Famous Macedonian People

Counted amongst the greatest military commanders of all times, Alexander the Great successfully created one of the largest empires—from Macedonia to Persia and India—of the ancient world. The son of King of Macedonia, Philip II, he ascended the throne at the age of 20 and achieved unprecedented success before he died at the age of 33.  

Also known as Justinian the Great, Justinian I was the Eastern Roman emperor from 527 to 565. Even though he came from a peasant family, he was well educated in jurisprudence, theology, and Roman history. As emperor, he was known to be highly energetic and ambitious. He brought about several judicial reforms in his kingdom.

Rade Šerbedžija is a Croatian actor, musician, and director. One of the best known Croatian actors of the 1970s and 1980s, Šerbedžija has also achieved international fame by appearing in popular films like Mission: Impossible 2, X-Men: First Class, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:Part 1. Rade Šerbedžija is considered one of the finest Croatian actors of his generation.

Ptolemy I Soter was a trusted companion of Alexander the Great of the Kingdom of Macedon. He later became the pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt and was the founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty. He turned Egypt into a Hellenistic kingdom and Alexandria into a center of Greek culture. He is also credited to have built the Library of Alexandria.

Parmenion was a Macedonian military general who served under Alexander the Great and Philip II of Macedon. Parmenion played an important role in the expansion of Macedonia under Philip II. He also fought alongside Alexander the Great in several battles such as the Battle of the Granicus, Battle of Issus, and Battle of Gaugamela. 

Branimir Štulić is a Yugoslav musician, singer, songwriter, and author. He is best known for his association with the famous Yugoslav rock group Azra, where he performed as the frontman. Renowned for his charismatic stage performances, Branimir Štulić often incorporated social commentary into his lyrics, becoming a cult figure in his home country.

Demetrius I of Macedon was a Macedonian military leader and nobleman. He is best remembered for serving as the king of Macedonia from 294 to 288 BC. The son of Stratonice and Antigonus I Monophthalmus, Demetrius was the first member from the Antigonid dynasty to rule Macedonia.  

Macedonian king of the 4th century, Antigonus I Monophthalmus was initially a military general under Alexander the Great. He founded the Macedonian Antigonid dynasty and was known for his efficient military strategies. He is remembered for his role in the Wars of the Diadochi and has appeared in prominent historical fiction.

Filiz Ahmet is a Macedonian-Turkish actress known for playing Zarife and Nigar Kalfa in Elveda Rumeli and Muhteşem Yüzyıl respectively. Ahmet, who started her career as a stage actress, went on to establish herself as a prominent TV and film actress. The fact that Filiz Ahmet can speak multiple languages, including English, Albanian, and Swedish, has helped advance her career.

Tijana Dapcevic is a Macedonian-Serbian singer who represented Macedonia at the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest in Denmark. Tijana Dapčević has achieved immense popularity in Serbia and her songs have been covered by popular singers from countries like Poland and Croatia.

 Macedonian-Bulgarian writer, teacher and translator Grigor Parlichev is best-known for works like O Armatolos and 1762 leto. O Armatolos, written in Greek, won Parlichev 1st prize at Athens University Poetry Competition (1860). He held several academic positions, was an initiator of Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki, part of the Bulgarian Renaissance and since the late-1860’s wrote only in Bulgarian. 

Blaže Koneski was a Macedonian writer, poet, linguistic scholar, and literary translator. He made an immense contribution to the codification of the Macedonian language. Koneski also played a key role in shaping Macedonian literature, although he has been criticized for serbianizing the Macedonian language. During his career, he won many literary prizes, including the Njegoš prize and AVNOJ prize.