Famous People

The following is a list of prominent Latvians. It includes those of Latvian descent (regardless of their place of birth or citizenship) and those who were born in the historical territory of what is now Latvia (regardless of ethnicity or citizenship).

• Abraham Isaac Kook (1864-1935) - Ashkenazi chief rabbi
• Aivars Gipslis (1937-2000) - chess player
• Alberts Kviesis (1881-1944) - president
• Aleksandrs Caks (1901-1950) - poet
• Aleksandrs Isakovs (1973) - soccer player
• Aleksandrs Koblencs (1916-1993) - chess player
• Aleksandrs Kovalevskis (1840-1901) - zoologist
• Aleksandrs Voitkevics (1963-2006) - chess player
• Aleksejs Sirovs (1972) - chess grandmaster
• Aleksis Dreimanis (1914) - geologist
• Alex Vanags-Baginskis (1927) - aviation author/editor
• Alexander Liepa (1919-2000) - inventor, artist
• Alvis Vitolins (1946-1997) - chess master
• Andrejs Grants (1955) - photographer
• Andrejs Pumpurs (1841-1901) - poet, author of Latvian national epic Lacplesis
• Andrievs Niedra (1871-1941) - pastor, writer, prime minister of German puppet government (1919)
• Andris Biedrins (1986) - basketball player, NBA team Warriors
• Andris Piebalgs (1957) - politician, diplomat, European Commissioner for Energy
• Andris Skele (1958) - politician, Prime Minister of Latvia
• Arkadij Naiditsch (1985) - chess player, now resident in Germany
• Aron Nimzowitsch (1886-1935) - influential chess player
• Artis Pabriks (1966) - Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Arturs Irbe (1967) - ice hockey player (NHL), goalkeeper
• Atis Kronvalds (1837-1875) - teacher and journalist, reformed the Latvian language, organised the first Latvian Song and Dance Festival
• Brunis Rubess (1926) - businessman
• Bruno Kalnins (1899-1990) - Saeima member, Red Army General
• Dainis Kula (1959) - athlete (Olympic gold medal in javelin)
• Eduard Berzin (1894-1938) - soldier in the Red Army, later Head of Dalstroy, the Kolyma forced-labour camps in North-Eastern Siberia
• Eduards Berklavs (1914-2004) - politician, leader of Latvian national-communists
• Eduards Veidenbaums (1867-1892) - Latvian poet.
• Eduards Veidenbaums (1867-1892) - poet and translator
• Einars Repse (1961) - politician
• Eizens Leimanis (1905-1992) - mathematician
• Elmars Zemgalis (1923) - chess player
• Elvira Ozolina (1939) - athlete (Olympic gold medal in javelin)
• Elza Rozenberga (1865-1943) - poet, playwright, married to Janis Plieksans
• Emils Darzins (1875-1910) - composer
• Ernests Blanks (1894-1972) - Latvian publicist, writer, historian, the first to publicly advocate for Latvia's independence
• Ernests Stalbergs (1883-1958) - architect, ensemble of the Freedom Monument
• Evgenijs Millers (1867-1938) - czarist Russian general
• Evgeny Sveshnikov (1950) - chess player
• Fred Norris (1955) - radio personality
• Fricis Apsenieks (1894-1941) - chess player
• Fricis Rokpelnis (1909-1969) - author
• Friedrich Zander (1887-1933) - pioneer of rocketry and spaceflight
• Gidon Kremer (1947) - violinist and conductor
• Gregors Fitelbergs (1879-1953) - conductor, composer and violinist
• Gunars Astra (1931-1988) - dissident, fighter for human rights
• Gunnar Birkerts (1925) - architect
• Guntis Ulmanis (1939) - president
• Gustavs Celmins (1899-1968) - fascist politician, leader of Perkonkrusts movement
• Gustavs Klucis (1895-1938) - painter and graphic designer
• Gustavs Zemgals (1871-1939) - president
• Gustavs Zemgals (1871-1939) - president
• Helmuts Balderis (1952) - ice hockey player, forward
• Hermanis Matisons (1894-1932) - chess player
• Himans Blums (1913) - painter
• Igors Vihrovs (1978) - gymnast, gold medallist at Sydney Olympics in 2000.
• Imants Zemzaris (1951) - contemporary composer
• Indulis Emsis (1952) - politician
• Inese Galante (1954) - opera singer (soprano)
• Inese Jaunzeme (1932) - athlete
• Inga Drozdova (1975) - model and actress
• Inta Ruka (1958) - photographer
• Isaiah Berlin (1909-1997) - philosopher
• Isaks Nahmans Steinbergs (1888-1957) - politician, lawyer and author
• Ivans de Kolongs (1839-1901) - naval engineer
• Janis Balodis (1950) - Australian playwright
• Janis Cakste (1859-1927) - first Latvian president
• Janis Dalins (1904-1978) - athlete, race walker
• Janis Lusis (1939) - only athlete (javelin) in Latvia to have a complete set of Olympic medals (gold, silver, bronze)
• Janis Plieksans, 1865-1929), writer
• Janis Pujats (1930) - Roman Catholic cardinal
• Janis Roberts Tilbergs (1880-1972) - painter, sculptor
• Jazeps Vitols (1863-1948) - composer
• Jekabs Ketlers (1610-1682) - Duke of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia
• Jekabs Mihaels Reinholds Lenc (1751-1792) - author
• Jukums Vacietis (1873-1938) - first commander of the Soviet Army
• Julijs Vanags (1903-1984) - author and translator
• Juris Hartmanis (1928) - computer scientist, Turing Award winner
• Juris Kronbergs (1946) - poet, writer, freelance journalist, translator
• Juris Podnieks (1950-1992) - film director, producer
• Juris Rubenis (1961) - famous Lutheran pastor
• Karlis Baumanis (1835-1905) - composer, author of the national anthem of the Republic of Latvia "Dievs, sveti Latviju!" (God bless Latvia!)
