A selection, inevitably partial, of Spaniards famous worldwide, with links to our in-depth pages.
History
- Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, the Catholic Monarchs, unified Spain and financed Columbus (see the history of Spain).
- Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, El Cid, the hero of the Reconquista.
- Charles V and Philip II, rulers of the Spanish Empire.
- Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro, conquerors of Mexico and Peru; Juan Sebastián Elcano, who completed the first circumnavigation of the world.
- St Teresa of Ávila and St Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits.
- Francisco Franco, the dictator (1939-1975), and Juan Carlos I, king of the democratic transition, with Adolfo Suárez (see the royal family).
Literature and thought
Miguel de Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Calderón de la Barca, Francisco de Quevedo, Benito Pérez Galdós, Miguel de Unamuno, Antonio Machado, José Ortega y Gasset, Federico García Lorca, Camilo José Cela, Carmen Laforet, Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, creator of detective Pepe Carvalho, Eduardo Mendoza, Javier Marías, Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, the philosopher Fernando Savater (see Spanish literature). The Peruvian-Spanish Mario Vargas Llosa, Nobel laureate in 2010, also held Spanish citizenship and was a member of the Royal Academy.
Art and architecture
El Greco, Diego Velázquez, Francisco de Zurbarán, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Francisco Goya, Joaquín Sorolla, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí, Antoni Tàpies, Eduardo Chillida; among architects Antoni Gaudí, Santiago Calatrava and Rafael Moneo (see art in Spain).
Music
The composers Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados, Manuel de Falla and Joaquín Rodrigo, author of the Concierto de Aranjuez; guitarist Andrés Segovia, cellist Pau Casals, tenors Plácido Domingo and José Carreras and soprano Montserrat Caballé; in flamenco Camarón de la Isla and Paco de Lucía; in pop Julio Iglesias, Raphael, Alejandro Sanz, Enrique Iglesias and, today, Rosalía (see Spanish music and flamenco).
Film and entertainment
Luis Buñuel, Carlos Saura, Pedro Almodóvar, Alejandro Amenábar, J. A. Bayona; actors Antonio Banderas, Penélope Cruz, the first Spanish actress to win an Oscar, Javier Bardem, and the folk singer and dancer Lola Flores (see Spanish cinema).
Food
Ferran Adrià, the El Bulli chef who revolutionised world cooking, Juan Mari Arzak, Joan Roca of El Celler de Can Roca in Girona and José Andrés, chef and founder of the NGO World Central Kitchen (see Spanish cuisine).
Sport
Rafael Nadal, winner of 22 Grand Slam titles, 14 of them at Roland Garros, retired in 2024; Carlos Alcaraz, his heir; driver Fernando Alonso, twice Formula 1 world champion; cyclist Miguel Induráin, five Tours de France; golfer Severiano Ballesteros; basketball player Pau Gasol; footballers Andrés Iniesta, Xavi and Iker Casillas, world champions in 2010, and Alexia Putellas, twice Ballon d'Or winner.