Famous People From Brazil (10 Examples!)

Brazil is among the largest nations on Earth, and one of the most richly cultured.

WIth such a large population, naturally, the country has produced a great many famous people over the years, and indeed some of Brazil’s notable people have been famous not only in Brazil but the world over. T

Today, we’re going to look at some of the most famous people from Brazil, in the past and in the modern day–so let’s dive into it.

Raimundo Teixeira Mendes

Born in 1855 only thirty years after Brazil as we know it today was established as a nation, Mendes was instrumental in forming much of the modern identity of Brazil.

He was a philosopher and mathematician, credited with coining Brazil’s national motto “Order and Progress” as well as designing the national flag.

He opposed war and was a member of the Positivist Church.

He died in 1927 at the age of 72.

Mauricio Peixoto

Though perhaps not the most glamorous kind of famous person, Peixoto’s influence on many essential aspects of modern life is difficult to ignore.

He was a structural engineer and mathematician, and pioneered vital studies in structural stability.

He was born in 1921 and over the course of his life would lead many vital leaps forward in the field of structural stability and engineering, even being credited with the creation of his own theorem, called Peixoto Theorem.

He died in 2019 at the ripe age of 98.

Ayrton Senna

Senna is one of Brazil’s most decorated racing drivers, winning Formula One in 1988, 1990, and 1990–one of only three Brazilian drivers to win the Formula One.

He won a whopping 41 Grand Prixs and is thus one of the most successful racing car drivers in Brazilian history.

He began his career in karting, and moved to open-wheel racing during the 1980s.

Tragically, Senna died after an accident in the 1994 San Mourinho Grand Prix in which he crashed into a wall.

Pelé

Without a doubt the most famous Brazilian in history, Pelé is considered one of if not the greatest football players to have ever lived.

He was among the most successful sportspeople of the whole 20th Century and enjoys legendary status in the history of football.

He began playing for Santos at age 15, and by age 16 was already playing for the Brazilian national team.

With 77 goals over 92 games, he is the joint-highest goal scorer in Brazil.

He died in 2022, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at the age of 82.

Gisele Bundchen

For one reason or another, Brazil has earned a reputation for having a population of beautiful people–Gisele Bundchen being among the most famous of these.

She has been working as one of the world’s highest-paid models since 2001 and is even credited with ending the heroin chic era of the 1990s.

She has appeared on more than 1,200 magazine covers over the course of her career.

Ronaldinho Gaúcho

Another footballing legend, Ronaldinho is also widely considered to be one of the best football players of all time.

He won two awards for FIFA World Player of the Year, as well as playing in many winning World Cup teams.

He was primarily used as an attacking midfielder, though sometimes also played in wing positions.

He is one of the greatest global icons of football today, even though he retired in 2018.

Paulo Coelho

A member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2002, Paulo Coelho is one of Brazil’s most celebrated lyricists and novelists.

Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947, he has enjoyed a long career as a novelist.

His breakout work was The Alchemist, published in 1988, and since the international success of this work he has gone on to publish a further 30 novels.

Since then he has also worked with musicians as a songwriter.

Neymar

What’s clear in the famous people of Brazil is that the country produces a lot of world class football talent.

Neymar is another of the world’s best known players, currently playing for the Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain as well as the Brazilian national team.

He is again considered to be one of the best players in the world and certainly among Brazilians, having a long and prolific career of goal-scoring.

He made his professional debut at Santos at age 17, where he helped the club win two consecutive championships.

Fernanda Montenegro

A well-known stage, television, and film actress, Montenegro is widely considered to be the finest Brazilian actress of all time.

She is the only Brazilian ever to have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

She began her career in the 1940s, adapting radio plays into stage dramas, and moved into film and television over the course of the 50s, 60s , and 70s. The 80s were considered her golden years of television as she had been out of the business for some time.

Adriana Lima

Another of Brazil’s iconic models, Adriana Lima was a Victoria’s Secret Angel from 1999 to 2018.

This makes her the longest running model in such a role, called the most valuable of all Victoria’s Secret models.

She is also a spokesperson for the Maybelline brand, and has done a variety of other commercials such as for Kia and the Super Bowl.

She is currently ranked among the most well known and prolific models in the world.

For most people outside Brazil, when they think of a famous Brazilian the first person they likely think of is a footballer.

No doubt Brazil has produced some of the world’s greatest footballing talent, but at the same time they have given so much to the arts and culture of the whole world.

Though only relatively recently born as a country in the way we understand it today, Brazil has given more than we could imagine to history.

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