• Karlis Betins (1867-1943) - chess player
• Karlis Goppers (1876-1941) - general, founder of Latvian Boy Scouts
• Karlis Milenbahs (1853-1916) - linguist
• Karlis Padegs (1911-1940, Riga) graphic artist, painter
• Karlis Skalbe (1879-1945) - poet
• Karlis Ulmanis (1877-1942) - prime minister
• Karlis Zale (1888-1942) - sculptor, author of the Freedom Monument in Riga
• Kaspars Kambala (1978) - basketball player
• Kaspars Petrovs (1978) - serial killer
• Konstantin Sokolsky (1904-1991) - romance and tango singer
• Krisjanis Barons (1835-1923) - "the father of Latvian folk songs", who compiled and edited the first publication of Latvian folk-song texts "Latvju Dainas" (1894-1915)
• Krisjanis Berkis (1884-1942) - general
• Krisjanis Valdemars (1825-1891) - public figure, writer, publicist and economist
• Laila Freivalds (1942) - Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Lina Stern (1878-1968) - biologist and social activist
• Lolita Ritmanis (1962, Portland) - orchestrator, composer
• Makss Veinreihs (1893-1969) - linguist
• Marian Pahars (1976) - soccer player
• Marija Naumova (1973) - variety singer, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 under her stage name Marie N
• Maris Verpakovskis (1979) - soccer player
• Mariss Jansons (1943) - conductor
• Mark Rothko (1903-1970) - abstract expressionist painter
• Martins Rubenis (1978) - sportsman, bronze medallist at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin
• Mihails Eizensteins (1867-1921) - architect
• Mihails Tals (1936-1992) - the 8th World Chess Champion
• Mikelis Valters (1874-1968) - state official, journalist, diplomat
• Mikhail Baryshnikov (1948) - ballet-dancer
• Modris Eksteins (1943) - historian and writer
• Morris Halle (1923) - linguist
• Movsas Feigins (1908-1950) - chess player
• Natalie Gulbis (1983) - Latvian-descent LPGA golfer
• Nikolajs Loskijs (1870-1965) - philosopher
• Oskars Kalpaks (1882-1919) - colonel, first Commander of Latvian National Armed Forces
• Pauls Valdens (1863-1957) - chemist
• Peteris Stucka (1865-1932) - author, translator, editor, jurist and educator
• Peteris Vasks (1946) - contemporary composer
• Philippe Halsman (1906-1979) - Latvian/American photographer
• Raimonds Pauls (1936) - composer,
• Renars Kaupers (1974) - musician
• Rihards Zarins (1869-1939) - graphic artist
• Roberts Dambitis (1881-1957) - general and politician
• Romans Vainsteins (1973) - former pro cyclist, World Road Champion in 2000
• Rutanya Alda, born Rutanya Skrastina (1942) - actress (Mommy Dearest, Deer Hunter)
• Sandis Ozolins (1972) - ice hockey player (NHL), defense
• Sandis Prusis (1965) - athlete, bobsleigh
• Sandra Freiberga (1961) - journalist and TV personality
• Sandra Kalniete (1952) - politician, diplomat, former Latvia's EU commissioner
• Sergejs Eizensteins (1898-1948) - film director
• Sergejs Žoltoks (1972-2004) - ice hockey player (NHL), forward
• Stanislavs Olijars (1979) - athlete (European champion in 110m Hurdles)
• Stanislavs Svianievics (1899-1997) - economist and historian
• Uljana Semjonova (1952) - tallest female basketball player in the Olympic history, 3-time World Champion
• Vaira Vike-Freiberga (1937) - president
• Valdemars Ozolins (1896-1973) - composer, conductor
• Valdis Valters - one basketball player
• Valdis Zeps (1932-1996) - author and linguist, pseudonym Janis Turbads
• Valters Caps (1905-2003) - designed first Minox 8 x 11 photocameras
• Vija Artmane (1929) - actress
• Vija Celmins (1938) - American painter born in Latvia
• Viktors Alksnis (1950) - Soviet military officer and Russian politician known as "the Black Colonel"
• Viktors Scerbatihs (1974) - athlete, weightlifter
• Vilis Lacis (1904-1966) - author and politician
• Vizma Belsevica (1931-2005) - author, candidate for Nobel Prize in Literature
• Vladimirs Petrovs (1907-1943) - chess player
• Wilhelm Ostwald (1853-1932) - received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1909 for his work on catalysis, chemical equilibria and reaction velocities
• Zigfrids Anna Meierovics (1887-1925) - first Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs