List of Latvians
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This is a list of famous Latvians
- Dace Akmentiņa (1858-1936) - actress
- Ādolfs Alunāns (1848-1912) - actor, playwright
- Edgars Andersons (Edgar Anderson, 1920-1989) - historian
- Vija Artmane (1929) - actress
- Gunārs Astra (1931-1988) - dissident, fighter for human rights
- Helmuts Balderis (1952) - ice hockey player, forward
- Krišjānis 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)
- Mikhail Baryshnikov (1948) - ballet-dancer
- Karlis Baumanis (1835-1905) - composer, author of the national anthem of the Republic of Latvia "Dievs, svētī Latviju!" (God bless Latvia!)
- Vizma Belševica (1931) - author, candidate for Nobel Prize in Literature
- Eduards Berklavs (1914-2004) - politician, leader of Latvian national-communists
- Isaiah Berlin (1909-1997) - philosopher
- Lilita Bērziņa (1903-1983) - actress
- Alfreds Bilmanis (1887-1948) - politician, diplomat, historian
- Gunārs Birkerts (1925) - architect
- Rūdolfs Blaumanis (1863-1908) - writer and playwright
- Arvīds Blūmentals - the prototype for the Paul Hogan film Crocodile Dundee
- Aleksandrs Čaks (1901-1950) - poet
- Jānis Čakste (1859-1927) - President
- Konstantīns Čakste (1901-1945) - lawyer and politician
- Jānis Cimze (1814-1881) - composer, pedagogue
- Emīls Dārziņš (1875-1910) - composer
- Augusts Deglavs (1862-1922) - writer
- Anatols Dinbergs (1911-1993) - diplomat
- Edgars Dunsdorfs (1904-2002) - historian, publicist and economist
- Indulis Emsis (1952) - politician
- Andrievs (Andrew) Ezergailis (1930) - historian
- Julijs Feldmans (1889-1953) - diplomat
- Laila Freivalds (1942) - Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Lūcija Garūta (1902-1977) - composer
- Aleksandrs Grīns (1895-1941) - writer
- Juris Hartmanis (1928) - computer scientist, Turing Award winner
- Artūrs Irbe (1967) - ice hockey player (NHL), goalkeeper
- Mariss Jansons (1943) - conductor
- Sandra Kalniete (1952) - politician, diplomat, former Latvia`s EU commissionner
- Alberts Kviesis (1881-1944) - president
- Gidon Kremer (1947) - violinist and conductor
- Maris Liepa (1936-1989) - ballet-dancer
- Edgars Liepiņš (1928-1995) - actor
- Pēteris Lūcis (1907-1991) - actor
- Jānis Lūsis (1939), the only athlete (javelin) in Latvia to have a complete Olympic medal set (gold, silver, bronze).
- Hermanis Matisons (1894-1932) - chess player
- Zenta Mauriņa (1897-1978) - writer, literary scholar, culture philosopher
- Jānis Mediņš (1890-1966) - composer, conductor
- Haralds Mednis (1906-2000) - conductor
- Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics (1887-1925) - first Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Marija Naumova (1973) - variety singer, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 under her stage name Marie N.
- Sandis Ozolinsh (1972) - ice hockey player (NHL), defense
- Artis Pabriks (1966) - Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Raimonds Pauls (1936) - popular composer, widely known in Russia
- Eduards Pāvuls (1929) - actor
- Jānis Peters (1939) - poet, politician, diplomat
- Andris Piebalgs (1957) - politician, diplomat, European Commissioner for Energy
- Juris Podnieks (1950-1992) - film director, producer
- Gunārs Priede (1928-2000) - playwright
- Andrejs Pumpurs (1841-1901) - poet, author of Latvian national epic Lāčplēsis
- Elza Radziņa (1917) - actress
- Rainis (real name: Jānis Pliekšāns, 1865-1929), the most distinguished Latvian writer of all time, author of a number of poetry collections. Rainis is also acknowledged as the "Man of the 20th century of Latvia".
- Einars Repše (1961) - politician
- Mark Rothko (1903-1970) - a famous painter, expressionist
- Brunis Rubess (1926) - businessman
- Voldemārs Salnais (1886-1948) - diplomat, statistician
- Kārlis Sebris (1914) - actor
- Uļjana Semjonova (1952), tallest female basketball player in the Olympic history, 3-time World Champion
- Alexei Shirov (1972) - one of the top chess grandmasters in the world today.
- Kārlis Skalbe (1879-1945) - poet
- Baiba Skride (1981) - violinist
- Lauma Skride (1982) - pianist
- Linda Skride (1978) - viola player
- Vilis Skultāns (1914-1990) - journalist, historian
- Eduards Smiļģis (1886-1966) - theatre director, actor
- Konstantin Sokolsky (1904-1991) - romance and tango singer
- Arnolds Spekke (1887-1972) - historian, diplomat
- Elvis Stumbergs - law student
- Mikhail Tal (1936-1992) - the 8th World Chess Champion
- Guntis Ulmanis (1939) - President
- Kārlis Ulmanis (1877-1942) - President
- Jukums Vācietis (1873-1938) - the first commander of Soviet Army
- Ojārs Vācietis (1933-1983) - poet
- Krišjānis Valdemārs (1825-1891) - public figure, writer, publicist and economist
- Ēvalds Valters (1894-1994) - actor
- Miķelis Valters (1874-1968) - state official, journalist, diplomat
- Alex Vanags-Baginskis - Aviation Author/Editor
- Pēteris Vasks (1946) - contemporary composer
- Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga (1937) - President
- Jāzeps Vītols (1863-1948) - composer
- Kārlis Zāle (1888-1942) - sculptor, author of the Freedom Monument in Riga
- Kārlis Zariņš (Charles Zarine) (1879-1963) - diplomat
- Kārlis Zemdega (1894-1963) - sculptor
- Gustavs Zemgals (1871-1939) - President
- Imants Zemzaris (1951) - contemporary composer
- Sergejs Žoltoks (1972-2004) - ice hockey player (NHL), forward
- Numerous opera soloists, such as Inese Galante (soprano) and Egīls Siliņš (bass)