles. The son of a sports instructor mother and a tennis coach father, he was no stranger to sports as a child. He retired due to a persistent elbow pain.
Joseph Jongen was a Belgian composer, organist, and music educator. Jongen started composing at age 13 and continued well into his 70s. He composed a great deal and produced gems like Symphonie Concertante of 1926. From 1925 to 1939, he also served as the director at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels where he had been teaching a technique called fugue.
Winner of the French realty television show, À la Recherche de la Nouvelle Star, celebrated pop singer Jonatan Cerrada was born and raised in Belgium, but currently resides in Bali, Indonesia. A multilingual and a child progeny, he speaks fluent French, Spanish, English and basic Indonesian.
André Grétry was a composer best remembered for his opéras comiques. Although he was born in present-day Belgium, Grétry took French nationality and worked in France for most part of his life. While he was still alive, a commemorative statue was commissioned by Hippolyte, comte de Livry in 1804. The statue is now part of the Met in New York.
Bertholet Flemalle was a Liège Baroque painter who studied under Gerard Douffet and Henri Trippet. He is credited with carrying out elaborate decorative work at the Palace of Versailles. He also served at the Royal Academy of Paris as a professor after being appointed by Louis XIV. Bertholet Flemalle is credited with teaching future painters like Gerard de Lairesse.
Two-time prime minister of Belgium, Walthère Frère-Orban was a strong supporter of free trade. A Liberal Party member, he also established the Banque Nationale and did away with the newspaper tax. He also angered the Vatican by promoting secular primary education. He also penned works such as Le question monétaire.
